25 Jan 1901--Born, recently, to Wm. McDonald and wife, a son. 25 Jan 1901--Ex-county Judge Harrison Felps died at his home Friday after a few days' pleasant visit with Higbee relatives. 25 Jan 1901--In the proper place this week will be found the announcement of J. C. Dougherty, who is a candidate for the office of School commissioner of Randolph county, the election to be held April 2. Mr. Dougherty has had 9 years experience in all grades of school work, and is thoroughly acquainted with the needs of the schools over the county. He is a graduate of the North Missouri Institute of Salisbury, and also of the Kirksville Normal, and holds a lift-time certificate. Mr. Dougherty respectfully solicits your vote and in return promises to put forth his every effort for the upbuilding and advancement of the schools and education in Randolph county. 25 Jan 1901--One of the saddest deaths the News has ever been called upon to chronicle is that of Miss Matte Pogue, which occurred at the residence of R. L. Hines Wednesday evening, Jan. 23rd, 1901. Miss Pogue had had charge of the school in the old Higbee district since last fall, and in going to and from her school, contracted a severe cold, which ten days ago developed into a severe case of pneumonia, and despite the efforts of the best medical attention, she continued to grow worse until relieved by death. Deceased was 40 years old and leaves a host of relatives and friends to mourn her untimely death. The remains were buried at Salem church yesterday. 25 Jan 1901--In the announcement column of this issue will be found the name of C. G. Williams, of Moberly, who is a candidate for School commissioner of Randolph county at the coming school election in April. Mr. Williams is a most successful teacher, having had 9 years experience, 5 of which he has spent as Principal of the Moberly South Park school. He has attended the State's institutions at Kirksville, Warrensburg and Columbia, and holds a state certificate. Mr. Williams has chosen teaching as his profession, and we know if the people of the county honor him with this office he will do his part in uplifting the schools over the county. 25 Jan 1901--A LETTER FROM G. A. DOUGHERTY--Jefferson, Tex, Jan 21, 1901--Mr. W. H. Welch, Higbee, MO: Dear Sir--After quite an elapse of time I will try and fulfill my promise to write you about this southern country. We have been here two months and I have been observing things closely that I might write a true description of both the people and the country and its products. Jefferson is the county seat of Marion county and has about 3,000 inhabitants. It is one of the oldest towns in Texas, and once boasted of having 20,000 inhabitants. But that was before the railroads entered Texas. It was a great shipping point by water both to and from Texas, as it is situated on the Cypress river, or, in southern parlance, Cypress bayou. But of late there is no shipping done from here by water, owing to the government having the big ten-mile drift cleared out of Red river which caused the water to go down in the Cypress so that boats can not come up as far as Jefferson only in time of high water. There are two railroads running through Jefferson--the Texas & Pacific and the Sherman, Shreveport & Southern--and both are doing a good business. There are several very extensive business firms here that are up to date and carry stocks that would be a credit to any city. There are two wholesale hardware houses and one drug and grocery house and numerous retail houses of all lines, classes and sizes; one large oil mill, one foundry, one large cotton warehouse, and one mile down the river there is a lumber mill and foundry. The mill saws 50,000 feet a day. Owing to the wave of McKinley "prosperity" the foundry has shut down and is not running now. The dwelling houses here seem odd to one from the north. Most all are built in the old southern style--very large rooms, from six to ten in number, with a large hall running through the full length of the house, and two or three galleries, the whole covering about half an acre. By the way, lumber and ground are both cheap here. The people are very sociable and easy to get acquainted with, but are rather aristocratic and pride themselves on their honor. The land here is a red sandy soil and resembles clay hills in Missouri, and one would think it very poor, but it is surprising to see the cotton that grows on it. The principal crop in this part is cotton, and they do all their plowing with one horse or small mule, and it is mostly a mule. They very seldom use two--not even to break the ground. They can raise almost anything here that grows in any other climate, and can raise two crops a year, but most of them are satisfied with one. A farmer that will get up and hustle can make money here, for he can work the year round. We have no mud. As soon as it stops raining one can go to plowing. We have had green vegetables all winter, from the truck wagons, raised right here. We have had but little cold weather,--just enough to form a little ice and freeze a slight crust on the ground. the