Lars Adams, author of "Breaking the House of Pamunky" about the Third Anglo-Powhatan War in the 1600s in the Virginia Colony where my 9th great grandfather Michael Upchurch I came as a 14 year old indentured servant wrote me a kind note.

I suspected that when great grandfather was on the "March against Ye Indians" as he wrote in his letters back to Mr. Ferrar of the famous Virginia Company which was sponsor of the Virginia Colony - that he may have been on the march to capture Pamunky Chief Opechancanough, Uncle of Pocahontas. Here is what Lars thinks, it's definitely going in my book: "Hi Mike, First of all, let me thank you for forwarding on the Upchurch letters, these are valuable and if I do more work on the war in the future I will be sure to include this source material and give you and your cousin credit. As my thanks, after having reviewed your letters and compared them to my book and notes, I would be happy to give you my opinion as to your ancestor's activities during the Third Anglo-Powhatan War.

Unfortunately, as you may have suspected there is not enough information to prove participation beyond doubt in any one campaign or incident, however, there are clues enough that we might at least eliminate some probabilities and come up with a reasoned explanation that best fits the known facts.

Firstly, I do not believe Upchurch was likely to be involved in the southward marches. Initially, I considered this as a possibility. However, after reviewing his plantation location, and being on the west bank of Lawne's Creek, he would not logically have taken part in the Southward Marches as this was more of a Nansemond River/Norfolk effort.

Additionally, Upchurch states that the furthest he has seen of the country was 100 miles above the falls, and the southern march went farther than that, so it seems as if he would have mentioned that if he was indeed describing the furthest distance he had personally discovered. Now, there remains the possibility that your ancestor participated in the Battle of Menmend during General Claiborne's initial march of 300 men into Pamunkey territory.

According to general assembly records, most counties contributed forty to fifty men to this march, which began to rendezvous in July of 1644. This was the largest standing army ever assembled in Virginia up to this point. If Upchurch was involved in this campaign, he would have been a part of a troop movement which split forces, with boats going upriver and pack horses carrying baggage along the footpaths until they regrouped to attack the Pamunkey capital of Menmend further upriver. Opechancanough's "treasure house' or temple was described as being burnt during the attack, but also there were apparently many wounded men and lost boats as a result of the battle, showing it to have been highly contested...continued

James Howard, Lisbon Pioneer “A HUNDRED YEARS OLD, DEATH COMES TO THE OLDEST ARKANSAN Mr. James Howard Reward, an Old and Honored Citizen of Union County, Goes to His final Reward.” Was the obituary for James Howard when he died on his farm in Lisbon Arkansas on April 19, 1897, special to The Arkansas Gazette.

“El Dorado April 21. Union County has again been called upon to give up one of her pioneers, an honored citizen, and on who had passed the century mark, On Monday last, four miles north of Lisbon. Mr. James Howard, Sr., paid that last debt and bis spirit was gathered home to the father.

Uncle Jimmie, as he was familiarly called, was born in North Carolina, October 16, 1790, moved to Tennessee, where he grew to manhood and was married to Miss Elizabeth McGowne. He came to Union County in January 1847 and has lived on the same place ever since.

Over half a century on the same farm is a long time. Uncle Jimmy was of the class of gentlemen of revolutionary times like Jefferson, Adams and others of that day He was scrupulously honest, charitable to a fault, was always ready to help the needy and distressed. In appearance his figure was erect, his carriage graceful and was as active as a man of 50 until the last five years, and unlike most aged persons, his memory was perfect. By the time of his death, he could recite incidents and circumstances that occurred in bis boyhood and from then on through life. Uncle Jimmy was what is called a moralist and adhered to these principles all through lire; was temperate in all things, a good neighbor, a devoted husband and a loving father. He was father to ten children four boys and six girls. Three of each are still living. He was a life-long "died-in-the-wool” Democrat and has voted for every Democratic nominee for President since he was of age in 1817.

The family have sympathy of the entire community and of their friends everywhere.” So that was the way Arkansas saw James Howard, but no mention of the slaves he owned and bred with his African slave wife named Patty Anderson, who was presumably owned, or at least originally owned by the widow Sarah Anderson on the nearby Anderson plantation. Patty was Henderson’s mother.

However, the obituary failed to mention Henderson and his mulatto siblings who lived next to the Howard plantation house in a small split plank cabin out of sight from the main Howard home, where his white wife Elizabeth lived with their white children. My grandfather James Robinson 1893-1986, talked about his great grandfather James Howard and how he treated his grandmother Lottie, who raised him, shared stories about Henderson’s father James Howard, and former master James Howard.

Mr. Howard would bring supplies and mail to Charlotte after her husband Henderson died. And James sold Henderson undeveloped land for Henderson and Lottie to start their farm. The last section of this book includes biographical sketches of each main character in the story from my family background and other useful information that helps tell this epic tale. There is also a section from the memoirs of James Robinson, which formed the basis for this story.

Throughout the book there will be direct quotes from his memoirs, such as how he started the story from Lisbon Arkansas where he was born in a cabin in 1893. “As I have said before, Great Grandfather was a white man on my mother’s side. His private grave site was once a part of his great plantation, it is now near the county road. It is a few feet from the county road, and it is all grown over with bushes and briars etc. The tomb stones have fallen down. I think there are two graves there, the second grave must be the grave of his wife. If I were younger, I would fix up the graves and straighten up the tomb stones, cut down the bushes and put a new fence around the place. It seems like his white posterity would do something. But they don’t care as much as I do. I may yet have something done. My grandfather on my father’s side was a white man.

My grandmother on my father’s side was a French Creole. Do you know what a Creole is? A Creole person is part French, and anything else. But do you know what I once thought of white people?

I once said that if it were possible, I would open my veins and let every drop of white blood drain out. I do not feel this way now because as I have said, all my sons and daughters married whites. So I soon learned there was no use to hate whites.” James Robinson 1893-1986 Fortunately, in 2021 my wife Mary Robinson and I travelled to Lisbon Arkansas as part of our research for this book, and to visit the land of my slave and slave owning ancestors. As James Robinson’s grandson, and his namesake, I found it incredibly satisfying to travel to Lisbon and walk the land my grandfather walked in the 1890s. We found all of the graves except for Hannah Barnes Johnson. James Howard and his wife Elizabeth are where my grandfather said they were.

There are two erect gravestones, both in fair condition. One is James Howard and the other his wife Elizabeth. Each grave has a footstone about six feet away at the foot of the grave.

A footstone is a marker at the foot of a grave. The footstone lies opposite the headstone, which is usually the primary grave marker. As indicated, these markers are usually stone, though modern footstones are often made of concrete, or some metal (usually bronze) in the form of a cast plate, which may or may not be set in concrete. The footstone may simply mark the foot of a grave, serving as a boundary marker for the grave plot, but more often provide additional information about the interred decedent. A footstone usually contains the initials of the person who’s grave it marks.

Although James is buried next to his white wife Elizabeth, they are alone and a few hundred meters from Sweet Canaan Cemetery where Henderson, Charlotte and the others are buried. Except that Sweet Canaan Cemetery is well maintained, while James and Elizabeth Howard’s graves are in the undergrowth and unkept. I hope to arrange for that to change, so his grave is maintained for posterity. When James Howard was born on October 17, 1796, in Surry, North Carolina, his father, William, was 25 and his mother, Sarah, was 22. He married Elizabeth McGown, and they had nine children together. He also had five sons including Henderson, and one daughter with Patty Anderson the African slave.

