Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1920-10-28
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM FRIEND 81. G."

Editor News:
1t is with the greatest pleasure that
/ write these few lines to the News,
knowing that my friends and relatives
will appreciate reading same whether
1t is interesting or not.
| / arrived in Columbia Monday, 1S,with
about fonr hundred other representa-
tives Of the /. o. O. Il. of Tennessee.
| We were met by the boy scouts and di-
rected to our places of abode. During
our stay in Colum bia we couldn't have
been treated any better than we were,
though the most of us were strangers
| to the people of this magnificent little
town, which is situated about 46 miles
south of Nashvil 1t contains about
ten thousand inhabitants. There are
no factories here. There is military
school out about mile north of the
city. There is great deal of phospate
all around here which makes the land
very valuable. A large number of
mules are shipped from this place.
There are some fine farms in this sec
tlOn OF Ln6 SJabe.
was thinking before left home of
extending my trip into Sequachee Val
ley and into Dade County, Ga, but will
have to abandon that trip for while
! on account of being financially broke,
Well, will start home Friday the
21st. II nothing providentially hinders
l hope to make trip to the Valley soon
as l have near relatives there and sis
ter in Trenton, Ca, whom | have not
seen in twenty years. l also have
two brothers in Texas and sister in
Oklahoma, whom have lost sight CT.
l think my sister in Oklahoma is a SUI
scriber to the News II so, would ask
her to write me. 1t would be a gre.
pleasure to hear from any OF my rel :.
tives that have not seen in 80 naaJ
years.
My early boyhood was spent in Mul-
Inns Cove. About all the schooling /
got had to cross the Tennessee river
and three creeks, known as Dry, Buch-
or and Mullins. Passage over these
creeks was made by trees cut down
across the stream. Some of them were
made fat on top by taking off the bark
and little of the wood, SO as to make
1t easier to walk across, and some we're
left just as they fell. have crossed
on those foot logs when the ice was an
inch thick on top of them and the water
within few inches Of the log. Some
times we would have to coon the log"
as we called it, just get down and slide
along. remember crossing on log
one time. ! was getting along very
we'll It'll Igot about half way across
when dog came trotting up behind
me. There wasn't room for both OF US
and he tripped me up and / went kerr
splash into the water, head and ears
What would have done for that dog If
l could have caught him would have
been enough.
Well, our schoolhouse was made OF
logs, chinked and daubed with mud,
cracks large enough to sling good-siz-
ed dog thru, seats made ~ planks foot
wide with two holes bore ! in each end
Of the board and pegs put in them for
legs. Our schools only lasted three
months. Well, the whole sum OF it was
we had to rough and tumble the best
way we could. That is the way / got
my schooling. A portion of that time
was during the civil war when we had
to do just anyway to get along Once,
as the soldiers passing along on the OPP
posite side OF the river from where we
lived the bullets from their guns whiz-
zed all around our home. 1t might
have been fun for them, but want you
to know 1t was not for us. but we got
used to that after while and it did
not amount to much after all as they
were not shooting at us. Those are
some Of my ups and downsin my early
boyhood days. J. G.
Columbia, Tenn, Oct. 22, 1890.