USA > Alabama > Butler County > The history of Butler County, Alabama, from 1815 to 1885 > Part 7
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In 1828, while in Chesterville, South Carolina, he married Miss Eliza Taylor Kidd, a lady of great conversational powers, but very modest in her manners. They raised a large family, and many of their descendants are still living in Butler County. Of these, Mrs. I. M. P. Henry is gen- erally known throughout the Southern States as a lady of marked literary talent.
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BUTLER COUNTY, ALABAMA.
CHAPTER XXI.
Monterey.
THIS pleasant little town is situated near the line where the black, prairie soil of the cretaceous formation is overlaid with the white, sandy drift. The water is freestone, of the best quality, and the locality is as healthful as any other in the State. One may ask if Monterey has a history; yes, it has. In 1817, Thomas Hill had a trail cut from the Flat to the present Steen's Ford. This trail passed through Monterey, and was used for several years before a permanent settlement was made in this beautiful forest of oaks and sour-gums. Dave Elder built the first house in 1820. He settled on the top of the hill coming from Wolf Creek, where he afterward built a gin-house. He removed in 1835, to the place where Thomas W. Traweek now lives, and built a double-pen log-house. In 1831, John Cannon settled back of where Jackson Luckie now lives. William Powell soon settled the J. M. Donald place, and William Miller the school-house lot; the former owned all the land, and sold it out to the people as they moved in. J. M. Yeldell located the place now owned by W. H. Traweek, Esq., and opened a mixed store in 1837.
Bob Steverson soon put up a grog-shop, and sold the worst of poisons to the people by the gal-
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lon. William H. Traweek came from the prai- ries the same year, and built a house where Cap- tain T. A. Knight's gin-house now stands. There was so much sickness in the prairie regions, that nearly all the white people had to move out. Monterey being the nearest point, and very healthful, most of the farmers located here, where they could go to their plantations in the day, and return to their homes at night. Accordingly, as soon as a few planters had tried the change, nearly every one left the sickly, muddy farms on the creeks, and bought lots in the new village, then called Goblersville. It was given this name from the fact that large droves of wild turkeys frequented this beautiful grove of oaks in the fall, for the purpose of feeding upon the acorns, which were in abundance. The farmers had turkey every day while the acorns lasted. After Esquire Will- iam H. Traweek's return from the Mexican War, he gave the place the name of Monterey, in mem- ory of the battle fought at the city by that name in Mexico, and this name was retained when the post-office was established. In 1838, T. M. B. Traweek built on the place which is now the home of Mrs. Telitha C. Barge. David Gaston built the Tom Smith old house, and Dr. J. W. Atkins built the house now occupied by Dr. J. G. Donald. Hon. James R. Yeldell built the house in which Dr. C. J. Knight now lives. Henry Smith and Monroe Watts started a store. Jonathan Yeldell started one soon after, and did a good
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business. Jonathan Yeldell will long be remem- bered by the people of this locality, for superior business qualities and powerful influence upon the people. He was the first to take hold of every new enterprise that he thought would be of any service to the people. He was very rich, and merchandised and farmed until his death. When he died, he left his family well provided for. He was twice married and started a large family, but was not permitted to live long enough to have them educated as he had often said he wanted them to be. The names of his children now living are, John, Robert, Will- iam, Edward, Fenner, Frank, Mary and James. After the death of Mrs. Yeldell from smallpox, in 1873, the family was separated, and some of the children have since gone to Texas. Jonathan never entered politics, although he had considera- ble influence throughout the county, and would have made a model county officer. James R. and Robert Yeldell both raised families here, and were men of wealth.
Among the other families most conspicuous in' Monterey's earliest history, are the families of Billy Powell, who was the father of Judge J. L. Powell, now of Greenville, William H. Traweek and Jesse Knight.
There was a considerable amount of whisky sold at this place before the war, and the village bore the reputation of being one of the rowdiest places in the whole section of the country. This was caused from the fact that a great many of the
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young men, then living in the vicinity of Monterey, would come over and get under the influence of whisky, and in this state, they often had difficul- ties with persons in whose company they happened to be. In those days, it was no uncommon thing for a man to be cut all to pieces in a fight at Monterey. However, there were not many lives lost compared to the number of fights. Horse- racing, cock-fighting, and amusements of a similar nature, were frequently indulged in, and many hundred dollars were spent in gambling and bet- ting. All this was done in the "flush times of Alabama," before the country was drained of its money by the war between the States.