He died on April 19, 1897, in Union, Arkansas, at the impressive age of 100. Uncle Jimmie may have been considered a “moralist” except for the fact that he was an adulterer who owned human beings and sold several slaves between 1850 and 1860 according to the Slave Schedules. In 1860 James Howard was listed in the Census as a “Planter” which meant he ran a “Plantation” as opposed to being a “farmer.”

James’ land value in 1850 was listed as $800, and he lived in the big house with his white wife Elizabeth from Kentucky, age 46, and with them lived their children Martha age 19, her brother James W., age 17, sister Mary age 15, brothers John, 13 and David 12, and finally ten-year-old sister Virginia.

All the white Howard children were born in Tennessee. Elizabeth McGowne Howard was mentioned in James’ obituary and is buried next to him in the Howard family cemetery near Sweet Canaan Cemetery in Lisbon. 

Hannah Barnes was born in the early 1800s in Kentucky. Hannah was a part white, part black Cherokee Indian girl who was sold and became enslaved on the Barnes Plantation in Union County, Arkansas in the mid1800s. If she had any African blood in her, it was unrecognizable, but it was enough to allow her to be sold into slavery according to the laws of the United States of America.

Grandfather said he never learned exactly how Hannah became a slave and wrote about his one and only memory of her from his days as a boy in the late 1890s writing “I suppose that was how my great grandmother, Hannah, became a slave. In her genealogy background she had a known African ancestor, which, according to the laws of the South, classified her as a black African.”

These are his own words: “I was raised by my maternal grandmother who had the great misfortune of losing her father Alex Barnes the same year she lost her daughter Mary, which was in 1895. The following year she lost her husband Henderson, who was also a Freedman like Charlotte.

They said Alex Barnes died from grief from the loss of his daughter Mary whom he loved very much. Alex Barnes was born a slave in 1820. He got the name of Barnes from the man who owned him, Alexander Barnes. All slaves carried the names of the persons who owned them, or previously owned them in some circumstances. Hannah Barnes was a house servant on the Barnes Plantation. She was young and very beautiful. She was of white and Cherokee Indian blood. If she had any African blood at all it was not visible. Her complexion was light, and her hair was black and straight like an Indian. The laws of the United States permitted the enslavement of persons of black African blood only. Southern states added to this statute by defining such a person as any person that had an African ancestor. This law was enacted so that white men could legally enslave children fathered by white men and African mothers.”

My grandfather James said his grandmother Charlotte would try to tell him about her people, but said he was too young and foolish to listen to the things she wanted to tell him about. The reason he remembered the story about her mother so well was because it was so inhumanly cruel.

“Hannah was an incredibly beautiful young girl and her “master” was very much attracted to her. He desired her very much and tried every way he knew to seduce her. The only reason he did not force her to yield to his desires was because he was scared of his wife. Hannah knew this and she relied on this knowledge, using it as a last resort to defend herself against his advances.

When she could no longer protect herself from him, she said to him, “If you bother me just one more time, I’m going to tell your wife.” Judging from her actions and the way she spoke these words, he knew she meant what she said: This man, although a bully and a tyrant to his many slaves, and had some years later beaten a slave girl to death for breaking a plate, was scared to death of his wife. Grandmother said she was washing dishes after supper one night, and this little girl was drying the dishes with a towel when she accidentally dropped a plate and broke it.

The “Master” was sitting in his living room with his family and heard the plate fall to the floor and break. “Who broke that plate?” he shouted. The little girl, already scared half to death for having broken the plate, fearfully answered, “I did, sir.” Barnes ordered, “Come out here!” The little girl went to him trembling with fear. She was ten years old, the same age as my grandmother. He picked up a nearby rawhide strap and said to the child, “I’m going to learn you to not break my dishes.”

He then began beating her with the strap. He beat her until she could not cry any more. He kept beating her until she fell to the floor, and he kept on beating her, but by this time she was beyond feeling any pain. Her little body was literally cut to pieces with the rawhide strap.

He had beaten her to death. She died the next morning, and her mother was not even allowed the privilege of tending her little daughter during her last few hours of life, because she was told “she had work that had to be done!” During this beating, his wife said not one word to stop the beating that would have spared the life of this child. To these people, the life of this little girl was not even worth the price of a plate. Nothing was done about this brutal murder because the little girl was his personal property--the same as his horses and mules, his cattle and hogs, his chickens, and his cats and dogs.

There was nothing the parents could do about their little daughter’s murder because they were also his property. After Hannah’s threat to tell his wife of his advances, he left her alone. But the terrible revenge devised for this clean, innocent girl by this depraved scoundrel, ruined her life and killed her very soul, if such a thing was possible.

To avenge himself for Hannah’s rejection of him, he gave her to, and these are Charlotte’s own words about her father, “the ugliest and the blackest slave on the plantation.” In those days a slave owner brought a couple together whom he wanted to “marry” and said to the man, “This is your wife,” and to the woman, “This is your husband,” and that was that!

This was the way my beautiful seventeen—year old great grandmother, Hannah Barnes, became the “wife” of my great grandfather, Alex Barnes. Alex was very happy to get such a beautiful young wife and he was forever grateful to “Master” Barnes for being so considerate of him. Charlotte didn’t know if he ever learned the real reason why his old Master Barnes gave him such a beautiful young woman to be his wife.

To poor Hannah, life as his wife was a living death. She lived a life of sadness filled with tears. She did not realize that life could be so cruel even for a slave. House servants were the elite among the slaves on the great plantations.

They kept themselves clean and wore nice clothes; their food consisted of leftovers from the master’s table, but it was tasty food. They lived in better quarters than the other slaves, as well. After Hannah became the wife of a field hand, she also became a field hand.

This was hard, back-breaking work and he was not used to doing it. To make things worse for her, the field hands, being ignorant and without Christian charity, taunted her and added insult to her burden. They were jealous of her white skin and straight hair. They were happy to see her demoted from being a servant in the “master’s house.” They were happy to see her toiling in the fields, and they were delighted in a sarcastic way, to see her married to the man who was the cause of her being a field worker as they were; they were prejudice. Hannah had no love for them either. Hannah was not “bred” for hard labor in the fields (slaves were bred like animals to do certain types of work) and she had difficulty in filling her quota of work. For this, she was whipped many times throughout the years.

She would be whipped because of her work, and she would be whipped more for not crying and begging to be spared. The sadistic overseer would tie her hands behind her back and whip her until her back would be red with blood and he would yell, “Cry, you stubborn bitch or I’ll kill you!” Hannah would not beg for mercy, nor would she shed a tear.

Grandma was just a little girl, but she would beg her mother to cry. ‘Ma, please cry’, she would say, “so they won’t whip you so much,” but Hannah would never cry. She cried many times in the solitude of her log hut, but she would never let them see her cry from being whipped. It's hard to understand how Alex Barnes the slave could have borne to see these things done to his wife, because he loved her very much, even though she despised her situation and hated him for it. 

My third great grandfather Alex Barnes was an African slave on the Barnes Plantation in Lisbon Arkansas, in Union County. Great grandfather was born a slave in 1820 but died a free human being in 1895. His slave wife was my 3rd great grandmother, Hannah Barnes, the Cherokee slave. They had four children, including my great-great grandmother Charlotte "Lottie" Barnes Howard, who was born a slave but died a free human being in Kansas City in 1935.

