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OUR NEW ROAD.
KST NEWS PilON THE G.
VTKST NEWS t Jtu.\ j
r c> lt x. railroad.
k « J|I« »*« Tren»nrer «f th« Kond-
THE LIFE OF MR.
DAVIS!
i<r ‘l>ii>hiB|C TUI« Way
Very HnyiiHy.
Hull $pr*br in <» o«ing
•f the l‘i *S«»»» M*ae—
is
Ti.e latest
in in ,jri,i}jin the extreme.
^■i> 'ulesire of givingjthe full account
"';"progress of tbja construction of
M"* *| jn^vhich c.ery reader of The
^ r I,. i» interested, a reporter culled
Mr* A. L« Hull yesterday in the
' ;; it 'v bank, the efficient Secreta-
sl ", xii a.'urer of the company, and
f s ’l‘ I about the work on the road.
u | lU is the latest from the G., C. &
•• [i»- reporter inquired.
' Tht . latest is that the road is boom-
fc.eii'li'lav with increasing rapidity,
Vi. gradually winding its way
fim-li ^tIn* fertile liehls of the Pal-
^tate to our side of the l iver. The
joes rapidly pn, and the road is
toa shape most beantifully,both
jj, the {trading and surveying de-
«%%* are the grading hands sta-
^lJ*, v are pushing on from Clinton
Grceiiwootl, and are making as good
W e could have hopetl for. I
Sn’t Viiosv exactly how many hands
h , v , at work in the grading corps,
it there are several ’ thousands aim a
|Li many more will be put on at au
Jlv date. The managers are detef-
u, ,-tisli the grading ahead and
r[l t ] 0 all in their power to have it
Ke as quickly and substantially as
tide. They are sparing nothing to
| wn ,j,li>h this end, and judging from
t month's payroll, I should think
tX are employing a larger number of
,i!> than ever before.”
What was your pay roll last month ?”
(reporter asked.
It amounted to $80,000, and the next
path's will probably be more, as they
» gein^ to add more bands. This
j;, sum of money paid out each
pad, will show to you in part what
ivgo'ss they must be making with the
ruling.
How far have the rails been laid?”
ii-il the reporter.
The track is in order up to
joaii river in Carolina. Here they
en compelled to stop for awhile
t: il the bridge is finished to let the
instruction train carry the rails and
over to the graded track on the
tier side.
The contractors are at work on the
ridge at present, and will soon have
finished. Then the rails can be put
itcn rapidly up to the grading force,
intention of the chief engineer, is
tve tlie rails put down as fast as
*ro.nl bed is ready for them.”
What are the engineers doing?
'There one corps between Elber-
nand Savannah river, and one be-
r,n .lug Tavern and Atlanta. All
the surveying on the Carolina side is
impleted. and nothing is in the way
the graders. It is rumored that a force
grading hands will he put onthis
iwoftlie Savannah river, soon,and
ti-h the grading on to Athens.”
"The fact is just this,” said Mr. Hull
conclusion, “in looking back over the
ork that has been donein the few
KHithstime that the road has been taken
p,we have much to he thankful for,and
Hie—very little to regret. The road
a dead certainty; it will soon be
lilt, and will be one of the best lines
n«»g southern railroads.”
Mr. Hull is right. The news from
if Georgia, Carolina and Northern
lilruad is most gratifying, and will be
wl wiih interest by every citizen of
heii' and of Northeast Georgia. The
,C. A X. has sprung up and issun ed
raderful and phucn’x-like proportions
summer from the old scheme* that
d almost faded out. Within a few
►rt months the surveying lias almost
•I finished, the grading has been
shed forward almost to Greenwoo'd,
id tlie't rack has been laid to Broad
<w. Contracts for bridges have been
and the work is going rapidly on
fverv department.
The new road Will be running to
lifus within a year, and let it be
Med with no adverse factions as it
vs near.
"elcon.e to the G., C. & X.
INCIDENTS IN THE CAREER OF
THE LA^E CONFEDERATE
LEADER.
