The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-10
Chronicles Of the CdnebraRe
BY JOHN wITHE RsPooN DUBosE
CHAPTER III.

$3.50
but not published.
The squatter sovereign of whom Agent
Ravesies of the Tombeexbe association
so solemnly complained, in his letter of
1927, from Aiglesvlle, to the Secretary of
the Treasury, survived the Bonapartist al
lotees. Even to this day, within and with
out the limits of the French grant are
to be seen memorials of the settlements of
the squatters long ago absorbed by the
| plantations. One of these cedar log
cabins intact, set for more than half
century alone and abandoned in cot
ton field on the Dayton and Uniontown
road, perpetual reminder of an amusing
tradition. The squatter lay there alone,
at deaths door. An evangelist with his
saddle bags riding by called to offer the
spiritual comforts of his ministry. The
ardent solicitation of the good man. that
this sinner should be reconciled to Jesus,
| Who had died for him, brought from the
sick pillow only words of surprise: Mis-
ter, has never seen the gentleman and
l never hearn a word agin Him in my
life.' Amidst the remains of one of these
cabins have seen also signs of the
presence of Indians, broken pottery, ar
row heads, etc.
In the period of % years these alone
were the memorials left of the American
squatter, the Indian and the men who
marched with Napoleon. The planters and
their beautiful and magnificent achieve
fnents endured for time Following
| their brief career came the results of the
new era. SO little is now left of the
planters and their influence that those
only who were Of their time may be ex-
pected to accept without qualification the
no f.r-n i've If Il
the bed of the departed sea was an almost
unbroken forest of matchless timber and
| lndescribable canebrake. BY 1850 this
| splender of native had been converted
into vast open, rolling prairie planta-
| tion, checkered by broad roads and
adorned by an unsurpassed agriculture.
BY the END of the century a total pc
| litical and social revolution had taken
effect. No greater evidence of the in
herent vitality of the soil or of the in
domitable spirit of the original owners,
surviving in the first and second genera
lions, can be presented than in the rela-
tive success with which they have In COM
binations restored the lost status The
praries of Alabama and the Canebrake
in special, possess undeveloped powers
OF productive wealth and degree of ag-
ricutural prosperity and happiness for
farmers. unequalled, perhaps, in the
American continent
| will enumerate the plantations and
their owners on the two public highways.
running from Demopois to Unontown, as
| they were when the southern Confederacy
was founded. From this it will be seen
that the social life there had a remark
able foundation In the number of families
within easy reach of each other Besides
these, however, people who lived in De-
mopolis, Uniontown, Dayton Greensboro
| ana on the plantations further away from
these roads, were practical neighbors of
the others, having frequent and intimate
association with them
the first residence out, easterwardly
from the accepted limits of Demopolis,
was Mr. d. F. Porrets. His plantation
was down the river a short distance.
part OF the Allan Glover estate, a very
large one. Next came DIR. Griffin's and
opposite that DR.. Reeses Mr. Young
lived near. These three houses were of
architectual design. large and handsome
DIR. Reese's residence was In the fork of
the upper and lower Uniontown road We
are now three miles out from Breight-
llngs cotton warehouse on the bank of
the Bigbee, within Demopolis. Following
the upper road we come next to Mr..
kronegay, then to Mrs. Strudwick To
the the northward two or three miles Is
| the French settlement. Arcola, where Mr.
Reveries lived and where Mr. Samuel
Strudwck and Mr.. Afford Hatch at
this period lives, and Col. George e. Tay-
loe.
Taking up the line of road again, we
come to Mr. John NJ Chapron, a West
Indian Frenchman. Then Colonel Nc
Rae from Virginia. To the rear is
Mr.. Minor w. Gracey from South Caro-
Ina succeeded by Mr.. w. P. Bocock from
Virginia. Mr.. Henry A. Tayloe and Mr..
John R. Robertson, both Vrginians. live
near. The widow of Capt Reuben
Vaughan and his daughter, Mrs. Alice
Duggar, are there. cluster of three or
four residences. the postoffice and gen.
eral store make Prairieville. The resi-
dences are occupied by DIR. James d.
Browder, Mr.. Manning and Mrs. Steele.
DIR. r. c. Randolph of Greensboro owns
the next plantation on the road, but does
not reside on it. Next is Mr.. Robert V.
| Montague. son-in-law of Capt Vaughan,
| who was succeeded by Mr. James II. Du-
Bose. Just across the fence is Mrs. Du
Val Adjoining him Is Mr.. Kidd, another
son-in-law of Captain Vaughan. Near
| these latter is Mr.. John William Tayloo
Near him Is Judge Thomas S. Gholson,
who lived at PETERBOROUGH, Va, succeed
| ed by Rev. John G. Gholson, his son, rec
| tor of St. Michaels parrish. Across the
country to the north is Mr.. Ivey F. Lew
| is Judge Ormond of the supreme court
| of Alabama owned a plantation in this
neighborhood; so did Mr.. Snow and Col
saac Gown, none of whom lived there
ohm Collins owned several plantations in
he same vicinity The estate of Groom
wned valuable lands there and Capt
V. McSeldon owned and lived on 1t, with
lis family after the war Mr.. David Walk
r came next and finally his father,
dr. Charles Walker in large house in
lie fork of the two roads as they con-
'erged some three miles west of Union
| own.
Now, returning to the point of diverg-
nee of the two roads whose widest sep
| lration is not exceeding three miles,
where sat Dr. Reese's house, and taking
| he lower road we have several miles of
| plantations some OF the land belonging
| to Mr.. George f. Glover and some to the
Youngs, the owners living in Demopolis
After this there is the home of Mr.. Ed
| win A. Glover on an eminence quite re-
narkable for the territory. Near by Is
he large estate of Mr.. Edmund Prince of
| Tuscaloosa. Mr.. Lane owns a plantation
near there but lives at Spring Hill on
he border of the canebrake. The family
| Of a pioneer, most successful planter
| Mr.. John Bodde, came heirs to his es-
tate and each has home and many
tcres in this neighborhood Messrs. Oil
ysr B. Sidney Smith and John E. Bodde
llso their brother-n-law, Capt John H.
| Prince. Mr.. Edward Thornton Tayloe
ives near and DR.. Sidney Smith owns a
plantation on which he does not reside
but in Dayton Is his home. Then we
cross Powell creek to the plantation of
| Hon. F. S. Lyon. where he and has fam
ily visit from their residence. bluff
Hall" In Demopolis. Mr.. X. C. DuBose,
Dr. Samuel Watkins Vaughan. Messrs.
Richard and John Napier live near by.
Mr.. David Minge, Mr.. Andrew p. Cal