Marion Co TOC

Mtn. Echo, December 4, 1891

Father Cantrell, one of the solidest citizens in the county was in town attending the Baptist meeting last Saturday. He is highly in favor of the railroad move and says he has great faith that it will succeed, and did the editor of The Echo the honor to say that part of his faith was founded on the interest that we were taking in the matter. He seemed to think that the editor had been the means of helping secure many good things for the people, and that he is lucky in helping to secure plums that are always being thrown out to be captured by those who hustle. We can't help expressing our thanks for such kind expressions, and father Cantrell is not the only one who has made them lately. We have this to say, however, that all the efforts we have made heretofore to help our people secure what blessings we have secured, are as nothing to the effort we intend to make in helping them secure a railroad. If the people will work as this editor intends to work, the scream of the locomotive will be heard in this county before this time next year. Are you ready, dear friends, for the fray?

FROM RALLY HILL

We acknowledge a pleasant call from Prof. Eaton of Yellville yesterday 27.

J. W. Casteel of Newton county entered school here the 25, inst. Wish our county was filled up with just such young men.

Miss Dosie Memett, a former student, of Protem, Mo., is in school again.

The Rally Hill Litterary(sic) Society meets every Friday night.

Sunday school every Sunday at 10 a.m. and prayer meeting at night.

Prof. Gilley is one of those energetic teacher, and the people of Rally Hill has done well in securing his service.

J. F. Lair had excepted a position in the Rally Hill school.

Why is it that T. I. Phillips is so fond of going to the pond?

SUGAR LOAF
       Editor Echo: The meeting at Keesee school house on Friday for the purpose of getting the donation of land for the Springfield, Yellville and White River R.R. was well attended, and much interest was manifested in favor of the enterprise, as everyone present expressed a willingness and desire to do all they could for the move. W. H. Toothaker of Kansas City was present as the representative of Dr. Dodd (who was not well and could not attend) and made a strong and able address in favor of the donation. The following soliciting committee was appointed: T. J. Smith, S. J. Ritz, W. B. Parrish, T. Merrit, W. M. Jenkins, J. H. Blackwell, J. E. Campbell and John Trimble. Metting adjourned to meet again on Friday, December the 11, at 1 o'clock. T. J. Smith, Chairman. S. J. Ritz, Sect'y.

LOCAL ECHOINGS

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Mrs. Ossie Layton got back from a visit to Mo. last week. She was accompanied back by her sister, Miss Lavada Reed, who will remain here this winter.

__ S. W. Woods went down to Melbourne yesterday (Wednesday) to attend the special session of the Izard County Court. DeRoos Bailey and Henry Woodward will start down Saturday. Mr. Woods is the victim of a malicious conspiracy down there, but his friends have full confidence that he will come out alright.

Judge Flippin was a pleasant caller at The Echo office this week. He is becoming more and more interested in getting the R.R. into our county and is ready to pull for it with his old time vigor. The judge is always on the side of progress. His faith in securing a R.R. is growing stronger all the time.

Miss Katie Sawyer has secured a winter school at Pleasant Ridge four miles south of Yellville. She opens school November 23rd.

Eld. J. A. Rose was in town last Saturday. He is highly in favor of the R.R. move and is ready to assist in anyway he can. Every progressive man will favor this scheme as soon as he understands it fully.

DeRoos Bailey says the people of Harrison will pull with all their might for the new R.R. project. That they see in it their future salvation. The people of Harrison can see a point as far as the people of any town, and will work for anything that will benefit them either directly or indirectly.

Last Friday H. A. Young was forced to close up, not being able to realize on his outstanding accounts. Sometime ago one of the firms he was owing pressed him to give a mortgage on his store house and mining property. This alarmed his other creditors and they all came in on him at once and demanded that he give a mortgage on his stock of goods. This he agreed to do, but before the mortgage was filed for record, Layton and Cowdrey came in for $600 and ordered the sheriff to levy it on the goods. This forced Mr. Young to close up. However, time was given him to collect and he soon raised the $600 that he owed Layton and Cowdrey and last Wednesday evening he paid that off and opened up again, his other creditors agreeing to let him continue selling goods and paying over the money until they are paid. This arrangement will save Mr. Young from further trouble if every man that owes him will come in and pay up at once, as he has a great deal more owing to him than he owes. He has the sincere sympathy of everybody in his embarrassment and it will be a pleasure to his many friends to see him on his feet again. The man who owes him and will make no effort toward paying it, ought never be given another dollar's credit in Marion county, for no man has been better to his customers than Mr. Young has.

Our friend, John O'Neal, is teaching in a subscription school at George's creek this winter. John has taught two terms of the public school out there and has given splendid satisfaction.

C. C. Jones will continue to teach at Western Grove this winter. Mr. Jones is making quite a success at teaching. What a pity for a good teacher to want to be an M.D.

Our business manager acknowledges a letter from Miss Mollie Branscotn(sic) expressing her interest in the Journal and in the Yellville Institute. Miss B. was an excellent student. The fact that she has had almost constant employment is evidence of her worth as a teacher.

Early last Friday morning, I took passage on the Harrison stage for a trip to Boone Co. After a seven hours drive we reached Rally Hill. Here we found Prof. J. T. Gilley and Prof. J. F. Lair in charge of a thriving little school of about fifty pupils. It was thought that this school could not survive the shock of losing its entire faculty of last year. But those people are not disposed to give up. They have secured efficient teachers who are earnestly pressing the claims for their share of the patronage. Their students of the present represent four or five counties. As the stage driver allowing me only ten minutes to stay here, I could not observe any of the workings of the school. R.H. has been termed the "Athens of North Arkansas" because, on this classic hill, have been educated so many boys and girls whose lives have been "worth the living."
       A drive of thirty minutes more brought me within the familiar haunts of that dear old school, "the Valley Springs Academy." Here is the place I once called home; the place where I presided over a prosperous school for five long years; the place where I had by earnest effort secured the attendance of over 500 ambitious youths of North Arkansas and sent them away with new ambitions for a nobler life; the place where were formed as many ties that bind kindred hearts together. It required some effort on my part to suppress all emotions as I approached the academy fearing that these expressions may lead someone to think that I regret my change of location, I will say that I do not regret it, and many of the people of V. S. say they do not regret it. (Grapes will sour sometimes.) I found the school enjoying its usual prosperity. Having only thirty minutes to spend at school, my stay in each room was necessarily short. I found Prof. Allbright presiding over the study hall and teaching a large class in practical arithmetic. Prof. Thomas was entertaining a class in the higher arithmetic in the recitation room. Prof. Hollabough was presiding over the Prim. Dept. and hearing a recitation in higher Algebra. Miss Pratt was conducting a recitation in compound numbers. I was in Miss Pratt's room but about ten minutes, yet I was impressed at her skill in class management. The teachers and the students are doing good work. they report 201 on roll. They have three literary societies, all of which were in secret session while I was there.
       After enjoying the hospitalities of father and mother during the night, and of meeting and greeting many friends, I started for Yellville at 10 o'clock Saturday morning to renew my work in what I consider the best school in North Arkansas. -- J. C. Eaton.

[This is the end of transcribing for 1891. There should have been issues for Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25, etc., but there is only partial front page with no date.]