Historical O'd Abbeville in South Caro
lina—The Birth Place of Sec.ssion
and the Tomb of the Conf.d-
eracy.
THE WORLD ON GRADY.
WHAT THE GREATEST PAPER OF
THE METROPOLIS HAS TO
SAY ABOUT A
Son of Athena—He tVa» the l.ion of the
Evening.
TWO NOTED DAE KIES.
'• followed Their Masters Through the
Civil War Faithfully,
<Tc is an old darkey inAt.iens known
tvery citizen by the fact that he al
l's "cars upon bis head a military
>r rather the fragments of one, for
fits worn to a mere frazzle now.
1 *'• name of this old darkey is not so
1 known to the people for bis name
■!'»t as famous as himself. If he were
"nvd to by any citizen he would be
tied **tlie old darkey with the old
Meliorate cap on.”
i t' it is a history about this cap,
tch is :i credit to* the old darkey.
[' re G»tn twenty years ago he came in
■ v, 'jion of that cap, and on the field
"‘tittle, it was oko of those bloody
'■•'lets which characterized the war
‘Veen the States. A dying officer of
confederate side gave the cap to the
n «.?ro and he has worn it ever since,
"fie it during the war and has had
n °iKed from his head by whizzing
Pe shots more than once. He has
*/ ‘. iu! c i'i> ever siuae'thc war and has
'l 11 ttatil it now has but little shape
7,V a l‘■ lie says lie will wear it until
y, K ‘ s wants it ’juried with him.
"re i s another darkey in Athens
•mi been through the "war and stood
•is master through many a bloody
•"ouient. lie has also served a
in the legislative halls oi our
ii,. I* having been the late Benj. H
s body servant. His life during
nines is replete with many an in—
’.’"tg narative and he tells with en-
‘ kSla of his experiences to almost
.e who occupies his chair in the
J*JVop, while he plies the razor to
"tecs. Many a one has . sat cn-
Diit ' :i “ S0U T stirring naratives
Abbeville, in South Carolina, before
the war was the home of wealthy and
cultured planters, of statesmen like
Calhoun, McDuffie and a score of pub
lic leaders more or less known to local
and national fame, and nestling as it
does almost in the shadow of the Blue
Ridge, is to-day a favorite resort of
those who seek among the mountain
breezes a change from the sultry sum
mer heat along the coast. But Abbe
ville will be best remembered in history
as at once the birthplace and the tomb
of the Southern Confederacy. Here,
on the 22nd of November, 18(50, was
held the first public meeting that gave
official voice to the sentiment of seces
sion. The speakeis’ platform was situ
ated at the foot of the hill, a portion of
which forms an amphitheatre, and on
the ascending ground the audience sat
or stood among giant oaks. The a sem-
blage was oue of the largest ever known
in the district. The election of Abra
ham Lincoln had caused great excite
ment, and nowhere was the feeling
more intense than in this particular
neighborhood. After the delivery of a
number of fiery speeches a committee
of twenty-one was appointed to nomi
nate delegates to a Stato Con
vention, and the example being follow
ed elsewhere in South Carolina, just
oue month, on the 20th of December,
1S60, the lion. D. F. Jemison, Presi
dent of the Convention, holding up the
f..teful Ordinance of. Secession, pro
claimed “a free and independent com
monwealth.”
Jefferson Davis, on the first day of
May, 1S65, within a few rods of the
very spot above described, practically
dissolved the official Government and
its members there separated. It was
about ten oelock in the morning when
the little town, the country quiet of
which had already been disturbed by
noisy groups of cavalry and infrantry
who made the place, a rendezvous in
their journey home from the army to
points further southward, was thrown
into a new ferment by the arrival of a
a mounted escort with Jefferson Davis
and his Cabii.et A eompanying the
chief were Gen. John C. Breckinridge,
Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin,
Secretary of State; John H Reagan,
Postmaster-General; Stephen R. Mal
lory, Secretary of the Navy; Cols. F.
R. Lubbock, of Texas, John Taylor
Wood, William Preston Johnston,
members of the Presidential staff’, and
a number of officers of the army. Mr.