After the Civil War Hannah left Alex and remarried Samuel Johnson from Mount Holly. Samuel was a Indian and a Freedmen like Hannah, Alex and Lottie. Alex stayed on the property of George Washington Yocum, a Confederate Civil War veteran and former slave owner himself, and whose son became the head of the Union County KKK after the war.

Regardless of their past, the Yocum family name has a good reputation, as does the Howard name and the descendants of my former slave owning ancestors. We are not responsible for the sins of our fathers, we each are given freewill to make the right choices and do the right things for the right reasons, even when nobody is watching us. That is integrity. Alex Barnes became a sharecropper after the Civil War and so he continued to plant cotton and corn all of this life. We are fortunate to have many deeds from Alex Barnes for sharecropping and other business, including where he became the first Trustee for Sweet Canaan Church, and where he became one of the first people buried in their cemetery in 1895. That gives us a good perspective on the kind of man Alex was, and the community he helped build as a slave and later as a free man.

For example, a deed between Alex Barnes and Robert Goodwin, dated February 12, 1878, in Union County, Arkansas shows that Alex Barnes acknowledges that he owes Goodwin $550, with 10% interest, due by December 1878, and that he may incur further indebtedness with Goodwin for supplies and merchandise needed to produce a crop of cotton and corn during the year 1878. In order to secure the payment of this debt, Barnes sells and conveys to Goodwin all of the cotton and corn he raises in 1878, as well as three mules and a grey mare mule, a horse mule, two yokes of oxen, two wagons, all of the cattle he has at the time, and any increases in these properties. Barnes warrants that these properties are free from any encumbrances and against any adverse claims.

The deed specifies that Barnes will remain in possession of the granted property until default in the conditions expressed. However, if Barnes sells any part of the property before payment of the whole debt, or if he does not make due diligence in gathering the crop without Goodwin's consent, then Goodwin is fully authorized to take possession of the property without any further foreclosure by law or equity. In this case, Goodwin can sell the property by public auction for cash to pay off the debt, with any remaining proceeds to be paid to Barnes. The deed is signed and sealed by Barnes, with his mark, and is acknowledged before B.W. Cook, Circuit Clerk of Union County. Cook certifies the acknowledgement and the deed is filed and recorded on February 15th and June 13th, respectively.

I’ve always been fascinated with history, especially my own family history. Its easier for me to learn when I’m interested in the topic, otherwise it’s a chore or sometimes a bore. But I enjoy history and the research we did while writing the Crusoe Chronicles.

I’m also a daydreamer and always have been. I think a lot. I think more than I should, and tend to overthink most things, especially important projects. I can’t stop, so I quit trying long ago and just go with the flow as best I can. It gives me comfort when thinking about how life was for my ancestors like Lottie Howard and the others from Lisbon. I like to imagine scenarios of them living day to day as slaves, then as Freedmen.

My grandfather told us about our past, if we were willing to listen. If not for his writings, we would not know many of the details of our Arkansas roots. The Great Migration impacted our family like so many other descendants of former slaves in the Confederate states, and many records were lost, and most facts not recorded because America didn’t really care about the past, especially after the Civil War. It wasn’t until the early 1900s when African Americans were memorialized by common records such as birth and death certificates. White people have much better luck in genealogy research, because records were kept on white Americans long before the year 1776.

I can imagine my great-great grandmother young Charlotte “Lottie” Barnes and her Black Cherokee Indian slave mother Hannah Barnes talking quietly when nobody was nearby. Lottie was born on the Barnes Plantation, but Hannah was not. Hannah became Hannah Barnes when she was about Charlotte’s age, as the Trail of Tears passed through Arkansas. I can see in my daydream Charlotte asking her mother if they will be set free if the Confederates lose the Civil War.

Of course, all the slaves knew about the war, and although the Confederates tried to keep their people motivated, the truth was the South was in trouble and everyone knew it. The men in the Arkansas regiments did their duty, but southern Arkansas didn’t see much of the war directly. Other than higher taxes and expectations for all local citizens, white people, would contribute to the war effort.

The slaves did what they were told to do by their slave masters and owners. Lottie would labor in the scorching sun, sweating as she worked in the field alongside her mother, Hannah Barnes. The two women among the others, picking cotton, their hands moving quickly as they try to keep up with the other slaves.

Something Hannah didn’t do so well, and the scars on her body were proof of that. And that’s not my daydream, that was my grandmother’s reality and daily life on the Barnes Plantation in Union County Arkansas in the 1800s.

The year 1860 was marked by deep divisions and significant change. The country was on the brink of the American Civil War, which would determine the fate of slavery and the future of the nation. In this year, racism, religion, patriotism, and politics all played a significant role in shaping the experiences and beliefs of the average African American, Hispanic, and white citizen. Racism was deeply ingrained in American society in 1860.

The institution of slavery dominated the South, where African Americans were considered property and denied their basic rights and freedoms. The average African American lived in fear of violence and discrimination and faced limited opportunities for education and economic advancement. In the North, African Americans faced discrimination and segregation, but had greater opportunities for education and work. Religion was a source of comfort and community for many Americans in 1860, but it was also a source of division and conflict.

Protestantism was the dominant religion in the North, while Catholicism was more prevalent in the South and among immigrant populations. In both regions, religious beliefs were tied to broader political and social views, such as views on slavery and individual rights.

Patriotism was a powerful force in America in 1860, but it was divided along regional lines. The North was largely committed to preserving the Union, while the South was increasingly committed to preserving its own way of life and institutions, including slavery. These divergent perspectives would come to a head in the Civil War, which would test the strength of American patriotism and the bonds of the Union.

Politics in America in 1860 was characterized by intense division and polarization. The country was deeply divided over the issue of slavery, with the North largely committed to abolition and the South determined to preserve the institution. Political parties were also deeply divided, with the Republican Party opposing slavery and the Democratic Party largely supporting it. Some of the major events that took place in 1860 that influenced America include: The presidential election of 1860, which saw Abraham Lincoln elected as the 16th president of the United States on a platform opposed to the expansion of slavery. The start of the American Civil War in April, which would become the deadliest conflict in American history.

The secession of seven Southern states from the Union in response to Lincoln's election, which marked the beginning of the Civil War. The First Battle of Bull Run in July, which was the first major battle of the Civil War and a turning point in the conflict. The passage of the Morrill Tariff in March, which was a major source of contention between the North and South and contributed to the division of the country. The publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin in March, which was a popular novel that depicted the horrors of slavery and helped to build support for the abolitionist movement. The formation of the Confederacy in February, which marked the official start of the American Civil War. The raid on Harpers Ferry in October, which was a failed attempt by abolitionist John Brown to start a slave uprising that would help end slavery in America. The passage of the Crittenden Compromise in December, which was a failed attempt to avoid the Civil War by compromising on the issue of slavery. The Pea Ridge Campaign in March, which was a major battle of the Civil War that helped to secure Union control of the Mississippi River Valley. During the Civil War Union County was primarily an agricultural region that relied heavily on slavery to support its economy.

Alexander Barnes, as a slave owner, was a wealthy and influential figure in the community. As a Confederate supporter, Barnes was in opposition to the Union army and their mission to abolish slavery. In 1860, the population of Union County was about 10,000 people, including about 3,000 slaves.

