Transcribed by K. Torp

CHAPTER VIII

"No d-d bullock shall obstruct the United States Mail."

THUS LARKIN DECATUR EDGE, with a fine disregard for his pious upbringing, flourished his whip and sent the coach rocking into a drove of cattle that Messrs. Cecil and Kendrick were sending along the Monticello-Burnside road to points north to market. Lark Edge was a scholar and a wit as the above quotation proves. He was familiar with Roman history and his drolleries relieved the tedium for many a passenger on the five-hour ride to, or from, Burnside to Monticello. He came of good Quaker stock in Pennsylvania, but the exigencies of life in the backwoods had somewhat tempered his forbearance.
Through cold and snows of winter and summer's rains and heat he came daily bringing the United States mail and an occasional passenger. He rose at unseemly hours to get off in the morning in time to catch the train going north, at Burnside, and, remaining to get the mail from the southbound train, he was often very late returning, bearing the news from the outside world before the days of telephone and radio. He was an expert driver and there was showmanship in the way he went around the hairpin curve down to the ferry at Burnside, the timid passenger holding on with closed eyes, expecting to find himself in the Cumberland River when he opened them. But his skill took them safely around and no accident ever occurred. His rugged weatherbeaten face was always pleasant and the laughter wrinkles at the corners of eyes and mouth betrayed his sense of humor. Yet it was good-natured humor and he knew the drovers could easily assemble their scattered drove again.
He was employed by J. W. Hall, whose advertisement appears in the Monticello Signal, 1884 and 1885:

MONTICELLO & BURNSIDE MAIL STAGE LINE
Stage leaves Monticello daily at 6 a. m. and arrives at Burn-side at 11 a. m., returning, leaves Burnside at 1:30 p. m. and arrives at Monticello at 7 p. m.
J. W. Hall & Son, Proprietors.

By this time the road had been macadamized from Burnside to Monticello with the exception of a stretch, about four miles, between Frazer and Bronston, which, in bad weather, was almost impassable. This must have tried Edge's patience as much as the Stanford-Somerset road over which he drove the stage in the seventies.

According to Mr. Coleman, the Stanford Interior-Journal, of February 5, 1875, quotes him thus: "Larkin Edge says a man I can't drive a stage from here to Somerset and be a Christian. The mud is so deep and the road so long that a Christian man would lose all patience with himself before he got to Waynesburg. After he reached that point, Job, himself, would get out of heart before he reached his destination."

After the Halls came the Burtons-Mack Burton, the most obliging man imaginable and later Charlie Burton, the most polite and efficient. He owned and drove the last stage-coach in use in the United States, a museum piece today used only on such occasions as the opening of the new Burnside bridge. This coach was loaned to the exposition at Detroit but the Burton family will not sell it.
Droves of cattle, horses, mules, sheep, and hogs could be seen any day along this highway always going north, under their own power.

This was an industry that throve without railways. Sheep raising was carried on extensively in the vicinity of Monticello. The Phillips family had grown prosperous with this as one line of endeavor, and the "Sheep Lot" still identifies a tract on the old Mica j ah Phillips farm just south of Monticello. Here the sheep were assembled for driving to Burnside after the old Cin-cinnati Southern had been extended that far in the 80's. Before that the nearest railroad point was Stanford or Lexington.

The Oatts Brothers developed a thriving trade in horses and mules, sending them to Augusta, Georgia, for the southern market.

