Local historical reminscences, Part 1 of 2

Having been requested to write what I know about Atlanta and its immediate surroundings, I yield reluctantly, first because of my incompetency, and second, because of the magnitude of the task. However, I expect my introduction to this immediate section dates further back than the memory of most people now living in Atlanta.

I shall do my best to narrate facts, as I know them from personal knowledge, as well as from information from those of unquestioned integrity. That I may not consume too much space at any one time, I shall begin fifty-two years ago and divide the time, devoting each chapter to a given period, condensing as much as possible to make it readable. I shall ask the readers’ indulgence if I should bring in self right often, because it is necessary when relating events in which I am personally acquainted.

To begin - about the first of February, 1864,1 received a ten day furlough that I might visit my mother, who lived five miles east of Marshall, Texas for the purpose of getting clothes preparatory to the spring campaign, which all old Confederate soldiers who were in the trans Mississippi department will remember. My mother had refugeed from Arkansas in 1863. My father and I were both in the service of our country.

I had never been in Texas prior to that time. My first night spent in the state with one Fute Brown, who was claiming his exemption from military service on account of being a tanner. From what I could gather, he must have had two or three vats. Anyhow was a man of strong prejudice, as evidenced by the fact that he and two of his brothers were shot from ambush and killed after the war ended on the Linden and Bright Star road, six miles east of where Atlanta is now situated.

My horse having no rough food all winter, got choked on the fodder during the night, which consumed so much time the next morning in trying to relieve him. My half day’s journey found me at Richard Law’s (who owned and lived where “Bawley” Smith now lives) for dinner, only about six or seven miles from where I had spent the night. Mr. Law’s home was a typical frontier hewed log house and not framed, like the present residence.

Capt. P. R. Scott lived on the hill just west of where Atlanta now stands, in the same building that stands there now, only it was a hewn log house not weatherboarded. In recent years, it has been weatherboarded and painted. Just across on the south side of the present Linden road and a little west of a south line from the house was a row of houses used for Negro slaves. In passing down the slope to the rivulet can be seen a row of China tree spouts erupting from the stumps of the old antebellum trees planted by slaves. I failed to explain that at that time the main public road from Jefferson, Texas to Fulton, Washington, Rockport and Little Rock, Arkansas ran north and south and one hundred yards east of Capt. Scott’s residence, crossing the Sulphur River at Line ferry.

On the east side of this the Jefferson and Line Ferry road, and south of the present Atlanta and Linden road, stood an old antebellum horse gin, with an old style lever press - levers 50 to 60 feet long, there being two joined at the larger end, supported by a cap sill some 20 inches square and 18 to 24 feet long forming the letter A, only flared more at the bottom. This structure was balanced on a wood screw about 18 inches in diameter and twenty feet long, which passed through a wood tap made of four squarely hewn pieces, each some 16 inches in diameter. This king screw had what was known as a follow-block on the bottom end, the face of which was just the size of the edge of a bale of cotton -just a duplicate of the follow-block as used on the modern press. This entire structure was supported by four upright posts from 12 to 16 inches in diameter and some 24 feet long. These presses were operated by hooking a horse to each lever and making a circle of 200 to 250 feet, either backward to raise the follow-block above the top of the lint box to give room to tramp the lint cotton in, or forward to run follow-block down, thereby pressing the cotton into the bale. The ties used for cotton at that time were three quarter-inch hemp rope. This little description of an old time cotton press I give for the benefit of our own young people. Just here I will state that these old cotton presses could be heard from three to five miles on a clear, cold morning when in operation.

Now back to Scott’s gin. There was about 100 bales of cotton in the seed stored in the gin house and pens when I passed there in 1864 - 52 years ago last February -which had been grown and gathered by Capt. Scott’s slaves in 1861, the year the last cotton was grown by slaves in the South. At that time all the territory from where the city prison now stands on the east, the south line of the cemetery and an east west line south of Frank Bivins’ present home about 600 yards, and bordered on the west by the Jefferson and Line Ferry road, was a freshly opened field, a fine one, with a great deal of dead timber, mostly very heavy.