Davis was met by the lion. Armistead
Burt, a stately old gentleman who had
known him in Congress many years
before, and accepting his proffer of hos
pitality, the party proceeded to Mr.
Burt’s mansion. Here after a briol
period of refreshment, the last meeting
of the Confederate officials took place.
Naturally Mr. Davis presided, and, as
they gathered around the centre table in
the great library to discuss the most vi
tal question that ever entered their
councils, the impressiveness of the oc
casion was marked upon every face.
Outwardly, the Confederate chieftain
was calm, perhaps more self -possessed
than any oi the gentlemen present ;but,
when in the eouase of the conference,
he unfolded his plans for further action,
all the enthusiasm of the man came to
the suiface and he talked like one in
spired. Eloquently he portrayed the
situation and with hopeful words dwelt
on the possibility of recovering all that
had been lost, the line of retreat he de
clared, was open; thousands of strag
glers only awaited a leader: Maury,For
rest, and Taylor still had armies in the
field, and the Southwest, with its abun
dant supplies invited a prolongation of
the struggle, or at least one more ef
fort to overcome the depression that was
spreading throughout the country. In
the worst view of the case it would be
possible to cross to the traus Mississippi
Department, and there, uniting with
the armies of Kirby Sinity and Magru-
der, iu a country deficient in rivers and
railroads, continue the war until the
\nemy, foiled in the purpose of subju
gation, should agree in accordance with
his repeated declaration, on # a basis of
return to the Union,to acknowledge the
rights of the States and guarantee secur
ity of person and property.
The little company listened to the
stirring words intently, but they were
like seed s attereil on barren ground.
In the discussion that followed, it was
apparent that all present b»t the leader
realized the utter hopelessness of furth
er effort, and in the drooping eyes and
half averted faces around him, Jeffer
son Davis then read the doom of the
Southern Confederacy. Finding him
self overruled in the conference, be
took no furtl er part, but covering his
face with a handkerchief became silent,
"if he did not weep. Mr. Burt soon af
terward suggested that he should retire
to a chamber for rest and the meeting
dissolved. Gen. Breckinbridge, accept
ing the invitation of Mr. Perrin, a
neighboring resident, turned that gen
tleman’s library into a temporary war
office, and until midnight was engaged
in writing discharges and passes for
such officers and men as desired to pro
cure them. Judah P. Benjamin alone
of the distinguished company preserved
the serenitv, and might have been seen
a few hours after the trying ordeal
walking through the elegant grounds
with the ladies of the household, poeti
cally discoursing of the beauty of the
fruits and flowers.
HS RESISTED ARREST-
OUR FARMER FRIENDS. MILLIONS IN IT.
TOBE MAYFIELD, TnE DESPER
ATE BURGLAR, SHOT BY THE
POLICE.
. -.Hardinghis master’s money from
ankees, and heard the many other
, . '-vitr times which
**° tell altout himself.
tllaanlntlnn,
e lirni of Lucas & McDuffie Is this
ved by mutual consent. Mr.
ohen buying ,he stock and ac-
Dec. 4th',889. ' % H w4t,
its.
The New’ York papers which reached
our office yesterday are full of praise of
the magnificent speech of Mr. Henry
IV. Grady in Boston a few nights ago.
The New York World says in its news
columns:
‘•Grover Cleveland aTul Henry W.
Grady were the lions at the annual ban
quet of the Boston Merchant’s Associ-
tion this evening. More than four
hundred guests crowded the apart
ments ana dining hall of the Hotel
\reildonie and hundreds of others would
have paid double or treble prices for
tickets if they could have got them.
Naturally Mr. Cleveland was the
lion, but the brainy young Southern
editor, Henry Grady, of Atlanta, won
a large share of the honors, and his
speech on* “The Race Problem,” ap
pealed to the Northerners who heard it
not less than did his spec** 1 ', of three
years ago at the New Englaud dinner
in New York.
