1905 The Calhoun Monitor, July 20

Submitted by Rose Diamond

From Slate Springs.

Monitor: -- I am taking a holiday this afternoon, and will have a chat with you. We are always glad to get the county paper, that we may know how our people are getting along in the "Free State" and are more anxious when our honorable B. of S. [Board of Supervisors] meet and legislate for us. Of course they are looking after our interest for good, from their standpoint. I fail to see some things as the Board does, for instance, why they continue petitions from our citizens to improve our highways, the most neglected interest of the people in the county.
I was glad to see that the Vardaman people finally got some help to make a crossing of the river at that growing town, but I was astonished to see the petitions of Esq. FOX and others, continued when it was made so plain to the Honorable Body that it was a necessity to have the work done.

Some of our people say our county is so badly in debt that we cannot afford to be taxed to make road improvements. As to the indebtedness of the county I am one that S. O. Simpson spoke of as "knownothings" as I do not know of our financial standing, but one thing I do know and that every other citizen of the county knows, and that is we have the most inferior roads to travel of any people that claim to be progressive, and when we ask for help over dangerous places on our roads, for some reason satisfactory to themselves our B. of S. continues our petitions until "a more convenient season."

Mr. Editor come down to Slate Springs and see our public roads, why some of them vehicles can actually pass each other, by picking out the wide places in the road. I see that our neighbor county, Grenada, has adopted the contract plan of working the roads, while Calhoun has adopted the not working at all plan, I mean so far as the Slate Springs country is concerned.
Signed: J. T. Pryor

Mr. Editor: -- I have been thinking of writing you for some time, will try it now. We are having too much rain here, crops are sorry and grassy. We are always glad to get the Monitor, it is like letters from old friends. I am a native of Tennessee, but lived in your county in 1901. Came to Arkansas in 1890 and have made it my home ever since, except for the one year I spent in Calhoun county. I have a great love for Calhoun county and you will think I should when you learn that I married two of her best women.

What has become of my friend Dr. C. A. Johnson, of Banner, who treated me so kindly when I was traveling alone in Nov. 1900? I would be glad to see him again or even hear from him.
I am always glad to see what Old Reb has to say.

[Excerpts from his column] As you are having some talk about better roads, I will give you a brief sketch of our road law and what we think of it. I have worked the roads in three states, under four different road laws and think we have the best road law that I know anything about. We pay three mills road tax and work the road four days in the year.

Our new road law has made great improvements in our county, but new graded roads are to be dreaded the first winter and cost a lot. Our overseer gets $1.50 per day for work on the roads and works a big territory. If ... work and not play on the ... now. You will never get me out of the old road ... think. We have some who vote against our road law but they are the men who pay the least tax or no tax at all.

...can go to town in one fourth less time and carry one fourth heavier loads to market than we could before we had our graded roads. The country is fast growing into lanes and lanes soon get to be gullies. No enterprising people can afford to stay in the bottom of the gullies always.
 
Success to The Monitor
W. J. Hall
Beryl, Ark
Reagan

Mrs. Charner Shaw was buried at Pleasant Hill last Saturday. She died near Big Creek. Another good woman has gone to her long home. The funeral services were conducted by Elder J. W. White, who made a very appropriate talk. Relatives weep not for her as she said there was nothing in her way.

Our prospects for a crop are some better, but a drouth following the excessive rains would be ruinous.

Now, I want to say a few words to the Board of Supervisors. There is a petition before them for a bridge on Shoot-us-a-spear, not the creek but a quick sand place fully explained in the petition (I suppose) though I did not sign. I am well acquainted with the ground and know it to be unsafe for travel, especially when the creek is up. Our member is aware of the conditions and we expect him to do what he can to get an order for bridging this dangerous place.
Signed: A. G. Barton

Ellard
A good rain would be appreciated just now.
Mr. S. A. Brown of Banner, attended services at Concord Saturday.
One of Mr. Louis Edwards' children was real sick last week.
J. J. Davis had the misfortune to lose a good mule last week.
Mr. Arthur Roane of antioch was at Concord Sunday.
Mr. B. T. Brantley left Sunday for Yalobusha to take charge of his school.
Misses Bettie and Ronda Steele made a business trip to Banner one day last week.
Dr. Jep Landreth of Airmount passed through our burg Monday.
The picnic at Ellard was a success, though everybody knows that for I think every body was there.
There will be all day singing Concord on the fifth Sunday in this month. Everybody invited to come and bring a well-filled box.
Signed: Josiah

Buried Treasures by Rambler

The Calhoun Monitor - July 20, 1905

During the land sales at Pontotoc town in the latter part of the thirties, Young Luker found a fine body of land on Cowpen creek near the old "Cattle Ranche" of the half breed Indian, McKinney, in what is now Calhoun county.Luker purchased this tract and with his family, consisting of his wife, two sons and a family of negro slaves, settled there about 1840. He built good log houses for his family and the negroes and cleared a nice farm on the creek; it was fine rich, level land. Fortune seemed to favor him, he made a good crop the first year, the second year he cleared more land and made a better crop. his cattle grew into a big herd and his hogs were everywhere. He sold cotton at a fair price, and laid up some money; then he sickened and died, leaving his wife and two boys in the wild and almost uninhabited country. His death was caused by exposure and overwork.

His wife however proved to be a good manager; made good crops, lived economically and laid up more money every year, the corn made by the mother and stout boys, fed the stock, while the cotton sold for a good price. They lived close and each year stored away some gold and silver, which they hid out and said nothing except to complain of being hard run to keep up expenses.
So she finallly accumulated a considerable sum of money which from year to year she buried in her house, in the garden and in the orchard. She lived for more than twenty years after the death of her husband. Her sons grew into manhood, married and left the ancestral home, while she lived alone with her slaves and contineued to farm successfully.

She married old Sammy Hankins' a widower, with a large family of grown up sons and daughters, all married. Both being old with heads of their own they could not agree and so seperated, but in the best of feeling. Their homes were on the same creek and near each other and thus, they lived 'till after the war. She making and burying her treausres until her slaves were freed and death called her to her reward above.

The two boys Arch and Mose Luker suspected that their mother had buried money, but knew nothing of the amount or where buried. The land was sold and passed into other hands. The owner working about the orchard unearthed a jar of gold, but not all, for she took the precaution not to put all the eggs in one nest, but buried each year in a different place marked by a tree in the orchard and shrubs in the garden. From crops and stock sold, she must have buried $300 each year for more than a score of years and saved 6 to 10,000 dollars.

The Luker heirs made an effort at law to recover the lost treasure but they failed in court.
I tell the tale of the lost treasure about as twas told to me by the old pioneer settlers and I have no doubt but much treasure slumbers in the soil of old Calhoun buried there during the war.