Newspaper Page Text
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VOL.!. ' -V-S. 1 ■•>•»»* t-u W-4Si
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* ’ ALBANY, GA., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1892.
NO.'52.
■ " • •- -
m
iXFlAftJI
Some Faotd aird Figures About
Dougherty County. p ;
QMA 3M0M Mm
rt) Btfots tin .War and Since I
THE RICHEST COUNTY l»KR CAIN
|f
fin A H
nplla •/ T«ir*rirr«
b Twenty ThonannilH
-Tlie Value of the Properly
Nol. Ureorered by
One Half.
be found. The value of. a alave varied
fr$IH%-|8l,'t« $1,000, the ablest bodied
men brlnging.Uie latter .price, so the
.owner of one or twu slaves was no poor
nun. Taking'the average; however,'
w\* find there,,\vei:e eleVert slaves to
Q
Richard Hobbs.
Hobbs
A. W. Tucker
& Tucker,
ALBANY, GEORGIA.
Buy and sell Exchange; give prompt
attention to Collections, and remit for
same on day of payment at current
rates; receive deposits subject to sight
checks, and lend money on approved
time papers. Correspondence solicited.
Finn INSURANCE.
We represent a good line of Insur
ance Companies and write in
surance on all property is.
City Chinese Laundry,
CHABIiEY OHO LUNG, Prop’r.
Only First-Class Hand Work. Look
here: Collars, 2c.; Cuffs per pair, 4c.,
and everything else at remarkably low
prices. You will find me on Jackson
I fceet, next to Defiance Engine House.
Give me a call. I guarantee satisfaction.
COMMERCIAL MM,
ALBANY, GA
fit is not everyone who knows, and
yet such is the case, that just before
the civil war Dougherty county was
the wealthiest county In all Georgia,
per capita, of the voting population.
It was way back at a period to which
those of that generation now living
love to refer ns those “good old times;”
times when every man was lord of ills
manor horn, nml attentive slaves ans
wered to his beck and call to do Ills
every bidding, and when the South
land, from the Potomao to the Gulf,
was just budding from youthful pros
perity into the full grown, blushing
maiden. Many a time linB the younger
generation gathered Interesting bits
concerning those old ante-bellum days
from their sires who lived and loved
those days, and many a romance and
tale of thrilling ndventure have they
furnished for the deleotation of the
present generation.
But this article is written more to
give some idea of property values, and
how they were affected by the result
of the civil strife, and especially to
show that Dougherty county stood
pre-eminent among her sisters in
point of wealtli in those days buforo
the war. Pacts and figures are too
often dry and uninteresting, conse
quently very little is ever written to
show the then and now situation from
tliat’polnt of view. But a comparison
of the records of the Doughrirty coun
ty tax digests shows on Interesting
fact or two, whioh may furnish some
food for thought, and whioh is well
worth knowing, If to know be all.
At that time our fathers were just
about as irregular, in mnny oases, in
giving in their tax returns ns many
people are now. For example, in 1800
the record shows that a total of 804,801
acres were returned for taxation, but
In 1800 only 264,888acres appear on the
records. The number of acres, of
course, varied every year, and, in 1802,
went as high ns 871,680 acres. So we
might say, on an avernge, taxes were
paid on about 800,000 acres of land an
nually.
WHEN SLAVES WERE PROPERTY.
There were, at that time, in the
county, many wealthy planters, own
ing thousands of slaves, the number of
whioh increased every year up to the
time when the emancipation procla
mation went into effect. In 1869 there
were 6,494 slaves in the county, which
number gradually inoreased, until just
before the close of the war there were
6,866. So in other kinds of property
there were fluctuations and ohanges,
which, however, are of minor Import
ance here.
The number of white tax-payers was
comparatively small. In ’69 the rec
ords show 009, from which there is 1
gradual decrease. In ’00 there were
617, in ’01, 476; in ’02, 487; and In
(they are only the returns as foflnd u pon
the county tax'digests, and there is
no doubt but thgt it would have takep
far more money to have bought qll of
Dougherty chunty than was at any
tlme ihdlcated by. the returns on tlie
each tux.payer, or, leaving'all !other* tact-books, and there prohatlly has
■' * " *• been a thne when it would 1 have take|i
more than- .ten ,or twelve, million ,lh
cool-hard currency to.buy |t. .