Mr. Grady started off blithely by say
ing that the task before him recalled
the dilemma of the little maid w hose
mother permitted her to go out to
swim, but strictly inhibited her from
going near the water. He paid a glow
ing tribute to the spirit and achieve
ments of New England, from which
had sprung the embodied genius of hu
man government, and added : “1 be
lieve the best product of her present
life is the procession of 17,000 Vermont
Democrats who for twenty-two* years,
undiminished by death, unrecruited by
birth or conversion, have marched over
their rugged hills, cast their Democrat
ic ballots and gone back home to pray
-for their unregenerate neighbors, anti
awake to read the record of 2t>,000 Re
publican majority. May the God of
the helpless and the heroic help them
and may their s’urdy tribe increase!”
With masterly strokes the orator
next pictured the wealth and attrac
tiveness of the Southland.”
Then follows the text of the address
as published in the Baxx’eu of Thurs
day. Iu its editorial columns the
World comments at length on the ad
dress, a few of the extracts from which
we give below:
Mr. Henry W. Grady has the inspira
tion of eloquence. His strong and
manly appeal for the South, made be
fore the New Englaud Society in this
eitv three years ago, is still remem
bered. Last night he addressed the
Merchants’ Association of Boston, and
his speech will doubtless ring as rrue
as the other to the honest mind and
heart.
If the race question were not parti
san. it would not exist. It lives be-
'Cause Republican politicians find their
profit iu its antagonism. Mr. Grady’s
appeal is to the patriotism of the coun
try. He frankly recognizes the ills
which have followed the enfranchise
ment of the negro; lie admits that the
whites will never permit black su
premacy.
At the same time he reveals a state of
things iu the 5outh w hich must aston
ish those who have permitted them
selves to be deceived by selfish politi
cians. He shows how the people who
are denounced as oppressors of the
black man are doing more than the
North for his education—are mitigating
his congenital disadvantages and are
teaching him to make his living b/ the
practice of arts and trades from which
lie is excluded by those who pretend to
be liis best friends. He shows that all
this iias led to the material advantage
of the negro, and that he is a better and
more thrifty citizen than the negro of
the Northern States.
It is not strange that this should be
so. Southerners have a liking for
and knowiepge of the ‘negro much
greater than his self-appointed friend:
can possibly have. They are born with
him and must contitide to live with
him. They are deeply interested in his
advancement. The peace and prosper
ity of their .communities depend upon
it. They would be purblind fools if the
charges of Republican partisans were
true.
Such a speech as that: of Mr. Grady
must do good because the conscience
and intelligence of the North are w ith
him. The majority of Northern men
are not deceived by appeals to passion
The South asks for a patient waiting
until she can work out the problem
which the country has imposed upon
her. Federal interference in behalf of
negro supremacy must keep the South
solid and the races politically divided
The true union between the sections
and the natural division between the
parties will come with the adoption of
the patriotic view of Mr. Gr id} - and the
rejection of the sordid and traitorous
policy of needy partisans whose greed
t»f power is not deterred by the good of
the country. * ' .
They Chase Him Orer the Cily and Fi
nally Mhoot Him Near the C. and IU.
Trestle- He Hakes bis Escape
Again—A-Desperate Char*
alter.
Tobe Mayfield is a notorious charac
ter among the courts and tribunals of
this section of Georgia. He has often
been brought before the bar of justice
to answer to charges as grave .as could
be brought against a man in this re
fined and civilized part of the moral
vineyard.
Tobe has just been turned loose from
the chain gang where he served a long
term as payment for some of his vile
and criminal deeds, and it seems that
lie is again a candidate for the stripes
of tlieGeorgia convict camping grounds
Tobe is a bad nigger.
Last Friday night lie broke into the
house of Mrs, Bob Mathews, an esti
mable lady of East Athens, and stole a
great quantity of clothing and provi
sions. Among his spoils he carried
away about twenty gallons of good old
domestic wine, which Mrs. Mathews
had made and which she was keeping
among other good things in her pantry
for a rainy day, for she is not a wealthy
'iuly.