The county was home to several Confederate army units, including the 2nd Arkansas Infantry and the 18th Arkansas Infantry. During the war, Union County was the site of several small skirmishes, including the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry in April 1864. The battle was a Confederate victory and one of the last Confederate victories in Arkansas. Despite not fighting in the war himself, Alexander Barnes the white slave owner, likely had to deal with the effects of the war on his property and his slaves.

The Union army's mission to abolish slavery threatened Barnes' wealth and way of life, making him take measures to protect his assets, such as giving slaves to the Confederate army or moving them to Texas as many did. As a slave owner, Barnes had complete control over his slaves, dictating their work and living conditions.

Slaves in Union County were used for a variety of tasks, including agriculture, timber production, and household work. Life for slaves was harsh, marked by long hours of manual labor, limited freedoms, and the threat of physical punishment. The war had a significant impact on his life and the lives of those he owned, as the Union army's mission to abolish slavery threatened his wealth and way of life. 

Silas Upchurch was presented as a witness for the prosecution: “I saw the prisoner with a company in Wayne County, Kentucky, two years ago last October [1862]. I don’t know exactly how many men were with him, but I thought there might be fifty-odd. I was a little alarmed. In the group I knew Granville Sandusky, John Gregory, Fount Frost, Ephraim Crabtree, and Benjamin Barton; I don’t know that I knew any others. My wife and one of my sons, my brother, and Coleman Craig [some called him Coleman Craig and some called him Coleman Hatfield] were with me.”

“This company of men met us and demanded of us to halt. Orphe Williams and a negro man, called Johnson’s Granville, had come up with my party and were along when the prisoner’s party ordered us to halt. They demanded Williams’ arms, -at least I suppose they did. I didn’t hear the conversation but saw him give them up. As soon as Williams gave up his arms, they shot and killed him.

I didn’t know the man who shot him. “They tied up the negro and marched him off something like a hundred yards. I was not noticing what they did until I heard the report of a pistol.

As I heard that, I looked and saw the negro stooping down like, and I instantly heard another report. I was walking toward them and kept going until I got within about thirty steps, and then I saw the same person who did the shooting bend down over the negro cutting him.

I couldn’t see at the time how often the negro was stabbed, but when we took him away later I saw that he was stabbed in three or four places in the breast and neck. When I got up pretty close, I saw the man with the knife quit cutting and wipe the knife on the black man’s breeches leg.

“And then the same man who had the knife turned and commenced talking to Craig and accused him of packing mules, or something like that. Then John Gregory stood up and said, ‘Mr. Ferguson, don’t hurt that man, for that is the man Dave Travis said not to hurt.’ Then the man with the knife said, ‘Is this the old man?’

Some of the men replied, ‘Yes, that’s the man David Travis said not to hurt.’ This man with the knife then asked Craig what he was doing there and why he was not at home. Craig replied that he had come over to do some work.

Then this man told him to go home and stay there and keep his mouth shut and they would protect him. The gang then mounted their horses and rode off. “I shouldn’t have known that there was any man in the crowd by the name of Ferguson if they hadn’t called him by name when speaking to him, and have never seen him since then until now. I think that’s the gentleman (pointing to the prisoner) that they called Ferguson, and it was him who had the knife. “They went from there to my home and took seven horses from there and three from my brother, Joe Upchurch.”

Question – After Williams was killed, was anything taken from him?

Answer – Yes, I saw them feeling about his pockets. They seemed to take a pocket-book, a knife, a hat, and a comfort.

Question – Please describe the cuts upon the negro.

Answer – One cut was in his right side and one in his left side, and his throat was cut across. I could not say how the cuts were as the blood was dry when I went to him. It was about a half an hour from the time that he was shot and stabbed before I went to take charge of the body. In their cross-examination, counsel for the defense attempted to show that Ferguson was not in command of the group and that it was very questionable as to whether the witness could actually identify the person who did the killing as Ferguson:

Question – Since all this occurred two years ago last October, nearly three years ago now, and you had never seen the defendant previous to that time and had not seen him since until now, how can you identify him as being the same man?

Answer – He has the resemblance, though he is not as fleshy and hearty looking as then.

Question – When you came into this court room, were you told who Ferguson was.

Answer – I was told to look in the company as he came up to see if I would know him.

Question – Was he under guard and handcuffed and in citizen’s clothes, -- so you would know who the prisoner was, -- and did you know from his being guarded that he was the prisoner on trial?

Answer – Yes, sir, you know that I couldn’t have thought anything else? In other words, intimated the defense, it took no particular amount of intelligence for the witness to single out Champ Ferguson, the prisoner on trial.

Question – You say some other men came to your house. How many and who were they? Were they mounted and armed, and what were they doing there?

Answer – Well, there were some five or six came there. This man Williams and the negro stayed, while Preston Huff, John Crabtree, Will Delk, and a couple of the Piles boys, Sherrod and James, went on over to Wolf River, where most of their parents lived. They were mounted and armed when they came to my house but left their horses with me to feed and rest up. I didn’t hear any of them say to what command they belonged, but I heard before that some of them belonged to Clift’s company.

Next my great-great grandmother Nancy Upchurch, wife of Silas Upchurch, was then sworn in as a witness for the prosecution. She stated she was with her husband at the time Orphe Williams and the negro called Johnson’s Granville were killed in Wayne County, Kentucky.

She repeated her husband’s testimony about the killing of the two men, and about the personal belongings being taken from Williams after he was killed.

Nancy Upchurch also stated that she heard one of the men say they had killed three other men that day, Delk, Crabtree, and John Williams, who was the son of the Williams killed there. She also said that while they were talking to Coleman Hatfield, who was along with her party, she heard some of the men call one of them Ferguson, and that the man so addressed was the same man who stabbed the negro.

She stated she didn’t know who was in command, but that Ephraim Crabtree asked Capt. Sandusky what to do with Williams’ gun and he told him to do as he pleased with it, but that then he asked Capt. Ferguson what to do with it and he said to give it up. Again, the cross-examination attempted to throw some doubt upon the reliability of the witness:

Question – Were you much alarmed and frightened at the time you speak of?

Answer – Yes, sir, right smart.

Question – Could you know or recognize the defendant as being one of the men there that day?

Answer – Yes, sir, I would take him to the man who was talking to Coleman Hatfield.

Question – This morning, did you not go to the door and look upon Ferguson and say that you did not know or recognize him?

Answer – This morning when I first looked at him, I couldn’t reconcile to my mind whether he was the man, but when I sat down and took a good look at him I recognized him. He is a notable man, if you notice, and when I studied awhile he looked natural.

Question – When you went to the door, were you not told or knew that that was the man on trial> Answer – No, sir, I was not.

Question – Was this man surrounded by the guard and in citizen’s clothes that you looked upon. Answer – I didn’t know whether they were guards that were sitting there on that bench or not. I never was caught in such a place as this in my life, and I didn’t know what to look for. Evidently grandmother was not particularly pleased with the company she was keeping and was somewhat befuddled about the whole affair. New Year’s Night, 1863, was to mark a culmination, with one notable exception, of the murders which Champ Ferguson was charged in the specifications.

The testimony presented at the trial was to involve him in other murders, but the specification of murder did not include another case in point of time until many months later. Ferguson’s pursuit of certain individuals, of course, meant that the blood families of these individuals, their whole kith and kin, were included in the resulting warfare. The code of the hills considered avowed warfare upon one member of the family as war upon the whole family, and death of one member required vengeance on the part of all. 