With all thi^t Jljicse arc ilie iaots, in
tegafd to the questjoft to.be disoussed,
»Now the qnestion'coroes lip "how toiig
will it he before,the past valuation Is
recovered? .Of course, not the iyitfje
valuation of is^v.es an^iilj, hutof.whnt
is considered by la ( w, property now nA
compared w.it)i, other property then,
It will depend upon the energy am!
enterprise of. tile people ot Dougherty
county, which is to say the people, of
Albany. ' , /
ATTEMPTED II14-11 WAY ROB
BERY.
Our Nrurn Fallows Another Ont of ' tlie
C’iiy nud Nearly Kill* Him*
Paid Up Capital, $100,000
T. U. Carter,
President
T. Mi
Ticknor.
Cashier
m m a
The Barnes Sale and Livery
Stables,
Godwin
PROPRIETORS.
Hu new buggies and the best ot
twtses, and will furnish yon a turn
out at very reasonable prices. Ac
commodations for drovers unex
celled. These stables are close to
Hotel Mayo, on Pine street, being
centrally located, ana the best
place in town to put up your team.
Call on us for your Sunday turn
outs.
m. Godwin t son.
For the purpose of showing the
wealth of the county at that time we
will take the statistics of the year 1800,
that being just before the war had be
gun good, and at a time when every
body lived in the midst of prosperity.
In that year the county had 617 polls,
or tax-payers, who owned, as returned,
804,801 acres of land, valued at $2,805,-
882; olty and town property returned
at $680,649; 6,928 slaves returned at
$4j883,7S0, and other property returned
at $1,896,498, making a grand total of
$9,726,729 in property owned by 617
men in tbia county, or $18,811.86 per
capita,
A LAHORE AVERAGE
than ever existed in any other county
in the State. Of course there were
men in the county who had their hon-
dreds of thousands and their hundreds
of slaves, but, for the average, $20,060
is mighty bard to best. Joseph iiugee
owned 203 sieves, valued at $80,800; 74
answered to the beck and call of Joseph
Beall, valued at $44,000, while Joseph
Bond was monarch of a kingdom on a
small scale, 800 slaves answering to bis
dinner born, and tbeee $150,000 could
not have bought, and, altogether, be
paid taxes on property valued at $347,-
180.
pn other plantations various num
bers all the way from one and two to'
fifty and sometimes a hundred were to
property oiitofj&oiifddcriition, the tgx-
ayeM-ol Dougherty county were 1
ivortjgpg an average, $7,000 to $8,000
ill 8lnvos alone. Bji’tho this traf
fic was wiped uut nml with it millions
Bf dollars worth of property. io> •
perhaps there was not a ooun.ty,
even In the Unjfed States which ooqjd
have made such a showing as that.
Smdi#n average as $20,000 per onpitn
coii\,tf not I have been approximated
evemln $Ndw York City, where, dwelt
the gen^hirst men of the nation.
THE DEIMUtci^TION 3n CURRENCY,
A,peculiar fact nmy be noted just
here, which was the result of the de
preciation in Confoderatn ourrenoy.
During the earlier years'Of ‘the war 1
confidence of victory on the part of
the South kept currency values on a
pretty stable basis, ami Confederate
hills passed dollar for dollar. They
were ns good ns tile silver which Imre
the Federal government stamp. Every
body, however, knows how this paper
motley gradually declined In vnlue un
til it became absolutely worthless. s
a result or this, money gradually be
came cheaper and commodities dearer,
until tlie time caino when the paper
promises of tile Confederacy beenme
only the emblems of a disappointed
hope and a lost cause.
From ’8(1 to ’08 property values re
mained tolerably stable, with only the
customary fluctuations which always
occur from year to year, fn ’02 the
total valuation of Dougherty county
property was $7,098,110, but the depre
dation in currency caused this value
to be more than doubled in ’03, when
it wns $10,099,390. In ’04 it hud more
tlmn doubled the latter amount, and
was $86,727,808, and so it went oil. In
’05 the emancipation proclamation
went into effect, and, of course, the
bottom was knocked out of all South
ern fortunes. Then mime the fall from
which, to this day,
IT HAS NEVER RKCOVKllEn.