J fist how Tobe managed to secure
such large and varied plunders cannot
be imagined unfess he had a band of
burglars to assist him. But: any how
he managed to get oft' with nearly half
of Mrs. Mathew’s belongings, and was
never discovered until several days
later.
LN THE IIAXDS OF THE POLICE.
Mrs. Mathews placed the matter in
the hands of our oillcient police, and
gave them all the points about the bur
glary that came withig her knowledge.
Things went quietly on until night be
fore last when the police got upon a
clue that led to the suspicion that Tobe
Mayfield was none other than the bur
glar. Further developments served to
be more convincing that this was the
man to arrest, and Chief Oliver and
Messrs. Mackie and Hill decided to
‘look the fellow up.”
They at once proceeded to arrest him,
but here came the rub. Tobe was not
willing to go back to the chaingang,
and smelling a good sized rat he made
escape. The police followed him
around the city, and about eight o’clock
yesterday morning overtook him at the
and M. trestle near the cemetery,
and demanded him to halt. Tobe was
desperate, and began violently abusing
the police in terms that were not be
coming a burglar to say the least of it.
He resisted arrest and escaped again,
but as the police were determined to
have him tney demanded him several
times again to stop, and as he flew fas
ter from them they fired on him, crip
pling him slightly, though not suffi
cient to stop him. He continued his
escape and from last accounts had
evaded the police.
Tobe Mayfield Caught at Last.—
The police men have been on the move
ever since it became known that Tobe
Mayfield was the burglar of Mrs. Bob
at at thaw’a hniinA in East Athens and
Matthew’s house in East Athens and
nave been keeping an eye open for him
ever since he was shot at and made
good his escape, Tuesday morning
nerr the C. & M. depot. Tuesday night
they traced him until a late hour at
night, and discover^.that he was still
lurking around East Athens. About
daylight yesterday morning Messrs
Moon, Hill,and Mackey Went over to a
cabin where ho was harbored and arrest
ed him. He again resisted arrest aud
the nolica were forced to maul him
over*the head several times to tame him.
Tobe is a wild bird and has been put
in the station house to be tamed.
A Timely Qneation.
Editor Banner As you have inter
ested your readers iu the struggle of
the cotton farmers against the Jute
Trust, and have made suggestions on
uumberof ties and other points, please
tell us why the cotton farmers should
buy material outside of their business
to prepare their bales to travel thous
ands of miles. Some of their cotton is
used near their home, a large part uev
er crosses the ocean. Most of the farm
ers are now now a days near some de
pot. It would seem sufficient for them
without ties or hogging, with a few
wires on a bale and a wagon cover or
loose sheet to keep oft’ dust and rain, to
bring their bales to their home market:
and leave to the purchaser and compress
the preparing for longer journeys.
Farmer.
' We understand that the Alliauce will
adopt this plan, next year. The cotton
will be. packed in small bales like hay
and will be wrapped with wire. Cot
ton is a legitimate article of commerce
and must be marketed ready for ship
rnent to any part of the u orld if neees
sary. If .tlie wires prove a sub.*tontia
binding we see no reason why it will
not suffice.
The prettiest line of fancy parloi
lamps at Huggins’, Athens, you ever
aw. dS-25.
ABUNDANT CROPS HAVE BEEN
STORED AWAY.
And Every Hearthstone Is Bright-*
The Immense Cotton Crop and
How It Is marketed—A
Fruitful Year Will Close
with it .Season of
Kejoicing,
AN
ATHENS MAX DISCOVERS
THAT OKRA HAS MANY
USES.
Which Hare Hitherto Been Undreamed oT
in the World of Commerce—It Will
Take the Place of Jnte and
HemD-^Dkra OH Will
Equal Linseed.
The harvesting will soon be over and
the weary farmers will ‘‘hang up the
shovel aiid the hoe” for a brief rest.
As Christmas and the holidays draw
nigh at hand we are brought to cast a
glance all over the country and see
what the farmers have done and what
they are still doing this year.
