Georgia Historic Newspapers

    , V •* ,r,f»/ Of* ev--- M
I
^mason
J5Juljr(.2
'LTlTumrl
'&&21
VOLUME XL
Atlanta, Ga., Week Ending March 8, 1902
NUMBER ONE
15hQ Nemesis
A TRUE TALE Or LOVE AMP CRIME IN
EARLY SOUTHERN LIFE, BEFORE THE
EXPORTATION OF THE INDIANS # «
By WALTER REYNOLDS
Written for Vhe Sonny Sooth
Prologue
HE time was seventy years,
anti more, ago. The place
was a town in middle Geor
gia which has since become
one of the state'3 most
thriving cities. In a room
of that city on a winter's
night there were three
young men. The furnish
ings of the room and the
hign bred bearing of the
young men indicated that
they belonged to the patri
cian order of the south.
One of the young men was standing at
the fireplace, leaning against the mantei
and watching his two companions who
were seated at a table playing cards. The
gold and notes before them showed that
they were gambling apd for high stages.
The pale face, compressed lips and me
agitation, hardly restrained, of one of the
card players told that he was los.ug
heavily. The game progressed a short
while and then the agitated player tossed
his curds on the table with the exclama
tion:
"You have won again, and I am penni
less. You have had the devil's own luck
over since we began playing.”
"Not luck,” retorted the other, as he
reached to gather In the stakes, "but
skill. Before you play again 1 would ad
vise you to learn the game,”
As he spoke In a Voice Indescribably
sneering and irritating, a card dropped
from the sleeve of the arm whose hand
was busy with the goid and notes on me
t o me. The fall of the card was noticed
by' the loser, who sprang to his feet,
crying:
"Cheat!”
The winner rose and hissed at his ac
cuser the word:
"Liar!”
The loser sprang at the winner and a
deadly struggle began between the two
men, which was soon ended; by the fall, of
the unsuccessful card player to the floor.
A gaping wound in his throat from which
the Hood spurted In steady jets showed
that a knife had been driven home.
The quarrel and combat was so sudden
and unexpected that the third young man
who was leaning against the mantel ‘■ad
no time to interfere. As the wounded
man fell, however, he sprang to his side
and tried to stanch the blood. But the
knife had been driven with savage force
and almost instantly the man who had
been'cheated at cards was also robbed of
life.
The third man was occupied with his
wounded friend only a brief while, but
when he rose the successful card player
and murderer had disappeared, not for
getting the gold and notes on the table,
which represented the price of a human
life.
When the tragedy became known the
next morning, a great sensation was
caused. The slayer and his victim were
members of leading families qqd the de
tails, as related by the only witness,
added to the excitement. The family of
the slain man offered a large reward for
the murderer and a close watch, was
maintained by officers for months, but
without avail. From the time the mur
derer drove the knife home and fled into
the winter night, no word of his where
abouts or fate ever came to those inter
ested In him.
A pathetic feature of the tragedy was
that the fugitive was betrothed to a beau
tiful young woman whose faith in him re-
Story and Famous Painting of Roosevelt’s
Southern Ancestors
“It <was the torture of Tantalus o'her again <with additions that made the agony more
. exquisite than that endured by the man of mythology"
malned unshaken. She refused to be
lieve, .that -her . lover was -in the wrong
and lived Arm in' the faith that he would
return to clear himself of the charges
against him and lead her to the altar.
But her faith was vain. Death was the
only bridegroom she ever knew.
With the lapse of years, the tragedy be
came only a. tradition, occasionally re
counted by old men when they became
garrulous concerning the events of their
youth. Even conjecture concerning the
fate of the murderer finally ceased. He
was a member of a large family and as
his brothers rose to eminence at the bar
and in the pulpit, in politics' and in busi
ness, the public .lost sight of the crime
of the erring one In the luster which
shone about the family name.
Long ago the tragedy of that winter
night became "only as a tale that is
told.”
ONE
In 1830 nearly all that portion of Florida
south of Jacksonville was a terra in
cognita. Barring settlements at Tampa
and at a few other points on the coast,
the “Land of Flowers” was practically
in the same condition as when discov
ered by Ponce de Leon in search of
that fabled fountain whose waters were
to revivify the , body which had been
enervated by the too strenuous dalliance
which marked the court of the Hidalgos.
The thriving town, the well kept orange
groves, the pineapple and banana planta
tions, the emerald truck farms, the
great railway systems and the palatial
resort hotels which mark the Florida of
today, were still in the womb of the
future. Even Plant and Flag'er—the
men who Ware to work the-, transforma
tion of the Peninsular State by the lav
ish use of millions—were infants at their
mothers’ breasts.
