The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-02-05
twenty-five Ago in the Ozarks.

which shoule have been finished befor
this time, but owing TO the rush OF worl
and other matters has been delayed until
this time.-Ed)
The wagons were loaded going nortl
with butter, hides, pelts, cotton anC
eggs, and sometimes a load Of tob
bacco. The amount Of money to pa!
debts in Springfield, and the value o
the goods hauled south to the mer
in a year, over the road leaving Spring
field on Campbell street, aggregated Sc
great a sum that it would seem incred
ible if it could be accurately stated il
figures. 1t was a great traffic knocked
in the head by the building of the rail
road already mentioned. The regular
freighters were areliable set of men,
and we'll informed BY contract with
traders at both ends of the road. But
in busy times occasional haulers would
be employed, and they were some
times the raw material. One of them
Just out Of Springfield one night told
about crazy fool up there who said
that the world was round instead OF fat
and was spinning in space like a top
at a speed Of $4,000 miles in "a hours.
II that chap ever came down to Boone
county and told such ridiculous tale
he said he would fail the moisture out
of him. He asked me what I thought
Of it, and I said that at all events there
must be mistake about the world
going round because l had read OF a
man in London in too much OF hurry
to wait and TOO stingy 10 pay steam
ship transportation, who had gone up
from the earth in balloon expecting
New York to come around under him
in three or four hours, and New York
had stayed plumb where it was.
OF course the lreighters would trade
horses, and sometimes the Springfield
jockies would put one off them that
was not true puller, but Of any men
could make balky horse push against
the collar the freighters could. Yet
have never seen a regular freighter
fog balky horse to make him pull.
There are better ways to that end as
every man who is fit 10 drive team oil
horses knows. A good team was the
aim and object OF such constant trad
ing and when attained it went in
Springfield for a good price. Spring
field was a the market and fixed the
prices Of commodities, and was the
standard Tor fashion and foible for a
vast scope OF the mountain country in
Missouri and Arkansas. Harrison was
then the best inland town the drum
mers talked about, aud is said 10 be a
good town now, but few years after
the railroad went through the plank
paving was neglected and many busi'
ness buildings were vacant and in de.
cay. When the people Of Harrison
paid S5O,0O0 for railroad they found
they had paid for experience, because
it scattered and divided the bulk Of
the trade instead Of increasing it.
Sometimes, when a horse would
balk too long, or an axle would break
or the wagon would get stuck on BeaI
Creek gravel bar, the ireighter would
swear. Then he done complete job
with nothing omitted. His torential
ejaculation oil sulphurous denunciation
would make the vigorous profanity Of a
muleskinner between the big dam and
'Branson sound like the soft dulcet
mumur Of gentle worship in the
twilight Of a pure faith. But the old
time kind Of freighter has passed on.
OF all the hundreds Of the boys l used
to know, Brack Mcfarland Of Branson
is the only one l ever see now. Jim
Nelson, jim Elliott, Lige Vapzlndt,
Tom Lowrey, Bob Prather, and many
more are dead. Those who survive
are we'll along in years. Yet little
while and we will have gone away
mounted behind the grim rider on the
pale horse.
The breadvinning in Christian and
Taney counties wa, Of course, mostly
by farming, methods and practices had
begun to improve over the vogue in
the mountains Of Kentucky and
Tennnssee, whence had come bilhe'
a large percent Of the population. Il
was then quite the habit to abandon
old fields and clear the timber from
new ones, instead Of restoring fertility
Sowing clover was beginning to te com
mon and fenced pastures TO supplanl
the range grasses. The range was in