To look out upon the streets-of Athens
all crowded with farm wagons loaded
with cotton and filled with farmers who
have come to do their Christmas tra
ding, our first note is that the farmers
have gathered a most abundant harvest
from every field and are happy over the
waning days of so bounteous and fruit
ful a year as this has been.
Cotton pours into our city each .day
with increased proportions and the cot
ton men are as busy as bees in their
warehouses, stores and at their com
presses. Athens was never so blocka
ded with the fleecy staple and in spite
of the city ordinance which Mayor
Hunnicutt has proclaimed ordering all
cotton to be removed ftom the streets ,a
number of cases have been made out
against the cotton men who could not
get their cotton stored as fast as it rolled
in. All of this goes to show what an
immense crop the farmers are making.
The fall has been a beautiful one for
the harvesting of the crops. In fact
the entire year has been extremely fa-
orable to the farmers. Providence
seems to have smiled down a peaceful
benediction upon the honest tillers of
the soil, and blessed them with propi
tious seasons and golden harvests.
Most of the farmers have finished gath
ering their cotton crops, and a full
fledged crop it was. Cotton has ma
tured and opened from the bottom of
the stalk to the tip-top and has done
its level oest this year. The fields that
have been gleaned are black with the
empty stalks, though there are still a
great many fields that are white with
the fleecy staple; the stalks being cap
ped in white to the very top. The
Aanner editor was recently ajvisitor to
the immense farm of Col. James M.
Smith, of Oglethorpe county, and was
amazed at the sight of so much cotton
that was still spread out in the large
fields as far as the eye could see, All of
the cotton had matured, a great
deal of which was planted after the
grain was reaped, but which has fully
matured and opened under the influ
ence of the glorious autumn weather
we have had.
A MINISTER’S KIND MENTION-
Dr. C. W. Lane Recognizes With Thought
fulness the Banner’s>Misslon
Following is ah extract from an able
sermon preached by Dr. C. W. Lane at
the Presbyterian church Sunday, Dec.
Let us seek a spiritual as well as
material boom for Athens. Let us show
as much zeal tor the improvement of
ouls as is shown for the improvement
of souls, as is shown for the improve-
of the city—for a great increase in the
membership of our churches as for the
building of a great hotel. Let us apply
the principles so zealously and steadily
used by our Banner, to-wit:“all work
ing together,” and “small industries”
to briug about a spiritual boom here in
our city. Let me urge, among the
small spiritual industries, upon all
praying people (over and above their
regular devotions) 15 minutes daily for
prayer for the editorial staff and rnana
gers of our one newspaper, The Ban
nek, that it may exert a mighty influ
euce for good, may be kept a clean,pure
sheet, and by issueing the uap- r in the
evening,or by some other method,avoid
all Sabbath issues, and remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy. And thus
work and pray for our Banner till
shall have a deeper and wider influence
for good than all the great dailies to
getlier now exert.
Also another small industry—give 15
minutes at another time in the day for
prayer for the University and all our
schools. Aud work on and pray on for
our University till its members shall
excel those of the Mahometan Univer
sity at Cairo,with its 300 professors and
its 10,000 stutents, and till every year
hundreds of its graduates shall go forth
as ministers and missionaries to pro
claim the everlasting gospel, as well as
hundreds more to fill stations of honor
and of usefulness
Also another small industry—give 15
minutes at another time in the day fc>
prayer for your own minister and all
ministers.
Also 15 minutes at ^another time
the day of prayer for church members—
especially backsliders, who are neglect
ing Christian duty to themselves and to
their children, and do not leave out the
unconverted.
Aim high in the strength of Christ
Rest not till the smallest church in Ath
ens has at least 500 members; that
the early future, as the city grows, 20
more new church edifices will be needed
to meet the wants of our people. Let us
seek to make Athens the best place
the world to live in, the best- place jn
the world to die inland the best place in
the world from winch to go to heaven.
And thus work-on aud pray on till all
Christians everywhere shall be aroused
to similar work ana prayer for the com
munities where they dwell, and till the
sun of righteousness shall shine with
noonday splendor on a redeemed and
regenerated people.
A MEXICAN MERIENDA.