Messrs. Cecil and Kendrick had a prosperous mercantile business by 1830. Merchandise of all kinds was hauled by wagon from the Louisville wholesale houses. The Cecil of the firm was Granville Cecil who moved to Boyle County and amassed a fortune. The Kendrick was William, affectionately known as "Uncle Billy," who died in Wayne leaving a vast landed estate. Some of the elder Phillips's also had a mercantile business and Joshua Berry long carried on a trade in general merchandise. These all flourished in spite of difficulties of transportation that made prices high. All merchandise was brought by wagons from Louisville.
Jefferson County records for 1810 show that Jacob Shearer was licensed as common carrier, with Christian Shearer as partner. Thereafter he operated a wagon train from Louisville to Monticello until about 1840 bringing merchandise, farming implements, furniture, etc. It was a laborious undertaking requiring hardihood and intelligence, and the people were indebted to the Shearers for many necessities and luxuries brought from the metropolitan markets.
The following extract from the Signal, January 13, 1887, is an index to the value of the horse and mule industry in Wayne County:
"During the last two weeks eleven carloads of stock have been shipped from this county. They were mostly two and three year old mules. There were some extra saddle and harness horses.
"The Oatts Brothers shipped three cars to Augusta; Dr. Phillips, Rucker Kendrick and J. P. Ingram shipped three cars to Atlanta; Granville Duncan, Shelby Ragan and the Miller Brothers, shipped three cars to Atlanta; Lewis Coffey and B. C. Berry shipped two cars to Atlanta. These eleven carloads would have averaged over $100 per head on the market here. There are several carloads of stock in the county to be shipped yet and the total sales of the mule market will amount to over $100,000."

An account book purchased by Micajah Phillips for recording minutes of the first Common School Commissioners cost seventy-five cents in 1837. In these days of mass production and easy transportation it could be bought for ten cents.

At that time coffee was fifty cents per pound, sugar equally high. A calico dress pattern was worth five dollars.
Even with these prices prevailing, the ladies kept themselves dressed in the style of the period.
A letter from a young lady of eighteen visiting in Crab Or-chard (known to old inhabitants as "the Orchard") to her sister back in Monticello tells of the fashions of the day:
Crab Orchard, August 4, 1866.

" . . . . There is so much excitement up over the success of the Democratic Party. They have kindled a bonfire and have been speaking and yelling. Oh, you never heard the like.
"There is a crowd here dancing downstairs and two or three have been up after me ... . two or three more have come after me so I must go down and I'll steal time to finish after awhile ....

"It's 2 o'clock and the ball has just closed. They are still whooping and yelling out in town on account of the election. I've been very busy. Made me a calico dress. Aunt Sarah helped me. Made me a beautiful Bishop lawn, two ruffles round the skirt a finger length wide and a ruffle across the shoulders. It is so pretty. It is open behind. So many dresses open behind and ruffles on everything, one, two, and three and five . . . ."
In those early days it was the custom for young couples to ride horseback to Mammoth Cave on a wedding journey. In a letter written in 1853 by Emily Worsham Hardin she says:

"All that is talked about here [in Monticello] is weddings. I will tell you who are going to marry the 1st of September and start to Mammoth Cave. It is Julia Frisbie and Mr. Burton, Gord Hayden and Tine Frisbie, Harriet Phillips and John Frisbie and Mary Mills and Doctor Hall. Vi Long married the little Buckner that lived at Mr. Hendersons .... These are such scary

looking times. We will not raise more than enough corn to bread us. Some will not even do that .... I have had four blankets wove. They weigh a pound to the yard. Pink and Jim [Mr. and Mrs. Jim Oatts] stayed all night with me the other night. They are going to be close neighbors. They have bought Mr. Allen's farm, Negroes and all. Ellen [Mrs. Braxton Carter] is staying at the tavern now. I have not seen her for some time. Gran and Betty [Mr. and Mrs. Granville Worsham] are going to start south in about three weeks.
"Leo [Hayden] has gone to Texas. He went home with Billy Crisp. You ask whether we are going to move away from the farm. We came very near selling to Mr. Will Meadows this spring ....
"It has been very dry. All the neighbors come to our spring for water. Father's spring is nearer dry than it was ever known to be ... .

"The children and black ones all send their love. Di says tell you she had one beau since you left but she did not have her hair slicked up and did not have on her 'Sundays.' Little Martha is learning to spell at home, she can spell very well in four letters . . . ."

