Sulphur River

By Art D Anthony

Art and Darrell aren't the only ones looking to take advantage of the chaos in the South mid-1860s. They must navigate their cotton, cattle, and horses around confederate deserters, a crooked lawyer, and their own passions to reach the markets where they are most likely to make a profit. The boys find natural allies among neighboring farmers

• Language: English
• Publisher: Art D. Anthony
• Release date: Nov 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780998807850

Art D Anthony

Art Anthony was born and raised in Goose Creek, Texas. After serving in the army, he worked in agriculture manufacturing and marketing, and then spent thirty-one years in education that included a ten-year stint as superintendent of the South Fork School District in Kincaid, Illinois. He has B.S. from Sam Hous-ton State and two more advanced Degrees from Eastern Illinois University. Art is married and he has four children, six grandchildren, and four great grand children. He resides in Tuttle, Oklahoma. This is his fourth book.

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Chapter 1

It was a cool October day in 1863 on the Logging farm in northeast Texas. Art Logging, now 15, had been handling all the work on the Logging’s 600-acre farm since he was 13. His dad, bedridden with consumption the past two years, still planned the operation of the farm while the rest of the family did the work.

Even though everyone except Mr. Logging did chores, most of the work fell to Art.

This morning, the lanky shoestring built 6-foot boy was picking the last of a 40-acre corn crop. As Art picked the corn, he had a lot of time to think and dream. Corn was harvested by hand. If 16,000 corn plants were planted per acre, the farmer hoped to produce 16,000 ears of corn. Realistically, a farm could actually harvest about 8,000 ears of corn per acre. Most generally a third of the plants would have fallen down in the field by the time harvest came.

After picking the corn, it was stored in wooden cribs, usually found in or next to the barn. The corncribs Mr. Logging had built were the best in a 100-mile radius. He knew it was important to build good cribs to protect the corn from weather, insects, mice, and rats, and to keep the corn from deteriorating. He knew that where there are mice and rats, there are snakes too. Mr. Logging had also built the corncribs so the corn could be loaded and unloaded easier. Having worked with the corn and cribs, Art blessed his father’s design as it had saved him even more work and still protected the crop.

The Logging family had moved to Texas when Art was six and his sister, Patricia, was two. He had been able to go to Church School at Bryans Mill, which was about eight miles from their farm. Children knew they were expected to work and help around the home or farm. When there was bad weather or for some reason they didn’t have to work, they could play checkers or dominoes.

There was not much fun for children. They went to Church all day every other Sunday, when the Preacher came to preach at the Bryans Mill Baptist Church. The other Sundays, he preached at Marietta, which was about eighteen miles away. It took three hours to travel to Marietta by wagon but only about an hour and fifteen minutes to Bryans Mill in a wagon from the Logging farm. By horse or mule, you could get to Bryans Mill in about 45 minutes from the Logging’s place. Going to church was the most social an activity anyone could do. You went to church from 9:00 until about Noon. Then everyone ate, visited, gossiped, played, and even went swimming in the summer. Some courted during this time. For most of the adults and children, this was the highlight of their lives. Families would leave to go back home about 4:00 in the afternoon.

When Art’s family first moved to Bryans Mill, Art went hunting for deer, squirrel, ducks, geese, and turkey with his dad. By the time Art as 10, he was a good hunter and able to kill a lot of meat for the family. Using a powder and ball gun, he was able to shoot six or seven deer, two or three turkeys, nine or ten ducks or geese, and a number of squirrels in a year. Art would kill 20 to 30 poisonous snakes each year as well. He and his family ate them.

The Loggings always tanned the hides of the deer and made comfortable shoes, boots, and clothes for everyone in the family. The hunting literally kept the family in food and clothes. The Loggings could have eaten their own livestock but they needed to sell them for cash. It was the same way for nearly everyone who lived in the county.

Art enjoyed hunting because he was able to relax and think. He took great pride in knowing he was helping his family.

School lasted from 8:30 to 3 o’clock on weekdays. Students were allowed 30 minutes for lunch with a 15-minute recess in the morning and again in the afternoon. The school was located next to the Baptist Church so students used the Church’s well and privy. The school was one big room, with a large pot-bellied wood burning stove in the middle of the room, five hanging lamps, and 8 tables with 3 chairs around each table. There was also a chalkboard in front of the room. The teacher taught grades 1 through 6. Parents paid $1.50 each month for a child to go to school. If a family had two or more children, it was only an additional dollar. Most parents paid for their children’s schooling with crops, livestock or anything they could barter with.

