Athens Weekly Review
Feb. 6, 1903

Aley

Mrs. Charlie Woods is quite sick with fever.
Will Driver who has been indisposed for some time is very sick again.
The little daughter of Charlie Barfield who has been dangerously ill with pneumonia
is improving rapidly.
Born to Frank Little and wife on Jan. 31st, a boy.
To James Hooper and wife, a girl.
A wave of unprecedented prosperity has set in in this part of the country. At last old
Henderson is coming to the front.
A company of men backed with ample capital are drilling for oil on the farm of Will Wood
north of Aley.
Prospectors some time ago visited this locality and finding every indication favorable for
oil at once formed a heavily capitalized company for the purpose of developing the same
and operations are now in full blast.
There is much enthusiasm over the certainty of finding a splendid "gusher" to reward their
labors. Thus it is that Beaumont is not the only oil center in Texas and if our anticipations are
only partly realized we will have a thriving city---well in no time.
Real estate has already advanced in value a great deal. I am reliably informed there are other
prospectors in the field.
Mr. Wood has charge of the gin here and has many friend who wish him unbounded success
with his oil well.
Major Dill of Mabank is having about two thousand acres of land put in cultivation a few miles out
on the Athens road in Cedar bottom.
Tom Wilson of Kemp is putting in one hundred acres a short distance west of here and many other
smaller tracts of land are being cleared up; many hundred fruit trees are being planted; new
improvements of all sorts can be seen in all directions.
Now for an electric car line to Athens and the "moss back" will have been effectually eradicated.
On 27th oit. Mr. Pridmore was married to Mrs. Hendrix of Dallas. Many friends join me in wishing this
aged couple bon voyage over life's rough waves.
A band of worthless medicants imposed on the generosity of our good people last week. We are
ever ready to comply with that divine injunction, "He that giveth to the poor but lendeth to the Lord,"
but equally as ready to resent an imposition. An old woman came to us with a most piteous story of
a murdered husband and helpless children and soon a wagon loaded with the best of life's goods was
taken to their squalid camp where on investigation was found to be an able bodied man and several
womenall able to work which was offered to them by Messrs. Carter and Thomas, but a snowy cotton
patch had no charms for them. They have treated other neighborhoods in the same manner. They have
received orders to leave here. Beware of them They are imposters. What's the matter with our vagrant law?
A typographical error in my last letter caused me to say Calvin Douglass when it should have read Calvin
McDougle. Mr. McDougle's family is improving slowly.
Themis.

Murchison

Will Rounsaval has been very sick but is improving.
Tom Reding got his leg broken last week.
Mr. Scherrell that bought Mr. Gatnery out is improving his place very nicely.
Our school is progressing nicely and will soon have a new church in Murchison.
Success to the REVIEW and its readers.
Ben Boykin

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