A Delistful Evening for the Young People
The young folks will enjoy a novel
and charming entertainment tonight at
the residence of Mr. G. H.' Yance3 r , on
Dearing street, from 5 to 10 p. in.
The occasion will be a Mexican mer-
ienda given by the Sunbeam society ol
the First Baptist church, and will be
to work wohders in tbo
commerce.
r than the simple use of a
e for .table fare the okra plant
has never been thought of as a great
and .important plant for farmers to
cultivate in the'r 'farms.ins'd of their
gardens, and to be stored in their barns
iinstead of in their pantrie*, where it
has remained tobe . c tt -redin the soup
on rainy days in w.'n er time.
Okra Is no longer in;the soup 1
Mr. W. H. Thurmond who has charge
of the Athens nursery and truuk farm,
has matin a discovery which promises
to unfold many secrets hitherto un
known to the w r orld of commerce—and
the okra plant is the key to the dis
covery.
We finds that the bark of the okra
plant can be make into the finest kind
of a fibre for making rope, trigging
cloth or anything for which jute or
hemp are now used. He has made sev
eral samples of the fibre, and brought a-
bunch to the Banner office yesterday
which is as fine a fibre and as substan
tial and strong as any we have ever
seen from hemp or jute. It is of a
pretty straw color and is as glossy as
silk. * It spins out with ml ease, ami
while it is coarse and strong, it will
permit of a great deal of twisting anil
weaving, We firmly believe it is a
good thing and will at once take its placet
as an importaut article of commerce.
IT IS EASY TO RAISE.
Okra is easy’ to raise and requires but
little attention to grow it, and owning
to the fact that its period of growth is
very brief, it will commend itself as a
good crop for every farmer to raise, so
soon as its usv s are adopted by tlie man
ufacturers.
Okra will grow on almost any kind of
land, and will reproduce very
rapidly. It is a very prolific plant,
and for this reason, also will commend
itself to the farmes. Mr. Thurmond
says that one acre of okra will yield ac
least fifty bushels of seed, and that the
seed are as useful as the stalk, if not
more so.
The cotton that has been marketed as
a rule has been of excellent quality,
and lias generally brought good prices.
But the cotton buyers say there is much
camplaint among them about a great
deal of the cotton being gin-cut and
containing a number of moates and faul
ty seeds in it. For this reason the
price is cut down in many instances
where it might have been avoided by a
careful ginning. The buyers say that
the cause of this is perhaps due to the
fact that the public gins have been run
too fast to keep bp with the great (tot-
ton crop that has been gathered. But
the farmers have done very well with
their cotton this year anil most of them
have paid their debts and bought £
great many supplies for the next year
They are happy over the close _ of i
year of plenty and will make this the
merriest Christmas season ever known
to their home circles.
The other crops have been propor
tionately plenteous, and every corn crib
is filled to the rooff, every grainery is
bursting with a full supply of wheat,
oats, peas, barley, rye, and everything
of its kind. The sweet potato crop has
been especially plentiful and large hills
can be seen on the premises of every
house that may be passed by the road
side. The farmers will live at home next
year and will revel in the “glorious
privilege of being independent,” They
have by the lessons of the Alliance
been taught to arouse to their interests
and have determined to live from their
own labor henceforth. They have
raised their own meat, and with a large
cotton crop have enough to live com
fortably next year.
In looking back oyer the year just
past, one can but think that all of this
bounty that the fields have brought
forth has been sent as an encourage
ment to the Alliance. It is the first
year of the Alliance’s existence and
that it should be the best and the first
good crop year for nearly a decade
indeed a strange coincident. - We can
but believe that it meaus success to the
Alliance, and foretells prosperity aud
freedom for the over-burdened farm
ers!
OUR GLORIOUS CLIME-
It Cannot be Surpassed on Earth.
Talk if you may about the “glorious
climate of California,” hut speaking
about climates, how is this .for mid
winter?
We have heard of the eternal summer
skies of lower California, and have
read ode upon ode about the sunny hills
and green fields of Southern France
but for an all-the-year-round climate v
we put North East Georgia and Athens
against the world.
