The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-10-22
COMMUNICATED.


soil of Lowndes county were Herman
do DeSoto and his followers in 154O
| OF his circuitous and fruitless search
| for gold in the New World. there ars
extant three principal accounts, viz
that of the Gentleman of Elva
otherwise A1Earo Fernandez, who &C
companied the expedition and wrote
a narrative, seemingly from memory
after his return; Garcilloso DeLs
Vega prepared his history from ora
statements of Luys Hernandez de
Beldma, who was factor, or what
would now be termed quartermastel
or commissary; Rodrigo Ranjel was
private secretary TO DeSoto and wrote
his diary while With his chief at the
front For this reason greater reli-
ance should be placed upon his state
ments concerning dates, names OF
places and distances.
Passing over much that would in
terest the general reader. we repro
duce the record bearing directly upon
the subject under consideration.
On December 18th, 1910, the ex-
pedition reached Tombigbee river.
DeSoto, with thirty cavalry, crossed
and, going ahead, reached the town
of Chicaca late at night This was
a Chickasaw town of 200 fires and is
near Redland in Pontotoc county,
which is twenty-eight miles north
west of Cotton Gin Port, on the river,
and in Monroe county. So any cross
ing in Lowndes county that tradition
or local pride may suggest would Wit
late the record, for it would have
been physical impossibilfty for cav
airy to have covered such distance
on a short December day, even arriv-
ing late at night.
That part of Lowndes county east
of the Tom bigbee river was Choctaw
territory, and was ceded by that tribe
to the United States on August "a,
1916. Whether at any time it was a
neutral or contested hunting ground,
the evidences of prehistoric occupan-
" are everywhere present. OF the
i've most prominens mounds in the
county four are on the east side of
be river.
The Military road lad no eonnec-
ion with the battle of New Orleans, |
tut Secame a military Necessity after
he treaty of peace with England in |
SIS. The road did not receive its |
,reseRs name until 1876 and then |
~ an act of congress providing for
he construction of thoroaghfaFe to /
,e known as s@Jackson's S: MilE5ary
toad" over which were transported 1
government supplies to the ag'my sta
ioned in mississippi territory. The
f the war; department, and was mot
ompleted until 1920, The eavdy set
Lers in ana aroHnd Columbus came
4 touch with the working fonge in 4
he year 1879.
The Mayhew m gssDCn to the Choc-I
avs established by the 'Amesicam
GARD of commissioners for foreign 4
rfssE0ns'' in LSwndles county in K820, 1
as so called; in honor of Thomas
Iayhew, cosaaiiutoy of the renowned II
ndian missionary, John Elliot of II
whose labors Eave
cen so accurately recorded by the
l1zstonisaas of New Eng
md 1t is SAID of Mayhew that his
haracter and manners we're Singh
Grly calculated TO excite the tender
ess- no less tfsam the veneTation,- of
he objects of IEiis benGvoIence. Many
ears after his deaEfI, the Indians
0uld not bear his name mentioned
-sthout shedding tears and betraElng
transports of gnatefuz emotion.
John PitchlSu. the flrst white. man
D reside permanently in what was
fterward LowHdes county, was corn
n the island of St. Thomas in 1850. Il
lis father was a retired English ma
al officer wfo died in the Chuctaw
Tation, leaving his son alone with H
he Indians of that tribe. Although
ising to great prominence he never
ED the office of chief. On the con-
rary, he was for forty years q Unit
d States. interpreter, and often rep
esented the government in matters
f treaties, land cessions and other
ublic business, all of which would
isqualifs him as an Indian chief.
W. A. Love.