By 1860, M. D. Hardin had sold his farm and come into Monticello. He had bought the tavern which stood on the southeast corner of the square. After the war, about 1870, he bought from Major Neal the house near the courthouse and kept a tavern there until 1889. This house, a log structure that had been weatherboarded and had a wing added, burned in the fire of 1897.

In the 60's and 70's, Monticello was a village of 300 inhabitants. There were more families of distinction in proportion to population than any other town in the state. These families produced men of exceptional qualities. In addition to the numerous descendants of Joshua Jones, that fine old pioneer, the Cecil, Kendrick, Phillips, Saufley, Chrisman, Buster, Cullom, Van Winkle, Tuttle, Stone, Huffaker, Ingram, Cooper and other families already named, produced some distinguished men. Here was no rude frontier life, but an urbanity surprising to outsiders. In a letter from Samuel L. Duncan, of Nicholasville, to Mrs. Mary Cecil Cantrell, copied in an earlier chapter, he names some of the men of this period. Three outstanding men, to him, were Doctor Frisbie, Elder William Simpson, and Joshua Buster.

The lawyers of this period are discussed by Judge James A. Phillips in an article in a previous chapter. Some of these were distinguished. James S. Chrisman was delegate to the Con-federate Convention at Russellville. He was also Confederate Congressman. He had been a member of the United States House of Representatives and a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 1849. He had married Lucy Bell, descendant of Dr. Ephraim McDowell. His sister, Emily, was the mother of Judge M. C. Saufley of Stanford. Hon. Shelby Cullom had moved to Illinois where he was governor and later United States Senator. John Catron had moved to Tennessee where he became Judge of the State Supreme Court and later was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by Andrew Jackson. Captain John W. Tuttle, a superior lawyer, literary man, and gentleman in every sense of the word gave conspicuous service in the Union Army. Sherrod Williams, a brilliant but erratic man, moved to Mississippi. Tom McBeath, a man of great ability, moved to Florida, where he became president of the Florida State College. Mark McBeath was long National Committeeman from Mississippi. Robert McBeath was Superintendent of Schools for Wayne County.
In an article Stage-coach Days in Kentucky, J. W. Hall gives a picture of life at that time:

STAGE-COACH DAYS IN KENTUCKY

"It was in the mild October weather of 1875, when we left the old home in Wayne County, Kentucky, destined for some point in the famous bluegrass region, in pursuit of better educational advantage and opportunity, and where the ambitious, anxious and willing student could work his way in school. The distance from the old home to the nearest railroad point, Maywood, on the L. & N. near Stanford, was about 75 miles. This, the first part of our journey, was made in a two-horse, covered wagon,

belonging to a wealthy uncle, merchant and farmer of the home county. 'Uncle Jim,' the colored driver and former slave of the rich uncle, was quite pleasant and agreeable, had made many trips to this railroad, shipping point, hauling goods and merchandise and was familiar of course with the country and roads through the woods and hills. So, armed and equipped with a little black valise, containing a few items of clothing, a testimonial from the citizens of Monticello, a very little money, and a box of cooked ham, some sweet cakes and pies, and plenty of sugar and ground coffee, which our Mother and Aunt had so kindly prepared, 'Uncle Jim' and I were slated to leave on a certain day. The trip to Maywood by covered wagon means of transportation, required about three days. We camped at night on the road, convenient to some spring. 'Uncle Jim' made good coffee, prepared the meals, set the table, and otherwise made the trip safe and pleasant. We slept comfortably and cozily together in the covered wagon, among sacks of ginseng, boxes, chestnuts and the pelts of fox, raccoon, opossum and other fur-bearing animals. It is true that this improvised and unique sleeping room was not saturated with the perfume of geranium and the attar of roses, but when you come to think about it more seriously, it was simply the best we could do, and why should we now complain ?