For background, shortly after the beginning of the war in 1861, Ferguson gathered a band of armed men and began attacking Union partisans and sympathizers. Though he was considered, in official military correspondence, a Confederate “Captain” with a “company” of men, he was usually not formally attached to the Confederate Army and conducted his own operations independently.

The Confederate Army recognized the usefulness of these partisan ranger bands; Confederate General Edmund Kirby-Smith authorized Ferguson in 1862 to raise a cavalry company for operations around the volatile Kentucky-Tennessee border. In 1861 and 1862, Ferguson was most associated with Captains Scott Bledsoe and J. W. McHenry, both of whom commanded companies attached to the Confederate Army. In June 1862, Ferguson joined Colonel John Hunt Morgan as a guide during Morgan’s first Kentucky raid.

Ferguson was nominally under the distant command of Kirby-Smith until August 1864, when he was transferred to General Joseph Wheeler’s command, which was harassing Major General William Sherman’s march through Georgia and South Carolina. He returned northward to participate in the Battle of Saltville, Virginia, on October 2, 1864, during which he supposedly slaughtered wounded prisoners of war, many of them from the Fifth U.S. Colored Cavalry.

One specific murder with which he was later charged was that of a Lieutenant Smith, shot by Ferguson in the Emory & Henry Confederate Hospital after the Saltville battle. For this crime, the Confederate Army jailed Ferguson in February 1865; he was released a few months later. By war’s end, the federal government had branded Ferguson an outlaw. Ferguson and his supporters responded that his actions were within the boundaries of just warfare and self-defense. He surrendered in May 1865, believing that he would be treated according to Confederate surrender agreements and paroled. Upon arriving in Nashville, his co-partisans were released, but he was arrested and tried as a guerrilla. The controversial trial, which took place from July to September 1865, was a sensation among Nashville citizens and newspaper journalists.

The defense, led by Judge Jo Conn Guild, maintained that Ferguson was a captain in the Confederate Army and should be paroled as such. The prosecution, led by Judge Advocate A. C. Blackman, claimed that, as a guerrilla and outlaw, he acted outside the bounds of the army. Ferguson was charged with fifty-three counts of murder, which rested entirely on the evidence of a long line of eyewitnesses for the prosecution, including Beatty and several of Ferguson’s friends and relatives. Most of the witnesses subpoenaed by the defense failed to present themselves, with the notable exception of General Wheeler, who testified that Ferguson was indeed considered a Confederate officer. The military commission decided that, since Ferguson was not paroled, he was not to be accorded the protection of army status; he was sentenced to be hanged.

The execution took place in Nashville on October 20, 1865, with Ferguson’s wife and child in attendance. Champ Ferguson was one of only two Confederates who were executed by the Union Army, the other being Henry Wirz, commandant of Andersonville Prison.

Ferguson’s last wish was to be taken back to his home beside the Calf Killer River in White County, Tennessee, which was granted. His grave now resides in France Cemetery, north of Sparta. 

My grandfather wrote about one warm summer evening in 1899. The sun was slowly setting behind the trees, casting a warm golden glow over the dusty dirt road leading to the widow Charlotte Howard’s small farm.

At the cabin, a group of six people stood on the porch, their eyes fixed on the road in the distance. They were waiting for something, but they didn't know what. Charlotte Howard, the widow matriarch of the family, stood at the front of the group, her hands firmly on her hips. She was a proud and strong-willed woman, and she was not afraid of the danger that was approaching. Charlotte wore a simple white cotton dress, which was slightly worn and stained with dirt from her hardworking days on the farm. Next to her stood her five children: Wiley, Robert, Fannie, Nicie, and her grandson James.

They were all dressed in rough cotton or denim clothes as did everyone, the kind that were practical for life on a farm. Grandson James, the youngest of the group, clutched Charlotte's hand tightly, his eyes wide with fear. Suddenly, they heard hoofbeats on the road. A cloud of dust appeared in the distance, and it quickly became clear that it was a group of men on horseback. Charlotte's heart raced as she realized that the Klan had come for Willie, the young man who lived and worked on the farm. This is how he told the story. "Willie, they are coming for you. This is your last chance to save your life from torture and a horrible death, maybe even being burned at the stake," Charlotte said to Willie, who was standing at the back of the porch. He was a tall and strong young man, but he looked scared and uncertain. "I'm not going to run, I'm not afraid of them," Willie replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "You are a fool, Willie, and if they get their hands on you, you will be one dead negro for sure, and maybe some of us along with you. Now, you get out of here, right now!" Charlotte said, her voice firm and stern. Reluctantly, Willie stepped down from the porch, his eyes fixed on the group of horsemen who were now only a few hundred yards away.

Charlotte and her children formed a line in front of him, blocking him from view. "Willie, they will kill you for that, you know that don't you?" Charlotte said to him, her voice softening a little. "Willie, you will have to leave and run for your life," she added, but Willie didn't answer. He seemed to be in a trance, and he just wouldn't leave. As the Klan approached, Charlotte pleaded with Willie once more, "Willie, they are here for you. This is your last chance to save your life." This time, Willie finally listened. He turned and ran towards the forest, his legs pounding against the ground as he disappeared into the trees. The Klan dismounted at the front gate of the farm, their horses snorting and whinnying in the cool evening air. They were led by Mr. Yocum, a man who Charlotte knew well. "Charlotte, we are not going to harm you or your family. All we want is Willie. You send him out and we will be on our way," Mr. Yocum said, his voice cold and unfeeling. "Willie is not here, Mr. Yocum," Charlotte replied, her voice steady and strong.

Earlier that evening, as the sun set on the small town of Lisbon, Arkansas, Willie approached Charlotte Howard's home. He was working for her and lived there, but that day he had gotten into a scuffle with a white farmer who lived nearby. The argument ended with Willie striking the farmer, and in the Jim Crow South, that meant almost certain death. Charlotte, a strong-willed and fiercely protective woman, knew the dangers that faced Willie. "Willie, they will kill you for that," she warned. "You know that don't you?" But Willie was determined not to run. He stood, silent and stoic, his mind consumed with fear and anger. Charlotte tried again to convince him to flee, but Willie would not listen. As the moon rose over the horizon, a cloud of dust could be seen down the dirt road leading to Charlotte's farm. The Ku Klux Klan was coming, and they were looking for Willie. Charlotte rounded up her children, who were at home that night, and stationed them on the front porch.

She then turned to Willie, "This is your last chance to save your life from torture and a horrible death. Maybe even being burned at the stake." Willie, realizing the gravity of the situation, finally agreed to leave. With a final nod to Charlotte, he slipped out the back door and into the forest. As the mob of mounted and armed men arrived at the farm, Charlotte and her children stood on the front porch, their hearts racing. The leader of the group, a man named Mr. Yocum, approached Charlotte, "Charlotte, we are not going to harm you or your family. All we want is Willie. You send him out and we will be on our way." "Willie is not here, Mr. Yocum," Charlotte replied firmly. But Mr. Yocum was skeptical, "Don't lie to me, Charlotte. I know he's in there. If you don't send him out, we're coming in to get him." Charlotte stood her ground, "I'm not lying to you, Mr. Yocum. You can come in and see for yourself. Willie came here this evening, but he left."