The fight between Joe Yeldell and Dr. James Longmire threw a damper on rowdyism at Monte- rey, which lasted for some time. Joe Yeldell was killed by Dr. Longmire, and the latter was cleared in the courts for the deed.
The murder of Richard Hartsfield, by two slaves in 1862, created more excitement among the people of the surrounding country than anything that ever happened at Monterey, before or since.
The following are the facts of the case: Rich- ard Hartsfield was a mechanic, and ranked high among the people who knew him as a man of honor and integrity, and was a first-class contractor. He was born in the State of Georgia, April 28, 1830, and was killed on the morning of Feb- ruary 10, 1862. He purchased two slaves, Simon and Lewis, from the Peaster estate. These slaves
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soon began to hate their master, and accordingly began to make plots to kill him. Their plans were executed on a bright, frosty morning in Feb- ruary, 1862. Their master gave orders to have some hogs killed, which had been fattened in a pen near a spring, about two hundred yards from the residence. Mr. Hartsfield came down to the spring to shoot the hogs for the negroes, but found that the water was not hot enough to scald, and he began to stir up the fire around the kettle. While Hartsfield was stooping down, punching the fire, Lewis struck him with an ax, crushing his skull. Simon struck him with a fence rail, and terminated his life immediately. One of the negroes then ran to the house, asked their mistress for their master's horse, telling her that the hogs had broken out of the pen and the horse was needed to get them back. The horse was saddled and brought to the spring. It was the intention of Simon and Lewis to put their dead master on the wild horse, fix one of his feet tightly in one stirrup, and turn the horse loose, and say that he was thrown and killed. The ani- mal was a fine, ambitious bay, and had only been managed by his master, and emphatically resisted all attempts to place the dead man upon him. The heartless murderers, failing in this part of their plot, smeared a small stump with blood, and dragged their master from it some distance, and left him lying dead. They then turned loose the enraged horse, which ran many miles, snorting
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and looking back as if pursued, and seemingly greatly frightened. They immediately informed their mistress of the death of their master, telling her that he was thrown from his horse, and his foot was caught in one stirrup, and was dragged some distance before it was released. The fright- ened horse, with bloody saddle, stopping and snorting at every house on the road, and instantly galloping on, showed the people that something terrible had happened, and every man thus in- formed immediately repaired to the bloody scene. When the neighbors saw blood on Simon's shirt; that the hogs were never killed; that there was blood on the saddle; they immediately saw through the whole plot, and had the murderers arrested. After the burial of Mr. Hartsfield, at which every person for ten miles around was pres- ent, T. M. B. Traweek, Justice of the Peace, called a preliminary trial of the case, and, from the evidences brought forth, found the negroes guilty, and ordered them to be carried to jail, at Greenville, the next morning. Lewis Knight, a prominent citizen in the neighborhood, made a touching speech to the excited assembly, and ended by saying, that "all those in favor of burn- ing these bloodthirsty devils, will step on the, opposite side of the road." Every man immedi- ately stepped on the other side of the road, ex- cept the Justice of the Peace and the four men who had been appointed to carry the prisoners to jail. Those in favor of burning the murderers
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then resolved themselves into a mob and ad- journed, to meet next morning at the post-office before sunrise. Next morning long before the appointed time of meeting, the little village was astir with excitement, and the streets were thronged with the enraged mob, bent on the destruction of the helpless prisoners. After some delays, the mob marched up the Greenville road, about three-quarters of a mile from the post-office, and stopped on a small hill. Here they waited several hours for the victims of their wrath to pass on their way to Greenville. Finally they came. They were taken from their guard, and locked with chains to two pines, standing close together. Pine knots were collected from every direction and piled around the trees. The mob had, by this time, increased to over one thousand persons. Everything being ready, the torch was applied, and the angry flames soon licked the tops of the trees. It is said that a fire never burned more energetically, and flames never leaped more triumphantly, than in the burning of these two murderers. Shortly before the burn- ing, Simon confessed the deed, and related the details of the murder, but Lewis never did con- fess it.