I
In 1860, when things had somewhat
quieted down, and the war wns known
only as an effect, the Dougherty coun
ty returns show only $8,588,662 of prop
erty all told; and, In’08 It had fallen
to $2,929,024. AVhat n decline was here
can only be seen by a comparison of
the former figures with these, Between
the valuation in ’68 arid that of ’00
there is a difference of only $0,700,7161
Nearly seven millions of dollars worth
of property in just eight years.
Frutn tills gignntlo loss of fortune
no part of the country has yet recov
ered. The tax returns of the State are
not near equal to what they were in
’59 and ’60. For example, the Dough
erty county returns in ’02 were $3,644,-
804, having grown to that from $2,929,-
014 in ’68; and only a moment’s in
vestigation will suffice to show that
the loss of the slaves has not been en
tirely responsible for this loss. The
aggregate value of the property here
in ’60 was $9,725,729; of the slaves, $4,-
882,760, leaving other property to the
value $5,382,979 between which and the
returns of ’92 there is a difference in
favor of ’00 of $1,488,175. What has be
come of this enormous amount of prop
erty? Sunk in a depreciation ot values
it may be, but disappeared it haB, in
spite of the fact that since that day
Albany has grown to three times the
bIzc it was in those did days.
There can be seen, however, from
comparison of tlie records, which may
he stated without giving the detail
here, that property values are grad
ually increasing, and, after all, the re
turns In this county bid fair to again
attain tlielr old time maximum.
From Snltmlav’S VJvkniso IIbiui.ii.
From Mr. A. J. Fleetwood, who was
In'the city to-day, the Herald learned
Of’a desperate effort that was made by
one Negro to rob another, out near
Mr. Fleetwood’s place, on Thursday
afternoon.
A Negro named Jaokson, who lives
on the Clegg place In Lee county, left
the city on foot early In the afternoon,
and another Negro, whom he did not
know and who has not been idefltltlocl,
followed him, Jackson had some
money, and tho strange Negro evi
dently saw him with it while he wns
in the oity, and followed him for the
purpose of robbing him.
When out about the Kinohafooneo
bridge tlie strange Negro asked Jnok-
son to exchange aome silver with him
for some bills, but, suspecting that
they were not genuine, Jaokson de
clined to make the exohange.
Jackson proceeded on his home
ward journey, and the other Negro
continued to follow him. When out
just beyond Mr. Fleetwood’s place and
nenr the Davie plaee. Jaokson was as
saulted and knooked down by the
other Negro., The weapon used was a
huge sarsafras stick, and the first blow
brought Jackson to the ground.
The highwayman demanded Jaok-
son’s money, and the latter told him
he would give lt4.p Him. Jaokson was
then permitted io rise,'but instead of
giving up his money he took to his
heels and ran for dear life. His as
sailant followed him and renewed the
assault, Trailing him over the head
witli the huge stiok, but failed to
knock him down again. Jackson’s
cries as he approaohed the Davis place
were heard by some of the Negroes on
the place, and bis assailant, becoming
frightened, left him and came hack to
wards town.
Jaokson was fearfully beaten about
the head, and presented a pitiable
sight when seen by Mr. Fleetwood
about three quarters of an hour after
the assault. One of the Negroes on
the Davis place took him in a buggy
and carried him home. The would-bc
robber bas not been apprehended.
IMMIGRATION.
AN OPEN QUESTION
IN TUB DIMCUMMION ABOUT TUB
BIRjB DKPAHTMKNT.
A PrM JDepnrimcnl ( nn lie NalMliilMd
op About tbe Nnine Honey nn.U
Now Uxpeuded.
*•$!:
CITY AND TOWN PBOPEBTY.
Albany has been from its birth, not
a booming town, but one of gradual
growth. It may be 'interesting, to
know at what its property was valued
back in the Ws, and how that com
.pares with valuations of tbe present
date. Of course, there was a great ap
preciation in the value of eity prop
erty with the depredation in ourrenoy
as has been stated above.
There was very little fluctuation in
the value of olty and town property
before the war, and the value of it In
tbia oounty hung close around the
$600,000 mark. In ’60, whioh year baa
been taken for comparisons, it was
$680,649. Citlsens of Albany who were
hers then and have remained here ever
since say that Albany has grown since
that date to three times the site it was
then. Certainly its commercial trade
bas become more important, and it
would seem that property values must
increase with time, but such bas not
been tbe esse. Tbe oity and town
property of Dougherty oounty, now
amounts to only $1,875,120. Thus it
has been but little over doubled while
it should have been more than trebled.
