Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1909-03-05
q JEFFERsoN TEXAS FRIDA MARCH s 1eo9-sIx PAGES
JEFFrRsoN Jorr1Ne,.

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sons'' no reference is made to its
good people; the people Of Jeffer.
son are no older than the folks of
any other town of more or less size
Jefferson people have no greyer
heads, no;more halt in their step;
the crows feet in their brow is no
thicker or deeper-Afheir eye is no
more bedimed. their touch 70 more
bedumb, nor their ear more ob,use
than oiher people
The expression "old Jefferson. "
is rather comparative one and
implies the present status of the
town, as compared alongside its
| former self
AS matter of fact and record
Of history, Jefferson is not SO ven
cradle as many of her sister tuwns
Many towns in this section out
date her by far. Even Marion
county is still of youthful. years
as II OF. .1baf,, 0niit 4 $50 during
ltbe time Abe Lincoln and Stephen
A Douglass were waxing hot in
that famous debating tim, and
when too. Jefferson Davis and Bill
lily Yancey and Bobbie Toombs
were fixing up the Southern Con
federacy 1t was not till then the
couaty of Marion was d livered
from the big county of old Cas- and
christened after that sly swamp
Fox of South Carolina
All this however cuts no figure
with The town for Jefferson was Is
years old when the county came
into life.
In age Marshall had the 60 on
Jefferson by.ssveral years That
place had $40 log store houses
three cross roads whisky shops and
had killed more than 20 men. And
it had and old shack hotel call the
'Buzzard Roost," and they court
out under the big oak trees. and
the judges and the lawyers and the
juries and clients ali played to-
gether between times; provided
they were sober enough.
At that far away day Jefferson
was an unknown quantity. 1t had
moi. so much as to filter into the
dream of the drowsy dreamer.
Where Jefferson sits now the 500
ing pines were singing their re-
QUEENS along the shimmering bay
on, and the shy raccoone were rae
ing over the crawish glades
Daipgerfeld too, sitting up on
the red hills of the then Red River
country, had the go on Jefferson.
1t was right sharp covey ON shan
tier, while Jefferson was still the
lonely lair of the lynx eyed wolf
and the browsing place of the big
black bruins. along the shady bay
on banks. Even old Port Caddo
Is miles below, antedates Jeffer-
son. h's as dead as Hector@now
and has the monotonous solitude
of grim Sc try at countrychurch
yard; but then it boosted in being
regular set river town, with bad
men. bad whisky and cards and
carausals and killings. But at that
time Jefferson was the happy
hunting ground" of the red skined
Caddo Indians. and a camping
spot where the dusky squaws sang
their low lullabies to their little
pappoose.
But. but true to history, it must
be said that when the time was up
Jefferson was conceived and born.
In 1916 the brIar patches began t,
go; the lynx-eyed wolf had to HE,
and the black bruins had to hustle.
Then the racing raccoons held
high caucus and migrated; and the
hustling red skins, dusky squaws
and papposse and ponies took it
single file, and went west to grow
up with the country. But in their
wake came the compass, the chain
and the surveyor and the woods
man, and the singing saw and moi
sy hammer-then in reckless rap
idity came Jefferson.
There are some things our youth
full readers don't know; just few!
One is, that SO years ago Jefferson
was the queen city of all this i'm.
mediate southwest, and the trad
ing metropolis of vast and wide
area. Steamboats, stuck their no.
ses at the wharf as thick and as of.
ten as wagons come now. Twenty
dollar doubloons were as plenty as
nickles and dimes now.
Then the long horned OK trains
drawing their heavy dusty loads.
came like caravan, and the long
cared six mule trains came, wend.
ling in and then out like the ord
nance outfit of a moving army,
The rub then with the merchants
was not alone to sell goods, but to
keep enough of them! Really that
was old Jeffers on!
It's all true that of late years
Jefferson has not Jared 80 lavishly
at the hands of fckly fate But
the winter of our discoutent is now
passing and the roseate dawn of
better day is fecking her sky. The
Incoming regime of VIM. H, Taft
lis big with promises for the south.
west. and Jefferson has future in
her ideal location. Her Weary
Williams and Rip Van Wrinkles
will yet come out from their nod.
ding and tapping The latter days
have fighting chance to eclipse
those of her former grand period