School was in session from September through May. So children could help their families, school was closed for two weeks to plant and again for two weeks to harvest the crops, usually cotton or corn.

There were 20 to 23 children in the school each of the six years Art attended. He had one teacher, a Miss King, for the first three years, and a Miss Potter the last three years Art attended the Bryans Mill Baptist School.

Students studied Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Geography, and the Bible daily. Grades 4, 5, and 6 also had History. There were no major discipline problems while Art attended. Kids did play pranks on each other. There were bullies as with every school. If you didn’t stand up to them, they would make your life miserable. If you wanted to change the situation, you fought the bullies and that was usually the end of it. Both Logging children enjoyed school, as they liked to learn and really enjoyed the time with friends and kids their own age.

When the Loggings moved from Georgia to northeast Texas, Mr. Logging paid $100 for the 600-acre farm, part of which backed up to the Sulfur River. The only things on the land when they came were a lot of trees and maybe 200 acres of meadow. The Loggings put in a road, built a cabin, barn, corncribs, and corral during the first two years. They were always building pole fences for some part of the farm. The gently rolling land was fair for growing crops, but there were too many trees. The whole family had worked extremely hard to make this farm profitable and comfortable. Stock included 20 cows, 1 milk cow, 1 bull, 4 sows, 2 horses, 4 mules, and chickens. The land was rough and because of all the trees, brush, and closeness to the river, a large number of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes were constantly found.

The weather was perfect this time of year. In the Fall and Spring, the temperature was between 70 and 80 degrees. The summer was extremely hot, averaging about 90 degrees with high humidity. Winter averaged 45 degrees with very little snow or ice. The kids were excited when it did snow, which was maybe once or twice a year.

The Sulfur River had flooded once a year since the Logging’s moved to the area. Rain averaged about 40 inches a year. Ticks, mosquitoes, flies, mice, rats, and snakes came close and into the home because the compound was built on the highest ground area. Mr. Logging had carefully planned the placement of his home and buildings. He wanted to make sure there was enough room to bring all of the stock up around the barn should the need arise.

The family had no slaves. Mr. Logging had always said they were too poor to have slaves. In the surrounding area, some families did have slaves, but even the largest farmer would have, at the most, two families of slaves. There were many like the Loggings who had no slaves. Some people in the area disagreed with slavery, but the real reason most people didn’t have slaves was because they couldn’t afford them. In the last two years, Art figured his family didn’t need a slave because they had him.

The Choctaw, one of the five civilized tribes of Indians which had settled in southeast Oklahoma, were about 40 miles north of the Sulfur River. The Oklahoma Territory lay about 41 miles north of the Logging farm. Two years after settling, Mr. Logging and Art were by the Sulfur River and happened onto a fishing group of Choctaw Indians from the Territory. Art was scared but they were friendly and invited Mr. Logging and Art to eat fish with them.

At that time, the Choctaw had two sick horses and asked Mr. Logging if he could help. The horses had sore tongue. The Indians said the horses hadn’t eaten for two or three days. Mr. Logging treated this ailment with a mixture of heated salt, sulfur, and water. Using a knife, he tried to make cuts on the sores in the horses’ mouths before beginning the treatment. Heating the water, but not too hot, Mr. Logging poured the sulfur and salt in each of the horse’s mouths. He then forced the horses to lick the mixture. The horses did not want to swallow the bitter mixture, which was exactly what he wanted. The longer they kept the sulfur, salt, and water mix in their mouth, the better the treatment for the sores in their mouth and on their tongue. Mr. Logging left the horse medicine, telling the Indians to re-heat it at night and again in the morning to treat the horses. Art felt some of the Indians wanted to test them but his Dad just shrugged off the few that were ill mannered. After seeing the Logging’s had tried to help them, their attitudes were friendlier. The Choctaw fishing party could have been worried because they were on the Logging’s land and not in the Indian Territory, but they appeared at ease.

Getting 40 miles away from their territory was a way for the Indians to show their independence. They knew if they got caught by the soldiers, they would be punished. The Choctaws seemed to enjoy the challenge of leaving their territory.

