A LITTLE OLD BUT GOOD
FEB 9, 1909 - DAILY SOLIPHONE - PAGE 2
RECORD CREATED BY : TINA EASLEY
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ar/county/greene/
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NOTE - THIS LETTER WRITTEN TO THE EDITOR OF THE SOLIPHONE TELLS SOME EARLY HISTORY OF THE COUNTY.
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FEB 9, 1909 - DAILY SOLIPHONE
EDITOR SOLIPHONE :
THE LAST OF SEPTEMBER , 1908 , I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MY FATHER-IN-LAW H.C. SHAVER , MT. GROVE , MO. ASKING ME TOO MAKE A TRIP WITH HIM THROUGH ARKANSAS . I IMMEDIATELY WROTE HIM A REPLY , THAT I WOULD . ON THE 20TH OF OCTOBER FOLLOWING I TOOK THE TRAIN AT MY HOME LEBANON , MO. AND WENT TO MT, GROVE THE SAME DAY , A DISTANCE OF 125 MILES , AND A LAY OVER OF ONE DAY.
ON THE MORNING OF THE 22ND IN THE COMPANY OF T.L.B. THORN , H.C. SHAVER AND DANIEL H. SHAVER ( SON OF THE FORMER ) I TOOK THE TRAIN TOO PARAGOULD , ARK VIA JONESBORO . ON THE WAY WE HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TICKETS AT MAMMOTH SPRING JUST OVER THE LINE OWING TO THE 2 CENT RATE THEN IN LITIGATION BY INJUNCTION , SINCE WHICH TIME I LEARNED THE RAILWAY COMPANY GAINED THE SUIT.
OUR PARTY HAD TOO WAIT 3 HOURS AT JONESBORO WHERE WE TOOK THE COTTON BELT AND REACHED PARAGOULD AT 9 P.M. . HERE THE OLD TIME FRIEND OF FATHER SHAVER , LAFAYETTE McHANEY MET US AT THE TRAIN WITH HIS CARRIAGE .
THIS MEETING WAS VERY INTERESTING THEY HAVING SERVED TOGETHER DURING THE CIVIL WAR AND BOTH MEMBERS OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH. THEY HAD NOT SEEN EACH OTHER IN FORTY YEARS . THIS GRAND OLD CITIZEN OF YOUR TOWN TOOK US TO HIS LOVELY HOME WHERE WE STAYED TWO DAYS AND DURING WHICH BROTHER McHANEY TOOK US IN HIS CARRIAGE AND DROVE US THROUGH THE TOWN AND WHERE COL. SHAVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING MANY OF THE BOYS OF THE OLDEN DAYS WHO WORE THE GRAY ALL OF WHICH WAS EXCEEDINGLY INTERESTING TOO THE WRITER.
ON THE AFTERNOON WE DROVE OVER TO GAINESVILLE , YOUR COUNTY SEAT YEARS AGO , ALSO WHERE COL. SHAVER SOLD GOODS FORTY YEARS AGO , BUT WHICH IS BY REMOVALS AND DEATHS ALMOST A TOWN OF THE PAST.
THE STREETS ARE WASHED AND EVERYTHING SO CHANGED THAT IT HARDLY LOOKED NATURAL . FROM THIS PLACE MANY SCENES AND PLACES OF INTEREST WERE POINTED OUT TOO US , ESPECIALLY COL. SHAVER'S OLD HOME PLACE NOW OWNED BY W.H. WALDEN WHOM WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING. THE PLEASANT GENTLEMAN SHOWED LITTLE INTEREST IN MEETING US AND TOOK PLEASURE IN ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS . THE OLD HOME PLACE WAS NOW A FINE FARM WITH A COTTON GIN ETC. ALL OWNED AND OPERATED BY MR. WALDEN .
ON THE MORNING OF THE 2ND BRO McHANEY AND WIFE WENT WITH US FIVE MILES NORTH TO THE GAINESVILLE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION AND HERE WE PARTED WAYS . THE TIME SPENT IN THEIR HOME WILL ALWAYS BE PLEASANT REMINISCENSCES OF MY LIFE . LITTLE DID WE THINK WE WOULD SEE THE FACE OF BROTHER McHANEY NO MORE , FOR I LEARNED OF HIS DEATH WHICH OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTERWARD.
AT THE ASSOCIATION COL. SHAVER MET SOME OF HIS RELATIVES AND MANY FRIENDS AND BRETHREN OF FORMER YEARS. THE REV . J.D.J. FAULKNER PREACHED THE ANNUAL SERMON WHICH WAS A GOOD ONE . THIS IS A STRONG BODY OF BAPTISTS.
(REST OF PAPER MISSING )