The Klan searched the house and the surrounding grounds, but Willie was nowhere to be found. After they were convinced he was not there, they rode away into the night, their whistles piercing the air. Charlotte, her children, and her grandson watched as the Klansmen disappeared into the darkness. As they hugged each other and breathed a sigh of relief, Charlotte couldn't help but wonder about the man who had come to her door that night. Mr. Yocum, who had been so kind to her in the past, was now leading a mob to kill a young man. She did not understand how people could be so cruel, but she was grateful that Willie had escaped with his life. After the Civil War, Union County Arkansas was a place of fear and darkness for many black residents.

The Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence in the area, spreading their hateful ideology and terrorizing the black community. The hooded figures would roam the streets at night, their robes fluttering in the wind, their faces concealed behind white masks. They carried with them an aura of menace and evil, striking fear into the hearts of those they targeted.

The Klan was a well-organized group, with secret meetings and hidden agendas. They would gather in secluded places, such as abandoned barns or deep in the woods, where they would make their plans for the next raid. The members were fanatically committed to their cause, and they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The black citizens and anyone friendly or close to them lived in a state of constant fear. People would latch their doors at night, praying that the Klan wouldn't come for them. Children would tell each other stories of the hooded figures that roamed the streets trails and in the streets of El Dorado.

In larger cities, parents would warn their children to stay inside after dark, lest they fall victim to the Klan's wrath, especially in a sundown town where black people were warned to not be seen after sundown. The Lynching of Albert Williams 1883 in El Dorado The lynching of Albert Williams is a tragic example of the pervasive racial violence and injustice that characterized the history of lynching in the United States, particularly in the South.

According to an article in the Fayetteville Weekly Democrat, Williams was accused of attacking a young girl and was subsequently lynched by a mob on April 1, 1883, in El Dorado, Arkansas. The article describes how Williams was taken before the girl to be identified, and she pointed him out as her attacker. However, the circumstances of his identification and the events leading up to his lynching are highly dubious. Firstly, Williams was only around fifteen years old at the time of his alleged crime but reports at the time suggested he was a seventeen-year-old adult. Secondly, John Askew, the father of the alleged victim, had died several months prior to the attack.

These inconsistencies raise questions about the accuracy of the allegations against Williams and the validity of his identification as the perpetrator. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the case, a mob overtook Williams and lynched him, demonstrating the prevalence of extrajudicial violence against African Americans during this time period. The Democrat reported that both white and black citizens endorsed the lynching, suggesting a deep-seated racial animosity towards African Americans in the community. The lack of justice for Williams and his family underscores the systemic failures of the criminal justice system and the complicity of law enforcement and white society in perpetuating racial violence and discrimination. The lynching of Albert Williams is just one example of the countless acts of violence and terror inflicted upon Black people throughout American history, highlighting the ongoing legacy of racism and injustice in the country. The sources used for this book include primary source materials, such as newspaper articles from the time period.

The Fayetteville Weekly Democrat article in particular provides valuable insights into the attitudes and justifications of the time towards lynching, highlighting the normalized nature of this brutal practice. Overall, these sources contribute to a deeper understanding of the history of lynching in Arkansas and its devastating impact on the lives of African Americans. On April 1, 1883, a seventeen-year-old African American named Albert Williams was lynched in El Dorado (Union County) for allegedly attacking the young daughter of John Askew.

The only Albert Williams in the area at the time was the son of El Dorado farm laborer Carter Williams and his wife, Lou. He was approximately twelve years old in 1880; contrary to reports, this would have made him fifteen at the time of the lynching. John Askew was also living in El Dorado in 1880. He was a lawyer, and his household included his wife, Sarah, and a number of children, among whom was a five-year-old daughter named Tennessee.

Although Williams’s alleged victim is not named, it is probable that it was Tennessee. John Askew died in December 1882, several months before the crime. According to the Fayetteville Weekly Democrat, which reported the story more than a week after the lynching occurred, around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon, March 31, young “Ms. Askew” was returning home when a “brutal negro” dragged her into the woods. Afterward, she ran home and told her mother, and a search party was organized. That evening, several African American youths were taken for the little girl to see, but she did not recognize any of them. On the morning of April 1, Williams was taken before her, and she identified him as “the outraging demon.” To make doubly sure, authorities then presented her with a number of other young African Americans, among whom was Williams, and she again identified him. Williams was taken before a justice of the peace to be examined, but part of the testimony inflamed local citizens, and it was decided to put Williams in jail until things calmed down. As officers were taking Williams to the jail, a mob overtook them, took Williams, and returned with him to the place where the alleged crime had occurred. There, they hanged him from a tree.

According to the Democrat, resorting to a trope common to many newspaper stories of lynching's, “Whites and blacks both seem to endorse the proceeding with almost unanimous voice. Offended justice despaired of the tardy methods and delays of the law.” No one was ever punished for the murder of Williams.  

Pancho Villa, born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, was a Mexican revolutionary general who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920). His leadership and military skills were instrumental in the overthrow of the dictator Porfirio Díaz and the establishment of the constitutional government of Mexico. He is most well-known for his charismatic leadership and ability to inspire those around him, as well as his brutal tactics and penchant for violence.

Villa's forces were active in the area around Mapimi, Durango, Mexico during the revolution, where he fought against the forces of Porfirio Díaz, Victoriano Huerta, Venustiano Carranza, and Victoriano Huerta's successors. He also fought alongside Emiliano Zapata and other revolutionary leaders.

Mapimi, located in the state of Durango, was a strategic location during the revolution as it was a center of mining and transportation. Control of the town and its resources was important for both Villa's and his opponents' military operations. There were several engagements fought in the area, and Villa's forces were known to have occupied the town at different times during the revolution. The battles fought in Mapimi, and the surrounding areas were brutal and resulted in many civilian casualties, as well as significant damage to the town and the surrounding areas.

The Mexican Revolution also caused many Mexican refugees to flee the country, many of whom ended up in El Paso, Texas. These refugees were primarily made up of middle and upper-class Mexicans who were fleeing the violence and instability of the revolution. They brought with them a wealth of cultural, economic, and political knowledge that would have a lasting impact on the city of El Paso. They also faced discrimination and struggled to adapt to their new surroundings. Pancho Villa and his army were also active in the town of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico during the revolution.

Parral was another strategic location, known for its mining and industrial activities. Villa's forces were involved in several engagements in the area, including the Battle of Parral in 1914, which was a major victory for Villa and his forces. Villa's activities in Parral and the surrounding areas resulted in significant damage to the town and the displacement of many civilians. Researching this part of my family history intrigued me and I sought to learn the answers to questions such as how many refugees fled from Mexico during the Mexican revolution and how many crossed at El Paso Texas? I looked for examples of newspaper headlines in the USA about Mexican refugees arriving and how they were being helped or treated by the Americans.

Were there civic groups and churches that helped the refugees? What about government support for Refugees? It’s difficult to estimate the exact number of refugees who fled Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and how many of them crossed at El Paso, Texas. However, it’s known that the revolution caused significant displacement of the population, both within Mexico and across the border. According to some estimates, between 500,000 and 2 million people were killed during the revolution, while others estimate that as many as 1.5 million people were displaced within Mexico and an additional 500,000 fled to the United States. During the Mexican Revolution, many refugees crossed the border into El Paso, Texas. The influx of refugees put a strain on the city, which was ill-prepared to handle the influx of people. Newspaper headlines at the time reported on the struggles of the refugees, and the ways in which they were being helped or treated by Americans.

