The Gazette
September 13, 1905
Editor Gazette,
While I have a few moments of spare time I will write you a few line from Marion. We feel very lonely since the train has stopped, which has cut us off from the outside world, The yellow fever seems to be spreading and in my opinion, nothing will shop it but cold weather, which I hope will come early at this account.
Since my last letter to the Gazette we have had a big barbecue, which turned out very bad, the man, Smith, who got the dinner up, leaving with all the cash that was paid into the concern, which with other money he carried off is said to amount to about $1200. Our Dagoes and Dutch have also closed out and left the place.
We have had two protracted meetings here with one more to come. Our crops are short, especially the cotton and we can only hope that the price received for it will make up for the shortage, in part at least. It seems that we are going to run short of supplies if the quarantine continues to bottle us up, but there is always some way out of a bad fix. We have some sickness in our midst, but have had few deaths so far. I look for more sickness late on but so far as I am concerned, I am sick all the time. I did intend to go to Denver, Col., this summer but was out of by the yellow fever. I note in my late paper that peace has been concluded between Japan and Russia and this is good news. Our President it seems was a strong factor in this happy conclusion and this will put a feather in his cap latter on.
It does seem to me that freight trains could be run over the road without danger, I have just got in a lead (150 barrels) of Junita flour, the darkies all call it “Wamits”, which I am selling at $6.25 a barrel, and this flour was a great help to out people.
I will close by assuring you that this is the same “Uncle Jasper” which means 100 cents on the dollar, from birth to death, from the cradle to the grave.
J. H. Roark.
Shiloh to Canaan 