In those days Florida was a sort of
"No Man's Land” when once the small
settlements that fringed the northern
border and the east and west coasts were
passed. Through the primeval forests
of water oak and pine in their souther
drapery of Spanish moss, the Seminoles
roamed as yet but dimly conscious of the
power of the “Great White Father” at
Washington, and caring only for the au
thority of their chiefs.
Occasionally, a venturesome spirit, us
ing the great trail made by the Indians
in passing from northern Georgia on
visits to their Seminole brethren, would,
penetrate the interior of Florida and,- af
ter months of absence, return with glow -
ing stories of the beauties and wealth
of the semi-tropic land. But his tales of •
herds of deer too numerous to count and
as yet Ignorant of the crack of the hunt
er's rifle, of rivers and lakes teeming w!*ii
every variety of fish, of beaches strewn
with shells that were marvels of beauty,
of hammocks that gleamed golden with
the lemon and the orange, of great
streams Which burst in full strength from
the ground and, after flowing for some
miles, suddenly disappeared, were regard
ed as on a par with the recitals of Prester
John or Baron Munchausen.
To this "No Man's Land” in those days
* C ontlnuod on loot POX*
By Maude Heyward
(Written for The Sunny South.)
'UT the year 1729 there
came to this country from
Glasgow, -Scotland, one
James Bulloch, Esq.,
whose name was destined
to become one of the'
greatest in the history of
Georgia, and of his de
scendants, two especial
ly were to occupy posi
tions of great trust and
honor, bestowed upon
them by their country
men. I refer to his son,
the- Hon. Archibald Bulloch, first presi
dent of Georgia, and of his great-great-
great-grandson , Theodore Roosevelt,
twenty-sixth president of the United
States.
Archibald BuEech. the only son of
James Bulloch, Esq., and Jean Stobo, was
born in South Carolina about 1729-90. Af
ter having spent his early youth in Caro
lina, he moved to Georgia and became
thenceforth identified with the history
«*f ’the colony and the state of Georgia.
No one Rendered more efficient support
to the colony, and no figure stands out
w!th greater prominence during the
. treacherous and dark .days that marked
the- struggle for Independence of the in
fant colonies of America than does that
of Archibald Bulloch. He was a tower
of strength, "his personal Integrity, his
high sense , of honor, his patriotism, his
admirable executive abilities, his honesty
of purpose, his sturdy manhood, his un
questioned courage and his enlarged views
of the public good were invaluable in
shaping the conduct and maintaining the
dignity of the infant commonwealth.”
Besides these strong and reliable quali
ties. he seems to have been a man pos
sessed f great modesty, utterly disre
garding all ostentatious display of ex-
;.ecutive power.
5 This is particularly evidenced by h!a
refusing to have a sentinel posted at his
- door, the military courtesy which bad
usually been paid to Governor Wright. In
his i»te to Colonel McIntosh, commander
of the continental battalion in Savannah,
he "says: "I beg you will immediately or
der the sentinel to be removed from my
door; the grenadiers are already removed
in consequence of my orders. I act for
a free people, in whom I have an entire
confidence and dependence, and would
wish upon nil occasions to avoid ostenta
tion.”
Many were the honors that were heap
ed upon the Hon. Archibald Bulloch—first
he was elected speaker of the assembly
on the 21st of April, 1772. He was four
times elected a delegate to the continental
congress—July 7, 1775; November 9, 1775; •
February 2, 1776, and July 4, 1776. He was
prevented from attending the congress of
July 4, 1776, by official duties at home,
otherwise his name would have gone into
history as one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence.
He was elected president of the pro
vincial congress July 4, 177$, and again
chosen on February 22. 1776.
The crowning glory of this life of un
selfish duty to country and countrymen
came on the 15th day of April, 1776, when
Archibald Bullock was elected president
and commander In chief of Georgia, and
was invested with the unusual power
"to take upon himself the whole execu
tive power of government (virtually a
dictator), calling to bis assistance not
less than five persons of his own choos
ing to consult and advise on every ur
(ouih
The famous painting in the Savannah library. Of Roosevelt’s Georgia ancestors
gent occasion when a sufficient number
of councilors cannot be convened to make
a board.”
He did not long hold those powers, as,
before a year had passed, he died, drop
ping in the harness of executive author
ity, which he wielded with unsurpassed
ability and brilliancy; he was revered
and cherished by his native province; be
loved and bemoaned by his people, who
placed In him such trust and confidence
as is rarely exhibited to any one.