The Choctaws loaded the Loggings down with smoked fish. The Indians preserved fish by smoking them. The Logging family had never smoked fish before. The Sulfur River always had a lot of fish so Mr. Logging was pleased to learn a way to preserve more food for his family. Art figured they just hadn’t thought about it before.

The next day, Art and his dad rode back to the Indians’ fishing camp, taking them some cornmeal and lard. While there Mr. Logging checked on and again treated the two sick horses with the Indians helping. Mr. Logging thought the horses were doing much better and would be okay. After a short stay the Loggings left, knowing they had made some friends.

During the visit, the Indians showed Art how to use a bow and arrow. After that, the Indians would visit Sulfur River two or three times a year and teach Art many of their ways including how to tracking. The Indians taught Art how they used herbs and plants to treat various sicknesses and which were good as food. Art was interested in tracking and became pretty good at identifying animal prints and quietly tracking them. He was really interested in how the Choctaw tracked people.

Art had never trapped but the Indians told him he should start because a lot of animal furs would bring good money. They had not seen signs that anyone was trapping in the area and that should mean plentiful furs. Art knew McCoy’s General Store in Bryans Mill would buy any furs he could get. The Indians had trapped about a dozen pelts the first week they spent beside the Sulfur River.

The Loggings had made friends with the Indian leader of this group named Hawk, about 22 years old, and his brother, Running Bear, who was 15. There were seven other young Indians in the group.

Ever since Art was 10, the biggest talk with adults was about secession from the Union, and of course, when he was 13 the Civil War began. Since the Loggings moved to Texas, the folks in this area usually got their news at Church every other week. If someone went anywhere, like visiting other towns and villages, they listened to whatever news they could and then enjoyed telling others when they got home. People in the rural areas were pretty isolated. They didn’t really mind but they did crave news from other areas and even more so while there was a war. Sometimes someone would get an old newspaper and that was considered current news.

At the beginning of the war most of the young men had joined the Confederate Army. The Bryans Mill area had not only lost most of their young men, there were extra war taxes to be paid. Even farmers as small as the Loggings, had to pay $25 more a year on their taxes. That seemed like a lot of money. Some of the Confederate troops had confiscated food and livestock from local farms while they were on the way to Little Rock, Arkansas, or Texarkana and points beyond. Since Bryans Mill was certainly not on the beaten path, families around this area weren’t bothered very much. There were some Confederate deserters operating north of Texarkana, but they had never come as far as Bryans Mill. The community had been warned to be careful if deserters did come around, so all were watchful.

Art hitched up two of the four mules to the wagon that morning. He rotated the mules so the pairs worked every other day. The corn crop was good and he hoped he could finish with the harvest today. Art wanted to get the General Store paid. The owners had never said anything about the six-month-old bill but Art could tell they were anxious for payment. Anyone who’s been in that situation could understand. The family had always delivered enough corn to pay for their previous year’s bill plus hopefully enough to pay for several months’ future needs at the General Store in the coming year. Mr. McCoy at the General Store had a mill so a majority of the corn he bought would be ground into cornmeal and sold. Most Southerners used as much cornmeal as they did flour. This year they were paying 35 cents a bushel for the corn. A wagon could haul about 26 bushels, so Art got about $9.40 a wagonload.

Art figured it would take about 30 wagonloads of corn to pay off the current store bill and he wanted to deliver about 30 more to be used toward their future bill. He had also sold three wagonloads to a neighbor, Mr. Shaw, for three bred gilts. Art hoped they would have about 10,000 bushels of ear corn left for the family’s use during the coming year.

This year’s corn crop was the best the Loggings had ever had. The cribs could hold about 10,000 bushel. Art put a lot of corn in the storage part of the barn and the drive-through area. He was really pleased, as they had never had that much corn before.

Art finally finished the corn harvest about 5:30 and by the time he’d unhitched the mules, fed them, and left the wagon in the barn, it was about 6:30. His sister had already come out at 5:00 and told him supper was ready and to come on and eat. Art told her he wanted to finish and he wouldn’t be ready to eat until about 7:00. This always irritated Art’s sister and his parents.

Supper was going to be black-eyed peas, cornbread, onions, and milk. They had the same meal at least seven times a week. Breakfast was usually eggs with grits, bacon or sausage, and milk. The noon meal was leftovers.

