The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-12-24
LOCAL PEOPLE HAD
INTERESTING TIME

CONTINUED from page IL
As soon as 1t was light enough to
see the road in the morning we started
out driving 10 miles as far as Glas-
COW when we stopped for breakfast.
A few miles out Of GLASGOW we came
to the Petroleum oil wells which were
very numerous all the way to Scots
vile. Leaving Scottsville we struck
the tobacco district and nearly every
barn was hung full of tobacco drying.
Some places mules were under the to-
bacco to keep the flies off, other places
hogs were around the tobacco. / did
ut know which would give the best
flavor 1t was now clouding night
again and we commenced to hunt for
a good camping place which we found
IN a nice grove 10 miles north of
Nashville. Nashville is very pretty
city and well kept up. Entering
Nashville we passed large National
cemetery and about 2 miles out we
came to another and Hating to get
picture from the outside we were
noticed by the keeper and told that we
were welcome to go inside and look
around and take all the pictures we
wanted ITO. We went all through the
cemetery finding many Michigan
markers. 1t was the cemetery for the
soldiers who fought in the battle of
Stone River from December 81, 1862
to Jan. 3, 1868. From here we drove
to Minfuesboro, which isn't a very
large place, but very wealthy. Here
like most of the southern cities the
court house is in the center of large
square and the business places built
faround it. so that the Main street in
stead of being a straight was not. On
the court house square was a beauti-
ful monument in memory of the fallen
soldiers who fought in the big bat
tie of Minfuesboro in December 1862.
Going south out of here we passed
field after field of cotton which they
were just beginning to harvest and
looked like snow on the bushes. The
country in general was very poor. In.
habtated mostly by negros. We are
now off the Dixie highway and travel
ing ever the Jackson highway which
they claim is in much better condition
than the Dixie, but this is very rough
in places. About Is miles south of
Minfuesboro we camped on the side
of small mountain.
Thursday morning was quite cool
but bright and sunshing. Our first
stop for the day was Shilbyville, which
was a small place but was county
seat. Here we started for Fsyett-
vile crossing the Tennessee river as We
left town. After crossing the river
we commenced to climb long winding
NIL which we went up for 9 miles,
then we went down a very steep pitch
Tor " miles and seemed to travel on
the level for a few miles and Thea, be-
gan to climb again, this time 4 miles
nigh and very steep. About half way
up this pitch we found an Indiana car
out OF gas and in trying to turn the
car around the man lost control of il
and went into the ditch and they had
hard work to get him out again. He
was obliged to go back about 10 miles
TO get gas, but the next day passed
us again. At the top of this we came
TO long stretch of level country.
This is called Chestnut Ridge. I don't .
know where it got the name, / didn't +
see any chestnuts, all | saw was sand !
burrs. Going 10 miles farther we
came to the line between Tenn. and
Ala, which is marked by sign board
and which is claimed to be on the SPOT
where General Jackson crossed the
Alabama line on October IL, 1863 and
32 miles in 5 hours with an
army of $4,000 men. Four miles far 4
ther we came to small place called
Hazel Green, where we all stopped
and went through a cotton gin. They
iraw the cotton from the fields in
nigh tight boxes which hold about a
,on of cotton. A large spout is plac-
I'd over one end of the box and the
cotton is sucked up through the spout
% large bin in the peak of the mill,
where it goes into a machine that sep
lrates the seeds from the cotton rack .
.oming down into separate bins. The
leeds go on down below, where the
'est is made into Cotolene and the rest !
nto cotton seed meal. After the seeds
re taken out the cotton is forced into .
large press and when about 500 lbs. I
In the press trip comes down and
wire bail is put on, and niggers haul
the bales outside. Going about Is !.
niles out from here we came to {
arge cotton plantation and upon stop
ing to inquire if they knew of good ;
lace to camp near, were told that we /.
night camp in her door yard if we
Wished. We were glad too for we
fere now in a section tLickly popu-
lted by the colored race and not many t
iaces that looked very inviting. This a
lace consisted of over 900 acres y
Thich had just been sold for $3.50 an a
ere, the ladies husband having died n
ast May. All the next forenoon we
raveled through poor country, with s
iostly negro population and found e
ONE bad roads in short stretches and
t noon came to the Tennessee river s
here we were ferried across to- "
huntsville, which was the dirtiest d
lace we found on the entire trip. a
eaving this place we began to climb
and Mountain and when about half
'ay up we stopped to allow the engine
, cool and ate our lunch. Part of the
me we had terrible roads and in all
ne afternoon only travelled about 40
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