It was also President Bulloch's privilege
to have the great honor of being the first
man In Georgia to read The Declaration
of Independence, which reached Savan
nah the 10th of August, 1776, oyer a month
from the time it wat signed in Phila
delphia.
Bulloch Children All Won
Prominence
President Bulloch married Mary De
Veaux, and had four children—James
Bulloch, Jr.. Jone Bulloch. Archibald
Stobo Bulloch and William Bellinger Bul
loch. Each of his sons occupied positions
cf trust and prominence. James Bulloch,
Jr., the eldest son. at the afce of 14, was
made a captain in the Virginia state gar
rison troops. He was one of the first
members of the Society of the Cincinnati,
and clerk of the superior and inferior
courts of Georgia.
Archibald Bulloch (the baby in his
mother's lap in the above picture) was a
justice of the inferior court and a prom
inent, citizen of his dav.
The little girl holding the fruit In her
apron is Jane Bulloch, who married Jaihes
Benjamin Maxwell.
William Bellinger Bulloch, born after
the president's death, was Upited States
District attorney and United States Sen
ator, mayor of Savannah and second vice
president of the Georgia Historical So
ciety.
Janfes-Bullooh, Jr., eldest son of Presi
dent Bulloch, left two sons, John Irvine
and James Stepheas Bulloch. From John
is descended the present Bulloch family
of Savannah, Ga., and from James Ste
phens President Theodore Roosevelj Is
descended.
The above picture is taken from the
. original painting of President Archibald
Bulloch and his family. It is owned by
Dr. Joseph Gaston Bulloch, of the United
States Indian school service, who Is now
stationed in Cherokee, N. C., and is
loaned by him to the Georgia. Historical
Society, where It hangs In a conspicuous
place on the wall of the reading room.
It Is Interesting to note that President
Roosevelt is descended from the boy to
the left of President Bulloch in the pic
ture. He was James Bulloch, Jr., and
his son, James Stephens, married twice.
Martha Bulloch, daughter of James Ste
phens Bulloch by his second wife, Mar
tha Stewart, married Theodore Roosevelt,
S6e SUNNY SOUTH RECEIVES PRAISE FROM HIGH SOURCES
I N presenting this first anniversary edition under the present management it is surely a pardonable pride to which The Sunny South has yielded in reproducing words of commendation and
praise which cQncern it most intimately. Kindly words and those spoken in praise of good intentions and good accomplishments are welcome, however humble the source. But when
the foremost men of the south—men among the leaders of the literary world as well as those at the head of state government—join in good wishes and high praise it is not unlikely
that there is some strong reason for it. Not only from men who rule and men who write that words of praise have come to The Sunny South. Hundreds of its readers, who are among the
best and most prominent citizens of the south, have written cordial letters concerning the progress of The Sunny South. The lack of space, however, forbids the publication of even a small
part of these. Of a special interest are two letters on our desk—one from Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus) and Harry Stillwell Edwards. They write of The Sunny South as follows:
From Literary Lights
JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS
For a number of years I have had
my eyes on The Sunny South as a pos
sible ’ representative of what is the
best feature of the literature produced
by southern writers. I have said to
nivself that at the proper time it would
occur to the mind of some thoughtful
person to take hold of this venerable
publication with its traditions and to
place it in line -with the best “of its
kind." This has now been done. The
changes which have been made in its
appearance are radical, but they are
after all the better.
Ton are to be congratulated on
preserving all that was good from
the old Sunny South and adding
thereto the features that were es
sential to a modern literary week
ly. Yours truly,
JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.
HARRY STILWELL EDWARDS
1 am glad to see that The Sunny
South is now at high water mark both
as to abilitv and circulation. I spent
an hour reading a single copy and it
seems to me that a weekly paper that
can interest for so long a time a man
whose life has largely been spent in
helping to make newspapers must qe
well conducted.
The Sunny South at 50 cents per
annum is simply a marvel. It
should be in every home of the
south. Respectfully yours,
HARRY STILWELL EDWARDS.
From Men who Rule
COVERNOR McSWEENEY
I most heartily commend your efforts
to establish a purely literary journal
in the south—one pf high standard—
and with a good business manager I
am sure that It will succeed. They
have the literary talent and The
Sunny South will help largely in its
development.
You have my hearty indorse
ment and sincere best wisAs.
W. B. McSWEENEY.
Governor of South Carolina.
COVERNOR DOCKERY
It is with pleasure that I note your
purpose to enlarge The Sunny South
and Increase its circulation. I am in
most heartv sympathy with your ef
forts to establish a standard literary
paper of great excellence.