For example, on January 2, 1915, the El Paso Herald newspaper ran a headline reading "MEXICAN REFUGEES POUR INTO EL PASO AS FIGHTING INCREASES," which reported on the growing number of refugees crossing the border into El Paso. The article stated that "the situation is becoming more serious every day, and the city is fast being filled to overflowing with the refugees." Another example is the El Paso Times, on January 12, 1915, ran a headline reading "MEXICAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN REFUGEES ARE ARRIVING IN EL PASO IN LARGE NUMBERS" which reported on the growing number of women and children crossing the border into El Paso as refugees. The article stated that "the situation is becoming more serious every day, and the city is fast being filled to overflowing with the refugees."

Civic groups and churches in El Paso, Texas, as well as in other border towns, played an important role in helping refugees during the revolution. For example, the St. Clement's Roman Catholic Church in El Paso set up a shelter for refugees, providing them with food and other necessities. Other churches and civic organizations in the city also set up shelters and provided aid to refugees. The government also provided support for refugees during the Mexican Revolution. For example, on December 8, 1914, the U.S. government established the "Mexican War Relief Commission," which provided aid to refugees and assisted in their resettlement. The commission was established by President Woodrow Wilson and was headed by former President William Howard Taft.

Great-Great Grandfather Don Theodoro My grandmother knew from her mother about her ancestors. Her grandfather Theodoro had four beautiful young daughters, Ignacia, who they called Natcha, Elvira, both who were schoolteachers, Celia and Beatriz, my great grandmother. Theodoro was very fearful for the safety of his daughters when Pancho Villa and his men came to the city, which was home for many of his troops.

Although Mr. Gonzales' family was comparatively safe from Villa's men, since his daughter, Natcha, was the wife of one of Villa's officers, he was always somewhat apprehensive of their safety, and was, therefore, seriously considering taking his family to El Paso, Texas, where they would be safe during the revolution. Natcha's husband owned a prized fighting cock which he valued very much and which he insisted on keeping in the house instead of in the backyard, over the objections of his wife, who had the support of her sister, Elvira. Both sisters agreed that Natcha should not have to share her house with a dirty old rooster, no matter what his pedigree was. They fought more about where the fighting cock should stay, then the bird fought in the arena!

One day while they were fighting over the rooster living in the house, Natcha, in her anger, picked up the prized fighter and wrung his head off and threw his carcass out of the house. At about this same time, Elvira's fiancé whom she was soon to marry, came there looking for her. For no reason at all, except that Natcha's husband was mad about his bird being killed, and because he was mad at Elvira for taking sides with her sister about the bird living in the house, he met Elvira's fiancé at the door and shot and killed him. Because Natcha's husband was an officer in Villa's army there was no trial. There was nothing done about it. Villa was about to move out his troops and, as soon as they left the city, Mr. Gonzales left Parral and took his daughters, including Natcha, to El Paso, Texas, birthplace of my grandmother Estella as a first-generation American citizen a few years later on February 8, 1918.

They escaped the terrors of war and the brutality of Pancho Villa along with hundreds of thousands of refugees from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The El Paso Morning Times headline read. “AMERICAN TROOPS TO REMAIN IN MEXICO FOR PRESENT… Rioting Follows Parral Battle” “Rioting Follows Parral Battle PROPERTY OF AMERCAN MINING COMPANIES PREY OF VENGEFUL MEXICANS. Feared Millions of Dollars' Worth of Equipment Has Been Destroyed Following Battle Between Cavalrymen and Populace. President McQuatters of Alvarado Company Informed Destruction of Plants in Telegrams Deleted by Mexican Censors. of Following the right between the gallant Uttle cavalry column under Major Frank Tompkins and the enraged people of the city of Parral Wednesday afternoon, in which more than a hundred Mexicans are known to have been killed and scores wounded, the populace rose in its wrath and the fiercest anti-American demonstration in the history of northern Mexico took place.

Millions of dollars’ worth of property is known to have been destroyed, and at last accounts the people had got beyond all control or the military and were wreaking their vengeance for the death of their countrymen where they could.” The family never returned to Mexico. Natcha remarried after she came to the United States. She married a schoolteacher, who was also a musician, and they moved to Santa Barbara, California. In California, Natcha became a costume designer for the movie industry.

She also played extra parts in the movies. Natcha was the “tortilla lady” and a dancer in Walt Disney's “Saludos Amigos.” "Saludos Amigos" is a 1942 Walt Disney film that is a collection of six short segments, each showcasing a different aspect of Latin American culture. The film was created as part of the Disney studio's efforts to establish a foothold in the Latin American market and promote friendly relations between the United States and Latin America during World War II. The film was directed by Wilfred Jackson and written by Ted Sears, Paul J. Smith, and Ralph Wright.

The segments of the film include: "Lake Titicaca," which features Donald Duck visiting the Andes and Lake Titicaca; "Pedro," which tells the story of a mail plane's journey through the Andes; "El Gaucho Goofy," which features Goofy as a South American cowboy; "Aquarela do Brasil," a musical number showcasing the culture and landscapes of Brazil; "Canasta" which is a live-action segment featuring two American tourists visiting Argentina; and "El Salon Mexico" which is a musical number showcasing the culture and landscapes of Mexico. Audiences received the film well and achieved commercial success, grossing over $1 million at the box office. However, it wasn’t critically acclaimed, nor was it nominated for any Academy Awards. It’s considered a cult classic now and considered as a vintage Disney film.  