This winter has been unusually mod
erate and delightful, and the vegetable
kingdom has almost been undisturbed
by killing frosts and cold blasts. Dan
delions are blooming on the suburbs of
the citv and the woods are full of wild
violets aud pretty flowers of endless
variety. We have hail no snow this
winter, no winds—nothing but one con
tinued spell of sunny bright weather.
Blue birds are plentiful and their merry
carrolling is au unmistakable evidence
of an early spring, so the prophets say.
In fact there is no better weather nor
a more bounteous climate to be found
anywhere than in middle and North
East Georgia, especially such as has
been witnessed this winter.
Where is the clime that beats our
own Sunny South.
There are millions in okra!
would have thought it, and
t fancy if left. alone, how
asbioned okra plant
TnE BI-PRODUCTS.
Besides the stalks which may be fraz
zled into a fibre as stated above and
which make as good a twine as hemp
or jute, the seed of the okra plant has
many uses. It may be fed to horses
and cattle, and Mr. Thurmond says it
is a very nutritious food for them. He
says that cattle will soon graw fond of
it and-will eat it with as hearty a relish
as corn or eats. The seed will make a
good oil too, and this perhaps will bo
the greatest success that will spring
from the discovery made by Mr. Thur
mond. He says the oil from the okra
seed is as good*as any to be found from
seeds, that is equal to linseed oil in
every purpose.
The fibre from the stalk will be ex
cellent for making twine, rope, bag-
a , bags, and carpets. It is a beauti-
bre and is as substantial as it is
pretty.
Who knows but there are millions in
okra, and that it is destined to take the
place of jute and hemp in every partic
ular.
A MUSICAL IUDDLE-
Tlie
Gilmore Sunday Concerts Cause a
Great Excitement In Augusta.
Augusta lias' a great sensation, it
seems over the Gilmore sacred concerts
given last Sunday afternoon in the
"Fountain City.
The concerts were given out St the
Exposition building by Gilmore’s fa
mous band, and were largely attendejl
by many of the best people in Augusta.
In the afternoon, the cars were kept
busy transporting the passengers to the
grounds inspite of the fact that the
ministers had preached against it in
their respective churches in tlie.morn-
ing before the concert.
Since the concerts were given the
ministers have held a meeting and con
demned the business with forcible
terms.
The meeting was opened with prayer
by Rev. Mr. Brittain, after which Mr.
T. M. Lowry stated “that the object of
the meeting was to take action as to the
so called sacred concert held in this city
Hist afternoon «and night, ” and urged
andasked that the opinion of the differ
ent. ministers present be given on the
subject. They responded as follows:
Dr. Lovejoy: I have no hesitation in
saying that the tendency of such a per
formance is towards the breaking down,
of our observance of the Sabbath day,
and, from what. we learn, the music
played last evening was not sacred, but
only such as would have been played on
any other night.
Dr. Borrows: I can only repJat
what I said to my congregation on yes
terday morning, when I asked that they
stay away from the performance, tell
ing them that it was a sin, because it
could not be done without the musicians
performing their regular vocations, and
the object of the concert being to make
money. No one could say its tendency
was toward praising God "any more
than a performance given by skillful
actors who correspond exactly with
this concert,both being master pieces of
their kind, but not in any sense sacred
any more than a lecture on tlie sacred
cow in India would be sacred, and I
think something should be done in the
matter, although I do not think that
the Christian sentiments of the com
munity would allow the opening of the
theatre hereon Sunday.
Other ministers made pinging speecl>-
es against the concerts. There .is a
great deal of talk in that city about the
affair, and the ministers will make it
hot- for their congregations, 'so. it
seems.
GOO cords wood
Weatherly Bros.
for sale.
Apply to
13-dlw.
Holiday Goods.—A most coin pie to
assortment of Christmas goods, consist
ing of dolls, tea sets, doll furniture,
bells, cradles, carriages and in fact ev
er; hiugin the way of toys can be found
at*Miss Rosa Von der Leith’s.