The Logging cabin was a room on either side of an open hallway with a front and back covered porch. The kitchen was a built-on room in the back. Most cabins had the kitchen separate from the living quarters because of possible fires in the cooking area. Since Mr. Logging’s sickness had made him bedridden, he slept and ate in one room and the rest of the family slept in the other room. Mrs. Logging always set the eating utensils he used aside so no one else would use them. She didn’t know why she took these precautions, but someone at church had told her it should be done, and it made sense to her.

When Art was 10 years old, Mr. Logging went to see Dr. Lilly in Naples. He was coughing and having trouble breathing, added to all the other symptoms that go with tuberculosis. This was the first time Mr. Logging really knew what was wrong. He had been able to work for three years after the onset of symptoms before he became so sick that he had to rest most of the time. Mr. Logging’s condition was good some days and bad others. As the years dragged on, he had more and more bad days and finally, was completely bedridden.

Art was to deliver a load of corn to Mr. Shaw the next day and bring back the Shaw’s wagon so he could take two wagonloads of corn at a time to the General Store. That way, it would only take Art three weeks to finish delivering corn to the Bryans Mill General Store and Mill.

After reading and talking until 8 o’clock every night, the family would usually go to bed, unless they were playing dominoes, cards, or checkers. Art got up at 5:30 each morning. He took a bath only once a week, usually at the spring-fed creek located about 100 yards north of the cabin. Mrs. Logging and her daughter, Patricia, would go to the spring and bath several times a week. They also had a well. It was Patricia’s job to keep fresh drinking water in the cabin, gather eggs, take care of the chickens, milk the cow, help her mother with household chores and the weekly wash, and do her school work. Patricia just hated gathering eggs because at least weekly she had to kill a snake trying to eat the chicken eggs.

Washing the clothes once a week was a real chore. It could not be raining or too cold. Mrs. Logging and Patricia had three pots set up close to the spring. They used hot water, lye soap, and a scrub board. After the clothes were washed using the scrub board in hot water with lye soap, they were rinsed in hot water and then rinsed again in cold water. All the water had to be changed and heated before doing Mr. Logging’s clothes and bedding. It usually took between three and four hours to finish. If the weather was really nice, Mr. Logging would sit outside with them while they washed.

The job Art hated the most was gathering and cutting wood. He tried to use trees that had naturally fallen down. He’d hitch up the mules and pull the tree close to the barn after stripping it. The splitting of the logs was very hard as he wasn’t especially strong and it took strength to cut wood. Art could tell he’d grown stronger because he could now cut wood for two hours without tiring. This had been accomplished in two years from ages 13 to 15. He had not been able to build much pole fencing since Mr. Logging had taken to his bed. There were pole trees Mr. Logging had already cut that needed trimming – but that could be put off until winter!

Art was looking forward to the trip to Shaw’s the next day. Mr. Shaw had a 12-year-old daughter named Ion, who liked him. She was always touching Art or grabbing him when no one was looking. It’s easy to like someone when they like you. The Shaws had lived near Bryans Mill for twelve years. Mr. Shaw ran a dozen sows and a boar on his 600-acre farm. He usually ended up selling his yearly crop of 70 pigs to local farmers for their own pork needs. Hog farms all smell the same.

Mr. Shaw ran his hog operation in a pole fenced 60-acre tract that was divided into four pastures. Hogs kill snakes, which was sure helpful in this area. The Shaws also had 15 cows and a bull and usually planted about 60 acres in corn and cotton.

Ion’s mother was dead. They lived five miles from the Logging’s farm on the way to Bryans Mill and Ion would come visit Mrs. Logging and Patricia about every two weeks. Art thought she liked seeing him too, and he liked her attention.

Art was feeling the responsibility of all the hard work. The Loggings had not gained much since they’d been on the farm. They still had about the same amount of livestock as when they moved to the farm and basically not much money.

The next morning Art arrived at the Shaws about 9:00. Mr. Shaw and his son were out cutting poles for fence. Ion said they would not be in until lunch and they wanted Art to help them work cattle that afternoon. This gave Art a chance to visit with Ion for a couple of hours. It was obvious she’d had been planning on time alone with Art because Ion and Art were in bed within ten minutes. Art had never done anything that felt so great in his life. She was so wild. Art knew he had disappointed her because he had not lasted very long. After about ten minutes of rest, they tried it again and Ion was satisfied. She didn’t want to lay around after their time together, because she was afraid her father might come back. She washed and insisted that Art wash too. They tidied up the place. Art was worried her father would know by the look on his face what had happened in his home that morning. Art knew he had broken Mr. Shaw’s trust.