Richard Hartsfield left two children, Livia and Mary-both of them are grown and married; the older was married to J. W. Weaver, and the younger to Ransom Seale, Esq. Mrs. Cath- erine Hartsfield still lives at Monterey, and is
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loved and highly esteemed by all who know her.
The first families that settled at this place were from South Carolina and Virginia, and were fami- lies of culture. They gave a high tone to the society at Monterey, which is still very character- istic of the people of this village. A majority of the citizens living at this place were wealthy be- fore the war, but much of their wealth has disap- peared since the abolition of slavery. They have always had a high regard for those versed in the fine arts, and have taken great interest in the edu- cation of the young. The author was unable to procure the names of all the teachers to whom the people of this place are under many obligations for valuable services rendered in the school-room. Among the female teachers, Miss Anna Bonum is remembered above all others; more, however, for her peculiar notions of discipline than for her su- perior mode of instruction. Ransom Seale was an instructor of rare parts, and had the force of character to enforce any regulation necessary for the advancement of his pupils, or to sustain the reputation of his school. He resigned in 1874, to accept the position of Clerk of the Circuit Court of Butler County, to which he had been elected by the people of the county. Young Columbus Norris is the next teacher worthy of notice. He took charge of the school in 1875, and is regarded by all those who patronized him as a faithful pre- ceptor. Prof. John Moore, A. B., of Howard College, was offered the position of Principal of
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the Monterey Academy by the Board of Trustees in 1879, and remained in that position four years. He was assisted by Mrs. M. C. Jones, of the Jud- son Female Institute.
The school flourished more while Prof. John Moore was Principal than ever before, and the people had to build a larger academy for the ac- commodation of the increased number of students in 1882. The scholars advanced very rapidly while going to Prof. Moore; but it is said by some that they did not learn as much as when they went to other teachers that advanced them more slowly, but learned everything thorough as they went.
Prof. Andrew W. Hayes, A. B., a graduate of the University of Alabama, was elected Principal in 1883, and was assisted by Miss Tinie Gullette, of Camden. Miss Alice Adams, of Tuskegee, taught the school in 1877-78, and Miss Hattie Stewart in 1878-79. Both of these ladies were well qualified, and rendered good service to the people, but, of course, could not give the satis- faction to the general public that male teachers give.
The first church at this place was built in 1838, and was called the Monterey Methodist Church. The church was moved in 1870 from the school- house lot to where it now stands, and was used as a union church until 1878, when the Baptists com- pleted their house of worship. Since that time, it has been known as the Methodist Church. A
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Union Sunday-school has been organized for sev- eral years, and meets every Sabbath evening at the Baptist Church. Alexander Stewart was the Superintendent for over six years, and made one of the best the school has ever had. Both of the churches are badly in need of a coat of paint, and it is hoped that the citizens will attend to this at their earliest convenience.
The peculiar selfishness of the land-holders has retarded very much the progress of Monterey. They will not sell an acre of land to any one, and the consequence is, a new house has not been erected at this place for years. Several more dwellings could be built without the least incon- venience to those now living here.
Monterey has furnished the county with a num- ber of noble citizens, some of whom have been honored with positions of public trust. She has sent to the halls of the State Legislature : Hons. James R. Yeldell, William H. Traweek, John L. Powell, and Dr. Conrad Wall; to the County Courts of Justice, Hon. John L. Powell ; Ransom Seale to the office of County Clerk; and Captain Ira Y. Traweek to the office of Sheriff.
While Hon. Nathan Wright was in the Legisla- ture from this county in 1880, the sale of whisky was prohibited within five miles of this place, and everybody is well pleased with the result. The majority of them are now in favor of prohibition in the whole State, as well as in Butler County.
There are now at Monterey three stores, which do
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a very good business in general merchandise. They buy about three hundred bales of cotton per an- num, but most of the trade is cash.
