Looking Back

(Editor’s Note: This column looking back at St. Francis County’s history is featured each Friday on this Lifestyles page along with the week’s History Photo. The items included in this column were printed in previous editions of the Times-Herald.)

October 1887

Haynes - Mr. Davenport and wife, of this city, accompanied by Miss Lillie Newman, were in Haynes last week. ***John C. Lynch and R.C. Ragsdale were over to greet the great presidential party. Among those from and near here who attended the Baptist Association in Marianna were James Thompson and wife, Will Thompson and wife, David Bell, J.T. Friar and W.B. Crockett. ***Mrs. Nat Smith with her niece, Miss Blanche Smiley, returned from Helena. ***J.J. Sampson was in Marianna. ***R.O. Gill and family were in Marianna, Sunday. ***Miss Carrie Robinson, of LaGrange was the guest of Mrs. D.I. Jones. ***M. Isaacs and wife visited Marianna. ***We are to have a new depot soon. The Iron Mountain couldn't afford to be in the background amid Haynes rapid growth. ***The Literary Society will be renamed this week. ***An addition is being built to the Hughes and Jacks Hotel.

Express Train - The East bound express train Thursday night, which carried six coaches filled to the utmost was reported ditched just beyond Crow Creek. The facts are the engine and baggage master, who was slightly bruised up. The town was terribly excited for half an hour, as quite a number from this place were aboard. It might have been another Chatsworth horror, had the coaches left the track and turned over. We are glad it was not worse.

Pumpkin - There is a pumpkin on Exhibition at Fussell, Graham & Co.'s which weighs 68 1/2 pounds. It was raised on Mr. E.C. Hughes' place known as the Lindon Plantation.

Mallory-Goode - Mr. L. Mallory of Madison led Miss M.E. Goode of this city to the matrimonial altar at the Methodist Church. Rev. M.B. Umsted performed the ceremony, which was short, quick and to the point and was very beautiful. Mr. E. Mallory of Madison with the charming Miss Hattie Van-Patten were the first of the wedding party to enter the church. They were followed by the bride and groom and then came Mr. John M. Nichols and one of Vanndale's exquisite beauties, in the person of Miss Grace Hare. The costumes were all of dark colors but nevertheless most tasty and beautiful. After the ceremony the party repaired to the residence of the bride's brother, Captain T.A. Hatcher, where the hour was spent in harried preparations to take the next train for Memphis and in receiving the many hearty congratulations of their numerous friends and bidding them goodbye. The church was crowded, all anxious to see the beautiful bride and handsome groom march to the hymenial altar. May they live most happily in one another's love. May their differences be easily adjusted, and may their lives be an example to others for pure motives is the wish of The Times.

Locals - Mr. W.M. Johnson, of Wynne was in the city. ***Capt. T.J. Herner of Wheatley, was registered at the Avery. ***Mr. J.E. Ketchens was taking in the sights at St. Louis. ***Mr. and Mrs. Thos. L. Thompson of Wynne, were in the city. ***J.T. Taylor of near Colt, was in the city yesterday. He was a pleasant caller at this office and contributed to our account for which he has our thanks. ***News has just reached here that Chas, H. Sanders is sinking fast. ***The work on the public well has been indefinitely suspended. We would like to see it completed and a good supply of water furnished. ***Mr. and Mrs. Lowry Mallory returned and will set up housekeeping soon. Friends welcome them back.

A Couple of Terrors - Rufus Anderson and Cheatham Bull from near Wheatley sold a drove of cattle in Helena and then proceeded to raid the town, commencing at Louis Mogler's saloon, in South Helena, where a negro ball was in progress. They bull dozed the crowd of negroes and when Policeman John Jones attempted to arrest them they opened fire on him with a couple of sixes. Jones took refuge under the plank sidewalk in front of the saloon and would have been killed undoubtedly had the festive shootists not been too drunk for effective work. After emptying their guns they started for their horses, but Policeman Clancy got the drop on Bull and locked him up. Marshal Lingg telegraphed all over the country for Anderson and on Wednesday evening he was caught near Dr. H. Horner's plantation, near the mouth of the St. Francis River. Anderson is a nice fellow when sober, but a perfect terror when under the influence of Whiskey. He gave bond and will be tried before the mayor on four counts. Anderson cleaned out the mayor's court in Brinkley, a few weeks ago when being tried for being drunk and disorderly... Both Bull and Anderson, are in funds and have employed Hon. Greenfield Quarles to defend them.

Methodist Church Courthouse - Everybody approves the action of the county court in buying the old Methodist church for a courthouse. It was the very thing to do-East Arkausian. While the old Methodist church makes a very nice courtroom, comparing it with the room of last year, yet there are those of St. Francis County's taxpayers who would rather have waited a short while and then built a courthouse which would be a credit to the county. The church building, we are informed, cost $550 and to move will cost $350 making a total of $900 for the building. We have repeatedly heard the building unsafe and when the same is moved it will more than likely fall down. Should it stand the moving the investment will be considered much better than now. If the county can afford a building which has stood for years, and is nearly worn out, it seems to us the county could well afford to add sufficient funds to build a nice brick courthouse. It is claimed there are no funds to be had for this purpose. We believe every taxpayer in the county would be willingly to pay a little more and have a courthouse at which he could point the finger of pride. Then why not do as nearly all other counties have done, issue the county's paper for the necessary funds and build the accessary public buildings. With the greatest respect, we beg to differ with them on the question of the practicability of this investment and the consequent benefits to be derived from some of the people. We know the people would rather have a brick courthouse with accommodations for all the county offices and we believe they would willingly pay more taxes to secure it to the county. Those in favor of the question will say "aye" Contrary. "No."