It is now February, 1869 - I have just moved with my father on the old home place, known recently as the O’Neal farm. I am here permanently. However, I have passed through the county several times in the interim since 1864. In July or August, 1868,1 traveled through the county going to and returning from Washington, Arkansas. I crossed the Sulphur River at Line Ferry. I mention this because I was ferried across the river by Cullen Baker and his lieutenant, Kirby. From what I learned afterwards, Baker and his crowd had hung Tom Orr the day before. I did not know Baker was a ferryman, nor did I know then the man pulling me across was Baker; if I had I think I would have had cold chills chasing up and down my spinal column. I knew of him and that he was a desperate character. He was then an outlaw and outlawed. My father and I lived in Jefferson and the morning we left there to come look at the O’Neal farm (it belonged to F. A. Schluter at the time) Cullen Baker and Kirby were brought to Jefferson in a wagon -corpses. They had been killed two days before by Jo Davis and some of his friends about 12 or 15 miles northeast of where Atlanta now stands. There was a reward of $5,000.00, dead or alive, hence he was taken to Jefferson to the United States authorities to be identified. Jo Davis refused to participate in the reward; I heard as a reason he wanted to remain where he was. Tom Orr collected the reward and moved to Texarkana. He afterwards became the County Judge of Miller County, Arkansas. (**above states that Tom Orr was hung by Cullen Baker, not sure of accuracy of names here - did Tom Orr not die from the hanging??)

Since I am in Cass County to stay, of course, the history of the county was of interest to me. As I promised, I will give you a brief history of its formation, organization, and naming. Red River County, an original county, was founded in 1836 and organized in 1837. It’s territory included the present counties of Bowie, Cass, Marion and others I will not mention because they have no part in this narrative.

In 1840 Bowie County was formed from Red River and organized in 1841. (Old) Boston was made the county seat. When Bowie County was formed it included the territory of Cass and Marion counties. Bowie County was named for James Bowie, of Alamo fame. Cass County was created from Bowie and organized in 1846. It’s territory was bounded on the north by the Sulphur River, on the east by the Arkansas and Louisiana lines, on the south by the lakes, Cypress River at Jefferson and went south line of the now Marion county and present west lines of both Cass and Marion. It’s area was 1229 square miles. The county was named for General Lewis Cass of Ohio.

Just here I will give a brief biographical sketch of Gen Cass and show what the passions of war will lead men to do. He was born in New Hampshire in 1782. He, with his parents, moved to Ohio in 1800. In 1802, at the age of 20 years, he was admitted to the bar and began to practice law at Zanesville. In the war of 1812, he was Colonel of the Third Ohio Volunteers under Gen. Hull. After Hull’s surrender, he was appointed Colonel of the 27th infantry; was shortly afterwards promoted to be Brigadier General. At the close of the war, he was appointed governor of the territory bordering Lake Michigan. In 1820, he explored the upper lakes and head waters of the Mississippi. In 1831, he was sent as minister to France, which place he filled with distinction. In 1845 he was elected to the United States Senate from Michigan In 1848, he ran for President against Gen. Zachary Taylor Through a division in New York, he was defeated. In 1849 he was again elected to the Senate, and was again a candidate for President in 1852, resulting in another defeat. In 1856, he was an ardent supported of Mr. Buchanan -was Secretary of State in President Buchanan’s cabinet. In 1860, he resigned because the President refused to reinforce Maj. Anderson at Fort Sumpter and espoused the cause of the Union. Because he cast his lot with the Union, the legislature of Texas changed the name of Cass County to Davis, in honor of Jeff Davis, President of the Confederate States. At the close of the civil war, the name was changed back from Davis to Cass not by the will of the southern people but by a carpet bag and scalawag legislature - the only reasonable thing I ever knew them to do.

For the benefit of young people, I will describe a carpet-bagger and a scalawag -of course the old ones ought to know. A carpet-bagger was a Yankee, as we defined northern men at that time, who was disbanded down south or came down south and fastened themselves on the body politic like leaches, for the purpose of sucking what little blood there was left in the prostrate form and humiliated body of the southern people. A scalawag was one who was born and raised in the south, who joined the carpet-bagger in robbing and humiliating his own ties - a man in comparison with whom Benedict Arnold was a saint.

In closing this part of the history, Marion County was created in 1860, the year before the Civil War began and was named for Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox of the Revolution. Its area was 384 square miles, leaving Cass with 945 square miles, its present area.

Capt. Scott’s confidence in the promises of the railroad people, not to establish a depot under ten miles of Atlanta brought people to buy up property and move to Atlanta in good faith with no other reference to any other location. As each one came, he offered a harty welcome to others; all with one purpose in view, v.e., to build a good town and establish a good market for the adjacent country.

To be continued.