Dr. Thomas H. Barge was the druggist of the place, and always kept on hand a full line of drugs. He died in the spring of 1884, much to the regret of all who knew him. He was a man of fine busi- ness qualities.
There are three mails per week from Greenville, with Captain Thomas A. Knight as postmaster.
There are two practicing physicians here, although it is a very healthful locality. Dr. James G.
Donald has been here for many years. Dr. J. J. Garrett came here in 1882. Their practice is con- fined almost entirely to the section of country ly- ing north and northeast of Monterey. Dr. Comer J. Knight lives at this place, but has retired from practice. The society at this place will compare very favorably with that of any other town in the county.
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CHAPTER XXII.
COLONEL THOMAS LEVINGSTON BAYNE-Extracts from a Biographical Sketch of Him in "The Representative Men of the South."
THIS distinguished citizen was born at Clinton, Jones County, Georgia, August 4, 1824. The Bayne family were among the original settlers of the eastern shore of Maryland, and in Virginia. John Bayne, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, removed, when quite young, into Georgia, at an early period in the settlement of that State. He was prominently identified with the early history of Georgia, and represented Jones County in the State Legislature for sixteen years successively. His son, Charles Bayne, was married to a daughter of Charles Bowen, a well-known planter of Jones County, and both parents died at an early age, while their son, Thomas L. Bayne, was quite a child. On the death of his parents, he passed under the control of his maternal uncle, Colonel Edward Bowen, of Butler County, Ala- bama, a gentleman of high character and intelli- gence, who spared no trouble nor expense in obtaining the best teachers for his nephew, who was reared as one of his own family.
Mr. Bayne was fortunate in having his early ed- ucation intrusted to William Lowery, a graduate
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of Dublin University, Ireland, and a most ac- complished scholar, who prepared him for college, and to whose thorough scholarship Mr. Bayne attributes much of his subsequent success. He en- tered Yale College, Hartford, Connecticut, Sep- tember, 1843, and graduated with distinction in the class of 1847. He received at the hands of the Faculty, the high appointment of valedictorian for his class at Commencement, B. Gratz Brown, of Missouri, being his competitor. He was also President of the Calliopian Society at Yale Col- lege. After graduation, he returned to Alabama. Shortly, he went to New Orleans, where he studied law under Thomas Allen Clarke, a distinguished lawyer of that city, then associated with Thomas Slidell, afterward Chief-Justice of Louisiana.
Mr. Bayne was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1850, and after remaining for some time in Mr. Clarke's office, became his partner in the follow- ing year. In 1852 and 1853, he became Acting City Attorney of New Orleans, as a substitute for Thomas R. Wolfe, during that gentleman's ab- sence from the city in the summers of those two years. In 1862, he went into active military serv- ice, as a private, in the Fifth Company of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, which was largely composed of gentlemen of high social standing ; the members were elected by ballot-a small number of votes excluding. Mr. Bayne served with this gallant company in the Southwest, until after the battle of Shiloh, at which he was
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severely wounded, being shot through the right arm while serving one of the guns, and was con- sequently disabled from further immediate service.
Brigadier-General Randall L. Gibson, who had studied law in Mr. Bayne's office, offered him, prior to the battle of Shiloh, a position on his staff, which was declined, the general tone and spirit of the Fifth Company at that early period of the war being against accepting any position which would separate its members. Mr. Bayne returned to New Orleans, and when, in April, 1862, Commodore Farragut's fleet arrived in front of that city, he left for South Carolina.
After locating his family, and remaining suffi- ciently long to recover from his wound, he left for Richmond, Virginia, where he was appointed Captain of Artillery, and assigned to ordnance duty with his brother-in-law, General Josiah Gorgas, Chief of Ordnance in the Confederate service. He was afterward promoted to Major, and subse- quently to Lieutenant-Colonel of Artillery, and was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Foreign Supplies, reporting directly to the Secretary of War.
When it became necessary to evacuate Rich- mond, Colonel Bayne left with the other officers of the Government for Danville, Virginia, where he remained until the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomatox, and from thence he re- moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Confederate Government was virtually dissolved.