ALLOWANCES TO BE MADE.
Of course there are some allowances
to be made in all these valuations, as
Col. J. O. Waddell aad Cel. C. J. linden
to flpeab la Albaar Jan. 14,
The Herald is requested to an
nounce that Col. J. O. Waddell, Presi
dent of tbe Georgia Agricultural
Society, and Col. C. J. Qaden, of At
lanta, will visit Albany for tbe pur
pose of addressing the people of this
city and vicinity on t£e subject of im
migration, on the 14th> of January.
These gentlemen have a scheme for
securing German and English immi
gration and Investment for Georgia
which is meeting with the strong in
dorsement of the people of the State
wherever It is laid before them. Let
everybody turn out and hear them on
the 14th of January.
WOMAN’S CHAT.
A New Use Bar ■■ Old Ceeler—Weeh-
Img ike Heir.
“See," said a woman recently, “what
I have done with an old-fashioned sil
ver caster. I dld’t need a fern dish, to
whioh use these things usually lend
themselves nowadays, but I bate been
sighing for a silver lamp, aild now I
have it. The bowl of my esster was
high, as you see, and it was very easy
after the handle bar was unsorewed to
have a glass oil receiver fitted to it.
“Then with shade, chimney and
burner this lovely boudoir lamp, At
whioh everybody exclaims in admira
tion, was easily evolved."
BOW TO WASH TBS BAIB.
For washing the heir, particularly
suoh as is inclined to be oily, nothing
’is better than the common hard soap
of the kitchen. A woman who bas
used it frequently herself and seen its
benefits tested in other oases, pre
scribes it with strong faith. “Make a
strong ends,” she says, “rub it quiokly
on the hair and wash it off again at
once. After that, any scented soap or
wash may be need in the way of an or
dinary shampoo.”
There is not inuoh doubt now/but
that. theincoming council will take up
tlie question of improvements in the
city Jjre department.
[ The topic linB come to be one of gon-
criil discussion, and all those who take
‘a strong interest in city blatters liOvo
some suggestion or oilier to innkc.
“I am confident,’’’said a citizen this
morning, “that a fnlrly good paid tire
department can be maintained at abolit
the cost to the city ns the presont one.
“ l’ho present lire department costs
tlie city from $1,800 to $2,600 n yenr,
nml this year It will cost from $2,600
to $2,700 on nocountof the purchase of
extra hose. Besides this, money Is lost
every year from the fact that there are
nbout seventy-five Negroes who belong
to the company for the express pur
pose of getting nut of pnylng tlielr
street taxes; and then, insurance rates,
I am reliably Infurmed, nru higher
than they would be If the elty had a
paid department. Now, with those
nmounts saved, together with the an
nual cost of the present department,
there would he ample funds for the
iimintennnce of such n department as
Albany needs,
“Two reels, eight men, nml one
steamer in reserve will be nil the
force needB, and they can do the
«urk far better than when It Is done
by volunteers, very few of whom even
turn out to a fire when thore is one.
Not half the members of the two com
panies turned out at the last fire, and
I am told that there was only about a
handful of men on hand when Mr. HJb-
ley’s house burned down sometime ago.
“Tills sort of thing won’t do for a
olty tho Bljie of ^Vlhany. Those of the
volunteer department who are sincere
in their efforts sometimes do good
work, but under tho oiroumstnnoes
they cannot do the work as qulok as It
ought to be done. I, for one, am
heartily in favor of a thorough reor
ganization of the fire department, and
hope the new Council will take the
matter thoroughly under consideration
early In the fray,”
There are a good many opinions be
ing expressed upon this subject just
at tlie present time, but Clio general
desire seems to bo to see the Council
take a hand in tho matter at the begin
ning of its Administration. ,
Trouble on tbe Cnn.
Some of the oonduotors who make
daily trips to Albany report that they
have trouble every now and then In
enforcing the regulations whioh pro
vide separate compartments for Ne
groes and whites on the trains.
It Is well known that there Is a stat
ute In the Georgia laws.whlch requires
this separation of the two raoes on the
trains, and police powers are confer
red upon the conductors for enforc
ing It.