Thanks to the Arkansas Democrat newspaper, we can get an in-depth glimpse into the El Dorado community in 1900. Here’s an example of an in depth article from the paper that tells us much about the community. Arkansas Democrat, 26 Nov 1900, Mon · Page 6 IN EL DORADO Rapid and Steady Growth of Union County Seat PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE Farmers Claim to Be in Better Condition Than Ever Before Commercial and Industrial Interests Were Never so Flourishing and Encouraging. EL DORADO, ARK., November 24. (Special Correspondence.) It has been over three long years since the writer was at this place, and of course finds many changes during that time. El Dorado is the county seat of Union County and is about sixteen miles from the state line. The rapid and steady growth of El Dorado in the last two years has been most gratifying to her citizens and has marked an epoch in her history. Since 1898 eleven handsome new brick stores have been erected and filled to overflowing with merchandise, which is sold to the btrade at as reasonable a price as anywhere In Arkansas. A large cotton compress, a brick warehouse and a new two-story bank building are among the many enterprises which mark the progress of the city. Over forty large costly residences have been built within the corporation limit, and a half dozen others are in the course of construction. A telephone system having local exchange with a hundred phones in use in the town and connection with various points in the country, and with the long-distance connections affords one of the great modern conveniences that has hitherto been denied El Dorado's citizens. With the electric light plant and the municipal waterworks system now being projected El Dorado can begin to put on urban airs. This rapid growth is in no respect a "boom," it is not any cause for wonder, for it is simply an index to what is going on in Union County. Those who have studied the resources of the county from which El Dorado draws her trade can readily account for her prosperity. Ten years ago, Union County had a population of less than fifteen thousand and the last census gave a population of over twenty-two thousand. This Increase in population is not all the result of the sawmills, for most of It can be found on the farms, where a decade ago the forest stood untouched by the wood-man's axe. The farmers claim they are in a better condition now than they have been for years; in fact as a class, they are in better condition than ever before in the history of the country. None of them are rich, none have amassed fortunes, but the majority enjoy more of the comforts and luxuries of life than they ever did before. A few years of panic and droughts - have taught the tillers of the soil a lesson of economy and industry, and they have profited by the experience. When the farmers prosper the merchant will also prosper. El Dorado being the county seat of one of the largest counties in the state and filled with a prosperous, energetic, industrious people and centrally located, with two railroads running into the town, what is to keep El Dorado and Union County from doubling population and business during the next decade? There is not a town in Arkansas that can boast of a more cultured refined people than El Dorado. The people are sociable and always extend a welcome nana to new comers or strangers. El Dorado can boast of a high school which has hardly any equal in the state. The school has a large attendance, and is under the supervision of Prof. A. Wood, one of the leading educators of Arkansas. His mode of teaching is satisfactory to all. He has been here for at least eight or nine terms, which shows his popularity as an educator. The streets of the town are systematically laid off and the sidewalks are in a good condition. The courthouse in the center of the public square, surrounded by beautiful shade tree and fence. The courthouse is also about two-thirds surrounded by large business houses, most of which are brick. The Arcade Hotel is a large two-story brick and is the home of many a weary traveler. The Arcade is managed by Captain I. G. Slaughter, formerly of Helena, Phillips County. In every good town there is always a financial enterprise in the way of a bank. In this respect El Dorado is fortunate. The Bank of El Dorado has a capital stock of $35,000 and is managed by competent men who understand the art of banking. Mr. C. W. Hearing is president, Mr. R. A. Faulkner vice-president, and Mr. E. H. Smith cashier, and J. A. Raynoland assistant cashier, who is very polite and is liked by all. The bank has been operating since 1898 and does a general banking business. County Officials. The following are the county officials of Union County, all competent and up-to-date business men: County judge, E. 0. Mahony. Circuit clerk, W. J. Pinson. County clerk, Jesse J. Craig. Sheriff, H. C. Norris Treasurer, W. J. Hill Assessor, T. T. Jones. Surveyor; W. L. Langley. Coroner, M. B. McMurrain. Hon. W. D. Chew is the representative-elect, and Hon. Aylmer Flenniken state senator. Union county is proud of these gentlemen and feels that its interest's will be guarded during the meeting of the next general assembly. Merchants and Business Men. Mr. A. M. Miller Is one of EI Dorado's leading citizens and Is manager of the Cotton Compress Company. Mr. Miller has received 760 bales of cotton this fall from Ruston, La. Mr. J. F. Shuler is the popular postmaster, who has business with all when the people are wanting their mail, and especially the daily and twice-a-week "Democrat." He has two large brick business houses bearing completion at a cost of $4,000. Mr. B. W. Reeves began business in El Dorado in 1879 and Is well known to the people of Union county. He does a general merchandise business and has a good trade. Mr. W. H. Jordan, the well-known liveryman, keeps plenty of good rigs for the traveling public and makes a specialty of hauling the drummers. The City Grocery Company is composed of R.N. Wright, business manager, O. G. Murphy and J. P. Robinson. The firm does a general grocery business and also handles dry goods. S. D. Thompson & Co. moved to El Dorado from Norphlet two years ago. The firm is doing a good business and handles a well-selected stock of dry goods, groceries, etc. Mr. S. T. Parks is clerk. Mr. W. R. Apleton and Dr. W. H. Goodwin are the druggists of this place. Each of the drug stores Is first class and does a good business. E. C. Wilson & Co is another lending firm of El Dorado doing a general mercantile business. The firm employs several clerks the year round. Messrs. Dearing & Tucker, the popular liverymen, keep a fine line of buggies and good horses and run the bus to and from the depot. Mr. H. L. Dearing also has a harness and saddlery store. The Union Dry Goods Company Is among the largest and most popular stores In El Dorado. Mr. G. K. Lake Is president, Mr. R. O. Lake vice-president, and Mr. E. H. Lake secretary and treasurer. Mr. A. L. Blake is the general bookkeeper. Parnell & Co. do a general mercantile business and are very popular with all who know them. Little Billie is a businessman of El Dorado who carries a general line of groceries. His motto is "Buy on a credit and sell for cash," and he says he is the only little original Billie in Union County and has been here "ever since the woods were burned." Marsh & Flenniken is one of the leading law firms in south Arkansas. They make a specialty of commercial practice and also handle considerable land. Mr. Flenniken Is the newly elected state senator from the Eighteenth district and Mr. Marsh is mayor of El Dorado. Mr. Marsh is also editor of the El Dorado Times, which has a large circulation In Union County. Mr. Lee Giles, formerly of Prescott, is associate editor. J. S. Sample & Co. do a good business and employ six clerks. They deal in dry goods and groceries. Mr. H. C. McKinney is general manager of the dry goods department. The following are the other clerks: L. K. McKinney, H. W. Goodwin, J. D. Ainsworth, J. D. Norris, B. F. Miles (bookkeeper), and Miss Bettie Henry. Carlson & Alphin Hardware Company is one of the largest hardware establishments in south Arkansas, several clerks are employed by this popular firm, and they do a good business the year round. The Union County Tribune is a well-edited county paper and has a good circulation and advertising patronage. Messrs. Martin & Crain are the editors and publishers. Tate Bros. (colored), the barbers, have a shop on the west side of the courthouse square. El Dorado is well supplied with schools, churches, etc., every leading denomination being very well represented. The Norris Hardware Company has been In business the past seven years and by their honesty and fair dealings have built up a good trade. Mr. J. H. Miller is manager, with Mr. A. A. Norris head clerk. These gentlemen are very popular with all. J. R. Miears & Co. are among the leading business firms. They have a well-filled store and a "complete stock of everything" kept in a first-class establishment. The company has several clerks. Dr. J. K. Thompson is the popular young dentist and is doing a good business. R. A. Faulkner & Co. do a regular wholesale business and supply not only the wants of the merchants of El Dorado but of Union and" adjacent counties. They have a large warehouse near the depot and a spur from the railroad for cars to unload their wares. Mr. Faulkner is one of El Dorado's leading business men and has been in the wholesale business here ten years. Everything in the grocery line is handled. Mr. Faulkner is vice-president of the Bank of El Dorado. Mr. Ben Busell and Mr. P. B. Faulkner are the traveling men for the firm. Mr. J. H. Todd is proprietor of the El Dorado News Company and keeps plenty of papers and other reading matter for the public. His news office is in the Arcade Hotel building. The El Dorado Grocery Company is an old firm in a new store, one of the prettiest in town. The company has a general stock of groceries. Mr. J. V. McKinney is general manager. The El Dorado Dry Goods Company Is another large business firm composed of good businessmen. Mr. C. P. McHenry Is president, W. P. Bryant vice-president, and H. W. Miles secretary and treasurer. John J. Johnson is the popular young merchant and confectioner. El Dorado is a healthy town, but like all other good towns has several physicians. They are Drs. Smith, White, Sheppard, Jamerson, Pinson and Loughridge. The attorneys of El Dorado are Mahony & Chew, R. G. Harper, W.M. Vanhook, R. L. Floyd and Marsh & Flenniken. Mr. Harper has been In El Dorado for a long time and enjoys a good practice. Mr. Floyd Is an enterprising young attorney and is meeting with good success. He has been in the practice of law the past three years. Much more could be said of El Dorado and her noble people.