Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1949-11-05
Georgia Towns
Last Survivor
Is Dead los

OllNel, dd.-\ CpSCldl 10 t1lC Vii
cago World) = Oct. 81, - Nobody,
with the exception of a few civil
war survivors ever heard Of Jack
sonnoro, known as an accursed
town that is dead, but one Of our
race lived, Uncle Richard Bry-
ant, in prosperity for los years in
this town. He died several days
ago of 105 grand old age,
b1t before he died he told this
story of his life and his town,
which was once a flourishing slave
CITY. and rough and ready, but
another feature Of the town was
IFS irreligious activities; 50 the
story goes:
Il saw terrible curse put on
this town by a little preacher he
was hunchbacked, but he had the
religion of the true God; of course,
this town (the town that is now
oone did not believ in this sort
| Of talk, even from a white preach
cry.
This preache rcame to. town
and attempted to preach the Cos
nel Of course we colored people
! cou1d not 90 to hear about the
Christ Child anyway as we were
all slaves, but the white folks
didn't want to hear it either, SO
thew told this little preacher to
get out of town. The little Holy
man was besieged by mob, but
managed to escape and was gwen
shelter III the house where my
master lived. He remained there
for a night, then decided to aban-
don the town, but on the outskirts
of the city this irreliglous mob
of busy bodies met him. The little
man. nv father told me, because
| was only three years old, step
ped back, pulled off his shoes and
sprinkled the dust therefrom and
turned to the crowd in dramatic
manner and said. to his tormen-
tors that God will bring swift
vengeance on this wicked town,
the same that overlook Sodom and
Gomorrah, but the townsfolk
laughed again.
Il was mere kid then, but
lived through the terror OF the
decades and when | was 80 years
old, the town was still running
wild, but swiftly thereafter, winds
came and they left people home
less, after the winds, the earth
shook and more people died and
we're panic stricken. We thought
this was all in the line OF natural
happenings, but then came the
floods and people were homeless.
There were very few settlers
left in my town after this - 50
they moved five miles away and
left my little Shack standing. |
happened to think that the Man
Of God" did not place the curse Of
the Lord upon the home OF my
former master, for it was he that
took him in, and in all Of the
turmoil, | was spared
1t was in the late seventies that
the little town of Jacksonboro was
founded. 1t was a county seat III
Georgia and main stop for coach
lines.
White and colored alike old
ayers remember the history Of this
town All dthe little preacher, but
..-hey do know the late Uncle, as
he is called, Richard Bryant, who
is now gone. but yet through the
wears and through the storms his
home stood, but all wonder if the
winds or floods will destroy the
last vestage Of the town Of Jack
sOnooro - the accursed town Of
Georgia. Nobody knows.
The morale Of this true story is:
Never turn stranger away, for
We know not whom he is. The
story ends with the burial of our
los year old centenarian, "Uncle"
Richard Bryant, when the winds
and those who took kerosene
lamps to claim the son Of Georgia
stated that they heard an awful
rustling in the trees and some old
| hound howled. The old timers got
his body, but left hurriedly.