The trouble in that the Negroes
think they are entitled to rido in the
enr with tbe whites because they pay
the same fare. In many instances
they are furnished with just as good
accommodations, and tbe whites are
not allowed to ride in their car.' In
some oases, however, the accommoda
tions are not quite so good and this
brings a protest from the Negroes.
As yet, no trouble of any moment
has grown out of tbe matter in this
section, but frequent oases are report
ed inhere conductors have been com
pelled to force Negroes to leave the
whites’car and go into the one pro
vided especially for them.
Some arrangement should be made
by whioh all such difficulties could be
avoided, as they have been known to
result seriously in other parts of the
country. '
Albany society, or that portion of
It, at leait, that dances tbe german, Is
sadly in need of reform. We have
referenee to the hour at which the
young people gather for an evening’s
pleasure in tbe danoe. ■ These very
nice but misguided young devotees of
nitre swelldom seem to think that it
would $>e a breach of good form, a real
innovation upon tbe unwritten but
supreme law of fashionable society, to
leave home to attend a danoe before
o’clook at night. And here in Albany
there is no reason in the world why
they, should not start from home at
half past 7 and begin the dance at “
o’clock. Dark comes at this season of
the year at half past 5 o’clock; tea Is
generally over in most families by
half past 6, and my ledy and my lord,
too, onght to be able to get their ball
attire on by half past 7 o’clock. Sen
sible parents onght to take this
abuse of young society In hand and
institute a reform. They can do it by
simply decreeing,that their daughters
shall not attend these late-hour dances,
Will they do it?
i fit* ■
LOOK OVER
Our Furniture
> '■
n6f beyond it, but directly at it, closely,
carefully, minutely. IT ^oii don’t ' give
the matter your undivided attention, you
may overlook what it most coiicerps you
to see. When you've examined our stock, ,
you'll have a dozen excuses for congrat
ulating yourself at finding such Bri ng 1
grogntioii of opportunities. This is the
season of good dinners and general
sprucing up. Dori’t confine yourself to
the tailor and dressmaker, but give your -
bouse a new dress as well. Our Btock 1b
fine enough to make a castle of joy out
of every bouse in Albany and surround
ing country, aud low enough in price to
be within tlie reach of all our citizens.
Don’t miss half the pleasure of the holi
days, but fit up your bouse now.
here iu the ceaseless flight of time,
and now, as heretofore, wo keep pace
with the almanac; and are here, too, with
a stock of furniture us new ns the year
and up to date In every particular. Don't
make any mistake about the style when
it comes to furniture. This is some
thing which strikes your eye at cvi
point; it's never out of view, nnd
don’t care to always he reminded
you are out of dute. Our stock
study in style, arid current styles at tl
nml not a collection of relics of
sous, ' ,
-.4. ' -
—Mr. Blaine is reported to be muoh
better, and is quoted as saying. “I’ll
get well yet."
SP
; 'v*-
1
1893
, g
BACKED BY STYLE
w;
indicates a very pleasant position to oc
cupy ; in fact, it doesn't pay to occupy
any other position. That’s just where
we sWnd in the furniture trade. There's
nothing suggestive of a hack number
about our establishment. We don't ilea
in eccentricities and survivals. Ou,
stock admirably illustrates the beuuty
and artistic elegance of the new styles.
Our parlor, bedroom and dining room
suites are full of surprises; you will be
surprised at the varied and novel de
signs and patterns, aud at the low pric~
at which we are selling the goods,
we shall be surprised if you don't 1
a purchase after inspecting our st
How does this strike you ?
All children are given to lying
'Though not to the telling of fibs.
To this point there is no replying
It is'well if they lie in our cnbs.
Ml
tl
is worthy qf the highest human ambi
tion, but only a few can reach it We
are offering something as fine as a p
idential chair in our atock, every a-
of which touche# a point away '
high-water mark. Ortly a winne
occupy a presidential chair. ■ Our 1
are presidential in every sense; y
A winner, if you buy them. No
how big or how little the man, w
chairs that will fit him. Sitting on
chairs isos easy as sliding (down
arid don't mske you think you' have :
ridden over the “rocky road to Dub
on a springless wagon.
Goods sold on installme
Terras easy, and to suit th
tomer.
INDSTINCT PRINT