"The familiar scenes surrounding the old home, the view of mountain range, densely wooded valleys, forest-covered hills, sparkling streams of rivulet and cascade, the gorgeous and panoramic pictures of autumnal colors through which we had traveled for three days, are all left behind. On reaching the depot and railroad station at Maywood, the outlook and aspect of all nature had now seemed changed to a new world. This point was just a short distance from the well-known Hall's Gap hill, overlooking a wide area of Bluegrass fields and farms. Here again, we became intensely interested on seeing our first railroad passenger train, and perhaps no more so, than all others, who at some time in life, had seen their first railroad train. Here, too, we bid goodbye and good luck to 'Uncle Jim' and bought a ticket for our first 5-mile ride in a passenger coach, from Maywood to Stanford in the month of October, 1875. Besides being a very great improvement on the ox-cart and horse-drawn covered wagon of the early day, this first experience of the new method of travel is now worth relating. This first 5-mile ride in a passenger coach produced even a greater thrill perhaps than the first airplane flight of some people in 1931. But we can not now speak from experience of airplane travel, yet we must here confess, that while riding the first 5 miles in a passenger coach, we caught our-self actually 'leaning up hill' when the train was swinging around sharp curves. This, of course, was very thoughtful on our part, to give the train the advantage of our weight, and thus prevent it from turning over at the curves. Well, now, that was a truthful experience, and we are willing to stand the expense of the joke. We all have to learn, and partly from just such embarrassing and trying experiences. In 1875, airplane travel, vitaphone music and radio communication were not even dreamed of by the most visionary.

"If we remember correctly, Stanford was reached late in the afternoon. Our old, colored friend, 'Uncle Jim' was on the return homeward, and we began to realize that we were out in the cold world among total strangers, farther from home than we ever had been; that we had but very little money, and that 'traveling' away from home meant expense and a heavy draw on this small amount of ready funds. Under these circumstances we must think quickly and honorably, plan for the best and wisest course, then proceed and act accordingly. So, we thought of the name of a good farmer, living on the Danville pike, just two miles out from Stanford, who was an old friend and former neighbor of our father in Wayne County. We decided to go out to his home and spend the night. Then, loading the little black grip on our shoulder, we started out afoot on the old turnpike road, and coming surprisingly to a pole across the pike, the first 'toll-gate' we had ever seen, and believing it meant 'pay' we stopped, set our grip down, and asked the lady gate-keeper what we should pay to pass under the pole or through the gate. She replied with a sympathetic smile, nothing at all, for one traveling as humbly as you, there is no charge.' But here let us speak again in self-defense, for honest simplicity, the unsophisticated, genuine quality of innocent character will show itself, even in these modern days of the smart set of young thieves, social sheiks, murderers, and highwaymen, who would laugh in scorn at the reading of these lines. The trouble with this class of young men of the present age and generation is the want of real principle, as a basic and sure foundation on which to build real character. They neither study nor work, for either an education or a living. They want money to spend foolishly and unwisely in the many ways of idleness and frivolity, but not honorable, willing and independent enough to work for it. Too many idlers and non-producers among both sexes of this modern generation.

"After a short visit with Mr. Hubbard at his home on the Danville pike, our former friend and neighbor from Wayne County, we returned to Stanford for our second train ride. The line of the Knoxville branch of the L. & N. railroad extended probably, and was completed no farther than Livingston in Rockcastle County, but our 20-mile route was over the Richmond branch to Paint Lick, thence 4 miles by mail-hack to the village of Kirksville, Madison County. This point then, was our first objective in prospect and pursuit of scholastic advantage and opportunity, for Kirksville at that time had a real High School, an Academy for both sexes worthy of the name. Here we made our first business deal in the way of school work, with the principal, Prof. Milton Elliott, one of Kentucky's greatest teachers in his day. In the trade with Prof. Elliott, his terms of agreement and contract were binding, but generous and liberal in favor of the young man, who was strictly honest, anxious and willing to work for an education. He very kindly assisted us here in securing a nice boarding-place with a wealthy farmer, who lived only one-half mile from the school building, where we could pay the full account for board expense by working mornings, evenings and Saturdays. This new job meant the doing of chores about the home, cutting stove wood, making fires, milking the cows, feeding mules and other stock about the barns, and on Saturday, driving a wagon and hauling corn and pumpkins from the farm. At night we had a large comfortable room, good lights and books, and plenty of time for study in preparing our lessons for class next day. Many of the older citizens of Madison County, and elsewhere in the State, where he conducted fine schools, will most kindly remember Prof. Milton Elliott, not only for his strict