old settlers say we will have cold weather yet. Well, I must tell you about my fishing and hunting trip. I had a special invitation from a friend who has a fishing and hunting camp down the river in the swamps to go down and have a hunt, and of course I accepted. We loaded up with provisions and ammunition enough for a little army, and went down. After driving through dense forests and swamps, we arrived at the camp which consists of a boat house, 12X30 feet, divided into four rooms and well furnished for living. This is strongly cabled to the bank. The camp was well supplied with boats and fishing tackle of all kinds. A good barn, and horse lot, cleared off, is close by. This is all surrounded by a dense forest of pines and cypress so thickly covered with bamboo and moss that one can hardly see 100 feet away. This is only broken by lakes and sloughs here and there which you can scarcely see until you are almost in them, owing to this vast undergrowth. This dense wilderness is inhabited by turkeys, quails, squirrels, rabbits, wild hogs and a few deer, and fish, (of course the fish are in the lakes and river). Oh, yes, and not the least, but that most magnificent who-who-oo owl is there by a large majority, and every night they would gather over the camp and "who-oo" so loud and long that I thought I would be compelled to go to the door and tell them who I was. I was afraid that they might think that I was from the north, and a Republican and they might call on me for a stump speech, but then I happened to think and told them I was from old Missouri and that settled it. Well, we fished and bombarded the woods and swamps and killed squirrels and rabbits and owls, and I killed a squirrel as black as night, and caught some fish, but it was too cold for fishing to be a success, though we got all we could eat and some to take home. We had a nice time for five days and went home. To my surprise on arriving home they had the laugh on us, and said that I was taking up with the Texas ways pretty quick, that it was generally understood in Jefferson that when any one went down to the camp they had either gone for a spree or to sober up one. (But, honest "Injin"' we did not have a drop.) One day last week we drove 16 miles over to Marshall, a beautiful town of 10,000 people. It is on the T. & P. R. R., and they have their shops and round house there and are spending lots of money, which gives the town quite a boom. They are building a $50,000 court house now and will complete it in March. I saw several other buildings going up and everything seemed to be on the move. Marshall has several very extensive business houses. There are two firms hard to excel anywhere. Their stores cover nearly half a block each, and are well filled with every line of goods imaginable. We get the News regularly, and it is a welcome visitor. We all want to read it first to see what is going on in Higbee and vicinity. Our friends may fail or forget to write but the News never fails to show up on time well ladened with the latest News. Our family are well and enjoying this southern clime, and one and all join in sending best wishes to yourself and family and old Higbee friends. Respectfully, G. A. Dougherty. 25 Jan 1901--A LETTER FROM OREGON--Mr. P. Dougherty, brother of G. A. Dougherty, and a former resident of this county, but now living at Coburg, Oregon, sends us a dollar on subscription and writes as follows, under date of January 14th: "W. H. Welch: Dear Sir and Friend--Thinking that perhaps some of my old friends would like to hear from me and about this country, I will write a short letter for the News. I have traveled over considerable of the western country as well as Missouri, and am now in the Willamette Valley, which, I think, is the finest country I ever saw. The soil is fine and the climate doesn't vary much. There is very little wind and no storms and you scarcely ever hear thunder. We have not had, so far, enough cold to freeze ice more than half an inch. We have had three snows, the deepest being about two inches, which did not lay on 48 hours. This valley is from 30 to 40 miles wide and about 90 to 100 long, and embraces some of the finest land in the world. In fact, this is the garden-spot of the world. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums and prunes are grown to perfection, and I think they are the finest I ever tasted. All kinds of vegetables are grown, with the exception of sweet potatoes, but I am told they grow them in some parts of the valley but that they are not grown profitably. As to cereals, they grow rye, wheat, barley, oats and corn, but the latter is not very profitable, as it stays green all fall. Grass is still green and growing now and very little stock is fed here at all, the majority going through the winter without attention or feed. The people are kind and hospitable. In fact, the majority of the people in this valley are Missourians, so I was almost at home when I got here, and I feel now as if I would be willing to spend the rest of my days here. P. Dougherty. Kathy Bowlin, Additions, corrections, comments wecome.