The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-02-14
RUMBLE OF THE RAILS I'm ARKANSAS WOODS.
oskalOosa People Tell of Experiences
In the South.

In the Woods of Arkansas. January
26.-Dear Herald: Thinking you
might like to know what we are do
ing down here in the woods. con-
cluded to write some. know would
be glad to hear what the folks at os-
kaloosa are doing. Our last Herald
received was of January 10th. We
are expecting to get our mail again
tomorrow or next day. An Iowa man
who lived down here is coming to
our camp in a day or two and will
bring the mail to us.
We arrived at st. Charles a little
more than three weeks ago. after
spending week there we came down
the river to our old camp. finding ev-
erything there covered with water.
We came on up here in the woods
and still we find plenty of water. We
have been in here two weeks and
have had my feet on the ground but
once in that time. Had to then row
boat three miles and stand in six
inches of water in order to get my
feet on the ground. The nearest land
Is straight down seventeen feet. Five
miles up the bayou from here there
is settlement where there is quite
a bit of land still out of the water.
The boys were over there TO the
store day before yesterday and found
some of the people moving their
household goods into the second sto-
ry Of their building for safety, as
the Memphis papers Of January 22nd
had promised a raise in the rivers of
five and one-half feet in another
week. If that much more water
comes in here we will be living in
the top Of some Of these big cypress
trees The top Of our boat would
scrape now on the branches that are
Is feet ND on the body of the tree.
Where we were camped two years
ago, and had to cut % steps in the
bank to get I'D to land, is so far I'M
der water we could not reach 1t with
the boat oar.
The day we came down White Riv-
er from st. Charles. man by the
name of Maze, who formerly lived in
Iowa, came down with us and brought
a big bateau full of cracked corn to
feed his hogs, 100 head Of which he
had In pen built on a raft tied up
to big tree.
A man near here had IS head of
cattle drowned In one day. He had
driven them onto a ridge of land that
was out OF water, and was going to
load them on a barge and tow them
out. They all jumped into the water
and drowned before he could get help
enough to drive them back.
We are enjoying ourselves here.
Have fresh meat brought in every
day, and have had ducks, squirrels,
rabbits, fish, coons and possums. We
get fresh eggs at Is cents dozen,
good country butter at 20 cents a
pound. Everything in the grocery
line is as cheap as at home, with all
the wood and water we want free,
ought not We to be contented, espec-
tally with the weather so nice we
can keep the doors and windows open
during the day?
A part of the time since we came
here the weather has been uncom'
fortably warm.
A friend of ours in st. Charles has
two cannon shot known as canister.
They were found this last summer by
some men who were Smelling around
the sunken warships laying in the
river in front of st. Charles. I do not
know what success I will have, but
am going to try very hard to get one
to bring back home. Our friend had
the pair of black squirrels for us, but
when we got here there was only an
empty cage. Just few days before
little girl got anxious to see the
squirrels and opened the door and let
them get out He told US not to be
discouraged as he would get us some
more.
We hope next time to be able to
tell you that we are living on "eni.
son, for some of our men folks are
planning to spend the night perched
UP in tree in the deer country ere
long. A couple of young men belong
ing to a party in here from Little
Rock got two deer that way one night
this week, one fellow declaring that
seven deer passed under his tree at
once and he shot one of them.
Mrs. Belle Mobley.