discipline, remarkable and exceptional ability as a teacher, but for his high sense of honor and integrity, justice and obedience, and for his lofty dignity and high standing as a Christian minister. Those pleasant and profitable school days under his direction and management and happy associations are well remembered." -/. W. Hall

Life was pleasant in those days with neighborly attentions in sickness and distress, and graciousness in social contacts.

These were free high-spirited people quick to resent a slight yet generous to forgive, and disagreement was often settled summarily by a fight, ending in a handshake. Captain Tuttle tells some amusing stories of those days.

James Hardin, a young attorney, partner of Tuttle, was an exuberant young fellow. Standing one day with some other young men on the street, he saw a barrel of salt lying near the side door of a store. Jumping up, he turned somersault over the barrel, landing on his feet on the other side, a feat of great agility.
He looked around for the applause to follow. Dr. C. A. Cox said, "that's nothing, a cow could have done it." Hardin retorted: "A jackass couldn't." Said Cox: "A jackass did." Whereupon Hardin was at him and they fought with fists until, satisfied the insult was avenged on both sides, they shook hands and left in complete friendliness.

On another occasion says the Captain, I played cards till far into the night, winning straight along. The next morning I called upon my opponent for a settlement.
"You treated me in a very ungentlemanly manner last night," said this opponent, M. D. Hardin. "You're a liar," said the Captain. Whereupon "Mr. Hardin knocked me down and we fought, gouging and kicking each other until we were tired. Then we shook hands and forgot the whole thing."
These were gentlemen of the old school and this was a sort of code duello by which satisfaction was secured.

But tragedy stalked into the county on more than one occasion. In 1886 the whole county was horrified by the story of Prewitt's crime. He had held a grievance against a man named Jarvis for some time and going to Jarvis's home in the eastern part of the county he brutally slaughtered both Jarvis and his wife. Their son, a child, escaped and ran a mile to a neighbor and spread the alarm. He was quickly apprehended and trial with conviction followed. It cannot be doubted that Prewitt was criminally insane. The Monticello Signal of January 13, 1887, gives an account of the hanging from which the following extract is taken:
"The hanging of Granville Prewitt brought the largest crowd to town to-day that has been here for many years. It was estimated at 4,000 persons and probably this was too small. They began to come in last night and the hotels and livery stables were crowded. This morning strange faces were seen on the streets by sunrise. They came from all over the County and adjoining counties. Some even from Tennessee were present. A more excited and anxious throng was never seen. The crowd was surging and pushing each other from one side of the town to the other all day. Whenever any little commotion would arise the whole mass of surging humanity would rush thither with eager expectation of seeing the doomed Prewitt.

'The gallows was erected in the rear of the court-house yard, around which was an enclosure, rising two feet above the platform. Everything was visible to the eager spectators until after the trap was sprung.
"The beam to which the rope was fastened was 16 feet high and the scaffold 7 feet high and 8 feet square. The fall was 4 feet and the rope with which he was hanged was % of an inch.

"There was scarcely a standing place unoccupied for 30 yards around the gallows. Every tree, house-top and fence was covered and so thickly that one barn-top was completely crushed in.

