The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1919-06-19
LOOKING BACKWARD
Compiled by Judge u. II. Davis
Eighth Installment.

/ There has been a great change In a,
\ laws Of Kentucky a. o. rights and rrS,
iie.,es since 1873 Up 10 lS2I a -
could be- imprisoned for debt. n.
were mo- exemption laws. If lac wasn,.
liable To- pay his debt he was sen, =
I Jail and there kept until his credl,.,.
relcntcd cor refused 90 pay for his ks.,,
I ing longer. N the debtor eventn.li,.
satisfied the Judgment the cost 81 III.
board at the jail was added % the d.,
This law providing that for ordIsrv
debts citizen could be- PVT in Jail va
repealed iu ISL u may he said H.,
tire settlements Of keutcky west Of ~.
Tennessee river enjoyed liberty th.,
the settlements in other parts Of n
state did not have. The money in Ell
culntion hundred years ago was vsr,
meagcr and unsatisfactory
The paper money was issued hv A.
cnl banks and such banks were witbort
regulation orsupcrvision and the val,..
of the money depended upon the hon-
esty Of the officers The amount ~
paper money that could be- issued :, !,
bank was limited only 10y the ability
of officers 90 get 10 into Circulation
The country had recently obtained H.
freedom from English Government AMI
irs terms 81 money had not disappeared
from Use among the people BY law
Congress had fixed fhc unit IF money
for the United States as the dollar
Change WAS scarce and the dollar was
cut In two for half and half was emf
in two for quarters and the Quarter
was emit in two
This was the last division into which
if was practical 90 cut the dollar ami
these last pieces were known a. bits
This term ~ money Is still heard among
older people The expression two
bits" and "~ivX bits" an occasionally
heard ut this time. In 1S27 the Iegis
iSlafurc Of Kentucky in making n =
Unable offen~e % put poison into
streams for the purpose Of infoxica,
ing or destroying fish fixed the pcnaltv
Of such offcnSc az "a fine nor 10 excpel
sixteen Shiiling~ The shilling has So
far disappeared from our terms for
money now that reference 10 some
book is necessary for uS 10 know the
equivalent # shilling ia American
money
There was not much 10 buy or sell
IN Hickman one hundred wears aeo
~ j. possible that Mr. Green had bar-
rel ~ whiskcy which he would SCH AZ
perhaps ten or fifteen cents "A quart He
had NO fruits Of any kind unless per
haps a barrel Of apples There were
u" canned goods Of any sort. Most
all wearing apparel was manufactured
40 home. Most every Implement 81 ag-
ricuifure WAS made at home
His stock perhaps included a supply
81 lead for bullets. Of powder for the
rifles used by the early settlers on the
Mississippi river. flints with which they
made the spark 10 ignite the powder.
The rifles at such time had n suSD
pan az the side In which powder wa-
sprinkled and could not b. fired exc-tr
In a horizontal position or az such sn
elevation that the powder would not
fall ont of the pan. a flash In the
pan" may sometimes BE- heard AK re-
ferring 10 enterprise that failed ard
81 originated from the failure OF the
powder Ia the pan 10 ignite the. ,oxser
In the barrel Of the rifle.
Mr.. Green in his store would proha- |
bly, buy tire skins of the animals brought
in 10y the trapperS and hunters fo he
exchanged for the powder and ban.
Mills Point or the city of Hickman
was part Of Hickman county. In 1874
the legislature of Virginia authorized
the laying Of land warrants ON the Miss
iS>ippi river fro the benefit Of soldiers
m that state who served in the Revolu- |
iionary war and several came into this
territory 10 locate such warrants. The
first warrant surveyed embraced on
aera Of four thousand acres and in,.lrI /
Il the size of the present town of c,,t
'inhus. The bluffs Of Columbus are ne,r
One hundred feet high and ON accom-,
III their peculiar brown appearances
were early known as the Iron Ra,ts
and wcr 50 called by the early expIorersI
Who supposed the country 10 eopt.s,,
IRON There Is no iron ore 10 he found
~ any part Of the purchase A fe,v
miles below Columbus are the char
Banks 50 called on account az ,bot-
brilliant white surface which greatIv
resembles chalk.