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When the war was over, Colonel Bayne returned to New Orleans, where he resumed the practice of his profession with his former partner, Thomas Allen Clarke. Colonel Bayne has never been a candidate for any political position, but has al- ways actively discharged his duties as a citizen. Like most of the officers of the army, he accepted the war as closed in 1865, and at once addressed himself to the restoration of his own means and to the revival of the prosperity of his State.
Colonel Bayne was married, December, 1853, to Maria Gayle, a daughter of Hon. John Gayle, formerly Governor of Alabama, Member of Con- gress from the Mobile District, and Judge of United States District Court.
Butler County was his home during his boyhood and college life, and we recognize him as belong- ing to this county, and his noble life makes a part of its history. With affectionate familiarity, we recall him as one of the triumvirate-Tom Watts, Tom Judge, and Tom Bayne. He still lives in New Orleans, engaged in a successful practice, and has fond recollections of the happy youthful days spent in Butler.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
Butler Springs.
THESE Springs, at one time, afforded a very pleasant summer resort for a large number of health-seekers in the southern part of the State, but it now appears that the Springs have seen their best days. They are situated in the valley of a small creek, on an outcrop of tertiary rocks of the buhr-stone variety, many specimens of which are to be seen near the Springs. The steep, rugged hills, with precipitous cliffs of rock on the south, and a low, flat land, covered with a dense forest of long-leaf pine, on the northwest, afford a variety of scenery peculiarly adapted to those persons of meditative minds.
The author does not know to whom is due the honor of the discovery of these valuable springs. He has been informed that they were found by some girls wading in the creek. The names of two of these girls were Susan Murphy, afterward married to John Clark, and Ellen Murphy, after- ward married to Ransom Seale. There is a gen- eral belief among the old residents of the county that the Springs were discovered by hunters as early as 1830. This was a central point where hunters would meet after the chase and clean their game, drink of the mineral water, rest them-
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selves from the fatigue of the day, and relate their interesting adventures. The land where the Springs were was then owned by the Government as public land. The surrounding land was owned by Ransom Seale and Wilson Murphy. The Springs at that time all boiled up in a hole about five or six feet in diameter, and about four feet deep in the edge of the creek, and was overflowed when the creek was at all swollen by rainfall. The medical properties of the water were not entirely established until about 1842, when Jesse Knight's wife came here with her son Thomas, and spent a few weeks in a rude cabin, temporarily con- structed for the convenience of the two, for only a short time. Other afflicted ones soon came and boarded with Wilson Murphy, and were also ben- efited by the many healing properties of the water. John Ubanks built a temporary tavern here in the spring of 1843, and had the Springs thoroughly advertised throughout the surrounding country, and gave a big barbecue on the Fourth of July of the same year. Frederick W. Cren- shaw, who had just been graduated at the State University, was selected to deliver an address on the occasion, and did so to a large and apprecia- tive audience, who had come to see the new water- ing-place and to hear the different orators of the day discuss subjects of general interest. The
Springs were purchased the next year by Nat. Sims, a wealthy farmer from Lowndes County, who soon erected a fine hotel for the accommoda-
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tion of the large crowds that now began to fre- quent this place of health and pleasure. At that time a large number of persons came here and camped under tents for eight or ten days, to re- cuperate themselves by drinking the water, and to strengthen themselves by the hardships of camp- life.
Isaac Keiser opened a store in connection with a billiard saloon in 1846, and soon had a very suc- cessful business, as his combination was a thing much needed here. John Clark soon opened a dram-shop, which paid him as well as any other kind of business could pay at such a place as this. After the death of Nat. Sims 'in 1855, his widow sold the Springs to John Edy, who kept them only a few years and sold them to Captain T. A. Knight and Alph. Carter, 1860. These two gen- tlemen did a great deal to improve the whole ap- pearance of the Springs, and expended large sums of money in the way of repairs. The Springs were never divided into separate springs until they took charge of them. They had a large spring-house built and curbed in with costly mar- ble, making four distinct springs, the water in each being different from that in any other. The Springs flourished more under their management than ever before or since, there being over 500 visitors on the grounds at different times. The war soon came on, and the success of the Springs was considerably interfered with. In 1862 Cap- tain Knight sold his interest to James Benson,
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