"Only 60 were permitted to enter the enclosure; tickets for which were at a premium, selling at $5.00 ... .
"Since the organization of the county only four men have suffered the penalty of judicial execution within its borders. The first was David Gibbs convicted of the murder of Roger Oatts, an old and respected citizen of the county. Gibbs shot Oatts from an ambush in the woods.

"He was convicted upon purely circumstantial evidence. One of the incidents tending to his conviction is often referred to as showing that murder will out.' Upon the ground near the scene of the crime was found a piece of half-burned red cloth, which had been used as wadding in the gun that fired the fatal shot. It was then remembered by some one, and upon the trial proved, that on the day of the killing Gibbs had purchased in town some red cloth known as turkey red, and of this the scorched wadding was found to be a sample. One witness testified to hearing the shot and exclaiming, There's Dave Gibbs's old musket, he must be hunting.' These incidents with others, confirmatory and corroborating in their nature, convicted Gibbs.
"He was driven in a wagon to the place of execution and the wagon was stopped immediately under the gallows. The rope being adjusted around his neck, the wagon was driven from under him. Just before he lost his footing, he sprang into the air, succeeding, as he intended, in breaking his neck.

"A negro about 21 years of age was the next victim of the gallows in the county. He was convicted of raping a 12-year-old daughter of one John George Hubbard, a carpenter who formerly lived in this place.
"The assault was committed under circumstances of especial and peculiar atrocity and well merited the severest penalty known to the law.

"William Ayres next atoned-in the feeble measure which an assassin's death can atone-for the brutal murder of a young man named Daffron, son of 'Uncle' Hayne Daffron, of this county. Daffron had returned home from the Confederate Army with a disabled arm, which had withered away until he was unable to use it, as the result of a gunshot wound.
"Ayres was a member of a band of Union guerrillas and together with a man named Jesse Bell, went to the home of young Daffron and cruelly murdered him. Daffron, with his one arm grasped the gun of the murderer and averted its muzzle for a short time while he prayed for his life. His prayer was without

avail, and he fell the victim of as bloodthirsty a spirit as ever expiated a life of crime upon the gallows.
"Ayres left this immediate country at the close of the war. The father of the murdered man learned, six or seven years afterward, that Ayres was in Bowling Green, Ky. Going thither, he recognized him upon the street, had him arrested and brought here, where he was tried, convicted and executed.
"His companion, Bell, was also arrested and would have suffered the same fate had not Ayres after conviction and sentence sawed through the bars of the jail and made his escape.
"He was gone several months, making his way as far as Peoria, Illinois, at which point he was arrested and brought back. During his absence Bell was tried and the County Attorney, believing Ayres had made good his escape and disliking to take the life of Bell, who was but a principal in the second degree, while the chief offender went unwhipped from justice, told the jury he would be content with a verdict of 21 years in the penitentiary which verdict they returned. Thus Bell escaped.

"The execution of Granville Prewitt yesterday completes the dark chapter."
John Bartleson, a splendid citizen, was killed June 8, 1889, in an argument with Thomas Bates who was intoxicated. His son, Emerson Bates, running up to protect his father struck Mr. Bartleson, killing him, bringing gloom and sadness to the whole county.

March 3, 1865, an act of Legislature authorized the County Court of Wayne County to sell the courthouse.
This courthouse was in the center of the square. It had been built of logs in 1801 and a brick courthouse had later been added in front facing north. The courthouse was sold but it was not until 1876 that an act was passed that enabled the county to raise funds by sale of bonds to build a new courthouse.
In that year Milburn and Milburn, architects, drew plans for the building which burned in 1898 where the present courthouse stands.
On February 3, 1818, the Legislature had passed an act to establish a bank "to be denominated the Monticello Bank, in Wayne County with a capital stock of $100,000 to be divided

into 1000 shares of $100 each, and books shall be opened in the town of Monticello on the first Monday in April next under the direction of George Berry, Hardin M. Weatherford, Abel Shrewsbury and Thomas Heaven, and books shall be kept open sixty days unless the stock shall be sooner taken." As far as it has been possible to learn nothing further was done toward establishment of a bank under these provisions but the effort bears witness today to the enterprise and indomitable spirit of the citizens.

