SWINGING
'ROUND THE
CIRCLE
Border
Towns
By
W. J. Galloway
March
2, 1906
The Dillon Herald
Well, again the sun is shining and we are allowed to come forth in our swing and catch the gentle spring-like breezes as round our circle we go. Our faithful Balaam has come back to us and we are glad to report him in an improved condition, and "me and him" are on the go again among the best people of the world. Our little intermission was spent following the cars around and visiting manly towns in other counties and also a few of the border towns of North Carolina. All of these impressed us most favorably, but the garden spot is upper Marion and we are not afraid of contradiction when we make this statement.
Last week we crossed over the Marlboro line and visited Dunbar, Clio, Tatum and McColl. All these are in a thriving condition and trade is growing. New business houses are being erected and every sign of thrift and prosperity is shown very plainly. At Tatum we were greeted by Prof. P. W. Bethea, a Latta boy, who is principal of the Marlboro High School at that place. Mr. Bethea is a good worker and is taking an active part in the educational affairs of Marlboro County. He is being kept posted on home affairs by the columns of the Herald. Then we crossed back to the Judson section through which the line runs but we think Marion has the largest share of this thriving section.
Among the first that we saw was Mr. D. J. Wright an enterprising and progressive planter here who seems to be taking life easy, yet we can speak for him that he keeps himself busy. He has a nice farm which he operates on a paying play. He says that he finds it just as easy to make a bale of cotton per acre with practically no more cost, as it is to make one half bale. Therefore he plants for the bale. We called at Mr. J. A. E. Cottingham's but he being away we failed. He has here a beautiful home and farm and we are sorry we were denied a chat with him. The next joint of road we struck was from Sinclair's Cross Road to Bennett's Mill. On this road we find three very large planter and influential citizens, Messrs. J. L. Bennett, A. R. Jackson and R. M. Jackson. Mr. Bennet not only operated an extensive farm here but he is president of the J. L. Bennet Co's large mercantile establishment at Clio, who are successors to the J. H. Bennett Co. The other members of firm are also two of Marion's valued citizens whom we regret to lose, Messrs. Brooks Hamer and Boyd Wilkes. Mr. Hamer did not sell his farm here and it is under the skillful care of Mr. J. W. Rowland, who is among the best farmers of the county, and while he owns a farm in Free State his services are in demand every where he is known. It was not our pleasure to see Mr. A. R. Jackson so naturally a passing mention is all we can give this time, yet he has a valuable farm and an attractive home and judging from his surroundings on the farm he need not leave it in search of prosperity.
Indeed it has been our pleasure to see and have our being with Mr. R. M. Jackson and his estimable family. He is one of the largest and most successful planters in this entire community and everything around seems to move so smoothly and without a hitch that the average manager of labor cannot understand it. He seems to be a natural farmer and nothing disturbs his peaceful equanimity.
Here we cross the mill and find the valuable estate of the late N. Bennett. Mr. J. C. Covington of Clio conducts a large store here and enjoys a fine patronage. The Bennett lands are being operated by Mr. W.B. Horton, who makes a good crop every year. Turning to the right from Judson church, we find Messrs. T. C. Fore , W. H. Ammons and Jno. Horton, all good farmers and doing well. Mr. Ammons moved here two years ago from Little Rock and he says his move was a profitable one.
We are taking our leave of __(faded word)__ now and find ourselves entering a community which bears a name that is dear to every true Carolinian and has been the inspiration of the poet more than once, and I must say that this section is not only honored by the name it bears but the name is honored by being borne by such an honorable community as "Carolina."
(Continued next week.)
Well,
our trips have been somewhat checked
since we last met together and have amounted to but little. Yet they were pleasant ones and me and my
Balaam would never object to an early repetition. Everything
has been quiet along our line and this week the
application of the "rolling stone never gathers moss" is very fitting
in our case and we have been pushing from "thither to yon," as a tramp once expressed it, so much here
of late, that we've certainly been swinging too fast to gather much
news.
We
made another dashing trip through the
Carmichel, Gaddy's Mill, Kemper and Page's Mill sections last week and
from
there over to Ashpole, N.C., which is a hustling and enterprising town,
in fact
its growth has been marvelous within the last three years.
While there we partook of the hospitalities
of some of our own countyites, who will be pleasantly remembered by
their many
friends and relatives in this county, who have been making that place
their
home for the past several years, Mr.
and Mrs. Murphy Hughes. It is
always a pleasure to visit their home
and we always look them up when in their neighborhood.
Passing Merietta we naturally drifted to the
home of P. O. Henly,
who recently moved there from the edge of Marlboro but who is well
known in
this county. Mr. Henly is highly
pleased with his move, and he is in that class that won't down no
matter where you
put him he is likely to succeed in this prosperous section.
On
our return trip we came through the
Kentyre and Hamer sections and the folks that we found at home are so
few that
they would be extremely "lomesome" this week so we will go back again
at once and try to find them some company and take them for our text
next
week. Me and my Balaam expect to spend
a great deal of time up there "nigh futurely."
We
doubt if there is a public man in the
country who is discussed more freely in private and through the press
than
Senator Tillman.
In nearly every paper
we pick we see something about him; if not its own opinion it is the
copied
expression of another. So, he certainly
must be doing something. He pleases a
great many and displeases a great many, yet he seems to be about doing
his duty
as he sees it, not caring what others think of him.
It is certainly the best way after all. Whatever
may be Tillman's faughts, he cannot be compared to the
wishy-washy, flippy politician trying to stay on the good side of all
classes. The Carolina Spartan has
offered the specifications of the man it will take to beat him and adds
that he
ain't made yet. If that is true, those
who are anxious for his defeat this summer hadtter begin their
construction,
as the primary is not many months away.
---
We
talked a little politics to Capt.
Jno.
C. Sellers the other day and he is as enthusiastic and
interesting as
ever. He is likely to make the race for
railroad commissioner. When asked
positively about it he laughingly said: "I'll se that Col. Wharton
doesn't
get lonesome on the campaign. He must
have company." He is an able
speaker, strong campaigner and would make it lively for the Col.