I am sure that our people will
most generously indorse the high
purpose yon have in view and give
the Sunny South a cordial sup- '
port. A. M. DOCKERY.
Governor of Missouri.
COVERNOR SAYERS
It affords me much pleasure, indeed,
to note the effort being, made by you
to establish a first-class standard lit
erary paper In the south. It will un
doubtedly receive the most cordial
commendation of every one interested
in the development of southern liter
ature.
I cannot too highly commend
your enterprise and trust it will
meet with the most abundant suc
cess. JOSEPH H. SAYERS.
Governor of Texas.
LATE COVERNOR 8AMFORO
I sincerely and heartily commend
The Spnny South, which has been for
years a welcome visitor in southern
homes. Southern people will be glad to
know that It has fallen into friendly
hands and that It is backed with
brain, brawn and bullion.
The south has long felt the need
of just such a first-class weekly
literary, non-political periodical.
WM. J. SAMFORD.
Governor of Alabama.
COVcRNOR LONCINO j
I am at hearty sympathy with the
purpose of The Sunny South. I believe
the people of the south will meet you
half way In your enterprise. We
have long needed just such a publica
tion—a representative not of a sensa
tional, commercial or industrial side
of our civilization, but of the finer
things of our people—of our tradition,
our aspirations, the best thoughts of
our best men and women in the hours
of their exaltation.
The Sonny South will prove a
genuine blessing to its readers.
A. H. LONGINO.
Governor of Mississippi.
COVERNOR BECKHAM
I congratulate you upon your enter
prise in The Sunny South and assure
you of my cordial best wishes for It.
It shows much evidence of the literary
and artistic merit and I am confident,
that It will become what you desire It
to be—a great literary magazine.
There is a good field for such a
periodical in the south, and the
new management has demon
strated its ability to make The
Sunny South a success.
J. W. BECKHAM.
Governor of Kentucky.
COVERNOR DAVIS
The Sunny South Is a periodical
which has endeared itself to all people
who love tbs south and who have her
best isisrests at heart- I not only rec-
omaari The Sunny South, but take
pleaawe h Being so. The fact that the
pricqfNt . _ M
place this weakly In every'home.
be eon - - ■ -
You are
your
congratulated upon
to furnish the south
with a weekly which it is a pleas
ure to have in every household.
JEFF DAVIS.
Governor of Arkansas.
GOVERNOR AYCOCK
We have long needed a periodical
like The Sunny South. We need It
more and more to develop our south
ern literature. Literature is the only
means by which we are adequately
known to other people. When we shall
have educated our entire citizenship,
and see men and women devote their
time to literature, the south will be the
greatest section In the wor'.d.
I am glad, therefore, to see the
work which you are doing and to
express my appreciation and ce.*-
dial approval of it. ,
C. B. AYCOCK*
Governor of North Carolina.
COVERNOR HEARD
There Is need in the south for a pub
lication of the character of The Sunny
South, for its columns will present the
writings of its literary people and in
It create a uniformity in southern sen
timent which cannot but exercise a
wholesome influence in the- southern
home and at the southern fireside.
The Sunny South has my warm
est indorsement and my sincere
wishes for its entire success.
W. A. HEARD.
Governor of Louisiana.
COVERNOR CANDLER
I have noted with great pleasure the'
importance ofi The Sunny South, of
which I have been a constant reader
for many a year. The demand for Just
such a magazine has long been felt
and you are to be congratulated for
what you are doing for the literature
of the south. I am glad to see. how
ever. that there is no display of sec
tionalism and that on the contrary you '
are conducting your paper upon a
broad basis, making it equally inter
esting and welcome to both northern
and southern readers.
It is my sincere desire that suc
cess may crown you in your ef
forts. A. D. CANDLER,
Governor of Georgia.
A Word in Closing
From governors from many other states
havd* been received equally flattering let
ters of commendation and good wishes,
among them being Governor Tyler, of
t’lrglnla; Governor White, of West Vir
ginia and Governor Jennings, of Florida.
And The Sunny South Intends not only
to continue to merit these wo-ds of praise,
but to Improve and strengthen until the
success that is so cordiallv wished shall
have been achieved. By this we do riot
mean financial prosperity alone, but the
fulfillment of the plans'we have outlined—
the establishment of a permanent, pa
triotic periodical which will be the offi
cial organ of the literary world of the'
south, and a visitor to every home In onr
fair section. * -
.mS*
'THE TURNPIKE HOUSE,” a New Serial by Fergus^*