Marriage - Mr. Weston Payne and Miss Lizzie Hammond were married at Wheatley, Oct. 11,1887. Rev. John Ritter, officiating. Both parties are well known in the western part of the county and their numerous friends wish them all the joys of the happy pair and thrust their troubles may be few and far between.

Colt - I am glad to have an opportunity of informing readers of your paper that this section of the country is undoubtedly on a boom. Could you pass through and along our highways, at early morn or dewy eve and hear the merry whistle of the "cowboy" the rapid strokes of the mechanics, the shrill shriek of the locomotive, the noisy clatter of our saw mill and steam gin (the latter running night and day), down to the sturdy "Gee who's back Broad" of the teamsters, these and many other indications of life and prosperity too numerous to mention would make you realize that life is real. Vital local went over to Memphis last week and the result is that his large store house is filled from "center to circumference" with the many necessaries of life. Mr. N.G. Williams is also doing good business. We have several meat markets, one barber shop, one wood and blacksmith shop and a nice hotel. The latter under new management of R. Norton. Two seed agents are in the field and the result is cotton need is on a boom. Land clearing, house building and other improvements too numerous to mention are in operation and everything looks the picture of prosperity. Your readers here think The Times much the best paper in the county.

October 1904

Locals – ***Mr. J.L. Scott, one of the genial salesman with Brandon & Baugh, was a Sunday visitor to his friend, Mr. Mart Hill, on the Soudan place in Lee County. That was a case of two hearty fellows well met. ***A Choctaw engine pushed three box cars off the safety of the Y Monday night and they were turned over into the ditch just back of the Forrest City Gin. The noise attracted quite a crowd from a radius of several blocks. ***Mr. F.M. Satterfield of Fullwood, was in the city on business. He is a prosperous farmer and says he has about 14 bales of cotton in the field which he has not yet had time to touch. He enrolled his name for this great farmers journal. ***Corporal Sweet, of the Garden of Eden, informs that there are no idlers in Griggs Township, the demand for cotton pickers being so pressing that even Pete Covington and Will Reid, two prominent colored planters have joined the army of staple gatherers. ***Van Payne and Bill Moore, two negroes on A.J. Pipkin's plantation, are the champion cotton pickers of St. Francis County, the former gathering 424 pounds and the latter 422 pounds and have averaged 400 pounds per day when picking for many years. ***Mr. R.P. Davant and wife, of Belmont, Texas arrived in the city on a visit to relatives and friends, they are related to Mr. A.C. Wood, Mrs. Sutton and by marriage to Mrs. Prewett and are attending the bedside of Mr. Wood who is very ill.

Death - W.W. Martin, of Indian Territory, who recently came here to remain until Christmas, and who was employed with the Forrest City Gin Co. for a week, died Oct. 9, at the home of Mrs. Dryden, where he and his family are keeping house. He leaves a wife and a two-year-old son. He was raised by Mr. John Sipf and wife, and was very dear friend to them. Mr. Sipf was in town on business, gave us a call and requested us to extend the sincere thanks of himself and family and the bereaved wife for the many kindness and favors shown them in their great bereavement. The remains were buried at Hughes Cemetery. Mrs. Martin will return to her relatives in the Indian Territory.

Fake News - A gullible Little Rock correspondent of out-oftown newspapers was responsible for the fake report which spread over the entire county, the night of Oct. 11, that George Gould had been in a wreck at Wynne and had sustained a broken leg. A friend in passing asked him if he had heard that Gould had been in a wreck and without waiting to investigate the correspondent hurried to a telegraph office and wired a bulletin on the "news" to his string of a dozen or more metropolitan papers. In a very short while all the big papers of the country were flooding their Little Rock correspondents with orders for the story of the wreck and it was not until the next night that these telegrams ceased to arrive. Meanwhile the correspondent had found out that he had been faked and there is no record of what he wired his papers in denial of the bulletin.

Lost Piece of Thumb - Mr. B.E. Bodkin, section foreman on Section 7 1-2 on the Rock Island had the misfortune to lose the end of his thumb while engaged in a lifting contest with some of the "boys" over on Washington Street. He had made his pull at a machine which an itinerant merchant was using on the streets and Deputy Sheriff Bob Swan stepped up to try his muscles. The machine was made fast to the pavement in some way by a hook, but it had slipped out and Bodkin put it back in place and was holding it with his hand. A stick was used as a handle. Bob is a powerful fellow and when he put the thing to the test, the stick broke and scales spinning back like lightening, catching Mr. Bodkin's thumb before he could remove it. As a consequence he had to have it amputated and is unable to work and left Monday night for the plantation of Smith McAllister. Mrs. Bodkin had already gone to Trenton, Tenn., to visit her relatives and friends.