Just after the Civil War a branch of the Commercial Bank of Kentucky was organized at Monticello through the efforts of William Kendrick. It was superseded by the National Bank of Monticello with M. S. Wilhite cashier. This continued from 1872 to 1877. After this Mr. Kendrick operated a private bank for a short time.
From that time, citizens of Wayne transacted business through the Somerset banks until 1894 when the Monticello Banking Company was organized.

The first newspaper published in Wayne County was the Monticello Signal.

In 1882, George Ringer, from Michigan, came to Monticello bringing the equipment for a newspaper plant, and with himself as publisher, and James A. Phillips as editor, the paper was launched. In 1886 T. Leigh Thompson became editor and shortly thereafter Mr. Ringer who had married Miss Lee Coffey returned to Michigan. Mr. Thomas became the owner and publisher as well as editor for a few years, the name having been changed to Monticello News. In 1897 Judge Phillips again became associated with the paper as editor with H. S. Douglas as publisher. Shortly thereafter Kirk Boone of Somerset became publisher and the name was changed again to Wayne County Record. In 1899 the name of Wayne County Outlook was adopted and in 1904 Mr. James Simpson, the present owner, became editor and proprietor.
Of Judge James A. Phillips, who was the moving spirit of the Wayne County paper for twenty years from its beginning, the Louisville Times had this to say:
"The Wayne County Record published at Monticello, edited by J. A. Phillips, and which has long been an independent paper, has come out strongly for Bryan and Democratic success. The editor in making the announcement says:
" 'We heartily indorse every plank of the Kansas City platform. The platform is an inspiration, embodying the historic principles upon which our Government has rested from its foundation and meets the exact requirements of the country upon the issues that have sprung into existence growing out of the encroachment of capital and the un-American ideas of imperialism. We fear that the old ship of State has been strained from the course outlined by the fathers of the republic and the purpose of the Democratic party is to swing her back into the old paths. We have done well and will do well by adhering to the policy of Washington, Jefferson and Jackson to avoid entangling alliances with the old world. Bryan and Stevenson stand for this and that is why we stand for them. We are opposed to the spirit of conquest, and subjugation, because it is repugnant to the spirit of liberty, which has been and is the very foundation of our national life. We have thus far avoided the scramble of the spoliators, but if we follow up the new-fangled ideas that have been seized upon the present Administration we shall most certainly be embroiled in the conflicts that are lowing up in the Twentieth century.'
"The Record also strongly advocates the election of Gov. Beckham.
"Editor Phillips is one of the brightest writers in the State. He was born in Wayne County, December 14, 1845, admitted to the bar in 1878, was elected County Judge in 1882, was elected County Attorney in 1891, became editor of the Monticello Signal in 1882 and of the Monticello News in 1897."
Certain names are associated with particular sections of the county. There are the names of Barrier, Bell, Bertram, Burnett, Cooper, Kennedy, Fairchild, Denny, Parmley, Hurt, Littrell, Powers, Ryan, etc., in the southern section. Coifey, Ingram, Oatts are names of Elk Spring Valley families. In the northern part of the county were the Jones, Lanier, Henninger, Metcalfe, Weaver, West, Tate, and Kelly families. In the western section were found the names of Eads, Bartleson, Jones, Chesney, Ramsey, and Rankin. Just south of Monticello were the Hall, Back, McKechnie, Duncan, Rector, Huffaker, and Shearer families.
In the immediate vicinity of the town were, in the period best remembered by the writer, the Phillips, Tuttle, Duncan, Kendrick, Chrisman, Saufley, Huffaker, Sallee, Tuggle, Frisbie, Simpson, Berry, Ramsey, Rogers, Wilhite, and Haynes families.

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