High Cotton

Ask grandfather Monroe Barnes, "How are you?" and his response was: "I'm walking in high cotton."

This was not just a joke, but a philosophy of life and well-deserved comeback as such by the cotton growers of the heel, Missouri, was the king of the cotton cash crop.

If a novice seemed confused reply, grandfather explains:

"Well, it means you have to land a good piece of land, the rain was exactly the right thing, not a boll weevil has grown cotton high-waistedShading weeds, can be picked up without bending over and sold for 55 cents per pound on the Stock Exchange Memphis. "

In today's language, "There is no better than this."

A local farm was treated as a greeting from his grandfather Barnes reports. He once won first prize for the best 500 - bale weight at the Cotton Fair Memphis.

As the old saying goes: "Can the child from the country, but you can not get the country out of the child."

So, me and myA lover of 59 years (wife of 58) went for their annual meeting in Holcomb (Hawk-em). Only other graduates of the class of 1940 was Halloween Toole, a retired teacher.

Halloween - was born on this special day - he was captain of the basketball team for girls, and the county of samples if the judge was out of the dirt.

The original frame school was built in a parking lot leveled and buried years ago. The modern brick building has a complexState-gym-the-art fields and the school still all-star basketball teams.

After the reunification, we crossed the heel for days to locate the graves of family members in the small church and cemeteries to visit our home town of Natal and Gibson Steele. My, how the city fell.

It 'been a pleasure to see the endless fields of cotton in good health. On our last visit ten years ago were the main crops of soybeans and rice. Developed countries had nearly wiped out polyester and cotton Cultivation.

Now, cotton has become fashionable again. Farms purchased and consolidated their poor farms. The vast cotton fields are now run entirely by computer, traveling sprinklers, and pesticides.

Gone are the peasants and agricultural workers of the past. But the White Oak gin cotton rust our childhood is back and running with a new coat of paint - white, of course.

Cona spent a day in the recording of research Kennett> Civil War horseman John Fite - a family hero. He fought in 24 events, including the battles of Chickamauga and Atlanta. His grave is well marked and maintained, as the parents Cona, but the old church in the vicinity has disappeared.

Even by the Davidson family have stabilized from the Agricultural Society which has helped to create profitable cotton graves.

I spent a day at the old copies of the user details Caruthersville Democrat Argus newspaper for the murder of my Great Uncle SamHungerford Jones. The account was published in 1918, serves to illustrate the quality of rural life in the heel of the time.

Constable Killed

Sam Hungerford, 40, constable of Cooter Township, was killed almost immediately by Paul Watley, Cooter on the road to watch the afternoon until 7 Friday, June 7. The killing was virtually without provocation.

After firing the fatal shots, Watley made his escape into the county ditch about a mile away. E 'was arrested about 30A few minutes later, Deputy Sheriff Smith, who ran for safety to avoid prison Caruthersville immediately of a possible lynching.

Watley is 20 years old and married. He was apparently looking for trouble all day - drink and look for Charles Harston with which he returned in Watley anger Harston desire to appeal to some girls in her, Harston to stop home.

When Mr. Harston has led the city in the afternoon, Watley came from the billiard room,Harston stopped and started cursing and swearing at him and threatened to kill him.

Harston sat on the edge of the bed of the truck and was trying to reason with the insane, and unarmed, and they want to avoid any difficulties.

Constable Hungerford happened to come forward at that time and tried to put an end to disputes. Watley has been trying to get in a good mood, but failed. He asked if he had a gun and Watley Watley said no.

Finally, Watley said he did not "wantHarston shoot. Come with me, put his hand on his arm Watley's.

Watley exposed, a step back and fired two shots at close range in the chest Hungerford.

The officials concerned walked a few steps, fell and died without even a different word. As he was staggering away, it is said Watley fired a third shot in the back.

Watley ran back through the billiard room and made for the county ditch about a mile away. Despite the fact that he had an artificial leg, was making good timefor the ditch and hid.

Deputy Sheriff Smith was told in a few minutes after the murder of his friend and colleague, and gave chase, following the ditch Watley.

Place cover men on each side of the trench, he began to make his way through it with the water high on his body, his gun pointed straight ahead, ready to shoot if necessary.

Suddenly he heard the snap of a stick. Find fast, Watley saw a few yards he pulled back under the counter andoverhanging willows almost hidden.

The officer suddenly took him, took him to the ground he rushed to the city, put it in the car and left Cooter could mutter in public action to achieve.

With Steele, rushed at breakneck speed and not stop until his prisoner was safely locked up in county jail.

Mr. Hungerford was a man generally liked in his hometown. He had lived in the area about ten years. By profession he was a barber, but waselected constable of Cooter Township, in November 1916. He has many friends through his attention to the duties of his office.

His funeral was Sunday morning and take part in the biggest funeral, never thought in this section. People came in cars for miles. He was a native of Newbern, Tennessee, and is survived by a wife and four children.

Watley, the hunter with a bad reputation. Some years ago he was involved in the theft of aCar and escaped through a punishment of probation. He is under bond for a gun and was one of his servants, who would not be responsible for his actions no longer exist.

Some years ago he married a Mrs. Walker, and she was a child who died from an irony of fate, the day that his father killed Mr. Hungerford was born. The child was buried, but killed two hours before the officer was buried in the same cemetery.

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Watley was sentenced to six weeks after the murderand sentenced to life imprisonment.

Cooter population is now 491, according to a sign at the police station of a man and then a post office for one woman.