It was almost noon when Mr. Shaw and his son returned. Mr. Shaw didn’t know anything had happened; at least he didn’t let on he knew anything. It is a terrible feeling to violate someone’s trust.

After eating, they began rounding up the steers Mr. Shaw wanted to take to Texarkana where the Confederate Army was paying $10 a head for cattle. It was a real chore! It took until 5:00 to round up all nine head and put them in the corral. It would take Mr. Shaw and his son two days to get the cattle to Texarkana. Mr. Shaw asked Art if the Loggings wanted to sell any cattle. Art told him he’d talk to his dad. Mr. Shaw said they could drive them together. He planned to leave the day after tomorrow.

Art took Mr. Shaw’s and the Logging’s wagons home that night so he could begin the corn deliveries to Mr. McCoy. When Art got home, he asked his dad about the cattle. Mr. Logging said that if Art could round up ten head, he would like to sell them. The family could sure use the $100.

Art went out early the next morning and called the cows, putting corn in the corral. Eight head came into the corral to eat the corn and were shut in. Art went out with some corn to try to get the rest of the cows to come in. Mr. Logging wanted to sell all the bull calves, which were 8 to 16 months old. By the afternoon, Art had all of the herd gathered. After feeding the cows some more corn, Art was surprised to find at least 20 head of wild unbranded cattle he’d never seen before. They had came up when Art put out the corn. Mr. Logging said the owners would probably come around looking for them.

By calling to them and feeding an ear of corn every once in awhile, the cattle came right into the corral. Mrs. Logging, Patricia, and Art worked to separate the cattle. They left the nine calves they wanted to drive to Texarkana in the corral and let the others loose.

The next morning by 6:00, Mrs. Logging, Patricia, and Art were driving the cattle to the Shaw’s. When they arrived, the Shaws were ready to leave. Mrs. Logging returned to the farm. Patricia stayed to help drive the cattle by the schoolhouse and then she went on to school. All the Shaws were planning to drive their cattle to Texarkana, but with Art and the Logging’s cattle, Mr. Shaw decided Ion didn’t need to come along. Ion wasn’t happy with his decision to stay home. She was looking forward to a few free hours in the shops of Texarkana as well as a possible opportunity for she and Art to be together.

The cattle drive to Texarkana took about a day and a half. Art accepted the pay for the Logging family, and of course, Mr. Shaw took his money. After being paid, Mr. Shaw, Onnie, and Art went into Texarkana to look and shop. Mr. Shaw, who enjoyed the bottle, bought some things and then went to the tavern. Onnie and Art looked at everything in town. Art had only been to Texarkana one time since his family had moved to the Sulfur River from Georgia. He bought three sets of women’s hand mirrors, brushes and combs; one each for Mrs. Logging, Patricia, and Ion. That cost $3 total. Art didn’t dare spend any more money but he finally weakened and bought 25 cents worth of hard candy.

About 5:00 o’clock, Onnie and Art found Mr. Shaw and tried to get him out of the tavern. Mr. Shaw was feeling pretty good and said they were going to spend the night in Texarkana. He gave Onnie $2 for the room and $1 for stabling the horses. After getting a room and taking care of the horses, Onnie and Art bought supper. Art spent $1 for their supper. He told Onnie his dad had warned him to be careful and not let anyone steal the money. Mr. Logging also warned Art that if Mr. Shaw was drinking, men might try to take his money. Art suggested he and Onnie wait outside the tavern until Mr. Shaw came out.

Onnie was only eleven and not real big. Art had his rifle as they waited outside the tavern. About 8:30, Mr. Shaw came out with two other men who immediately started to take him down the street. Onnie and Art had settled back in the shadows, so Art deepened his voice and hollered for them to leave him alone or he would shoot. The strangers were startled, believed what they heard, and dropped Mr. Shaw in the street. After the strangers hurried away, Art and Onnie picked up Mr. Shaw, took him to the room, and put him to bed. Onnie checked his dad’s money and found he only had $75 left out of his original $90. This meant he had wasted $12 in the tavern. The boys felt they were lucky. Mr. Shaw could have lost it all.

The next morning