Now and Then – Reminiscence
By Rev. B.F. Lawler
Page 5

Reminiscence:
The first lawyer I ever saw to know him was Charles P. Bullock, though he might have been the first one in St. Clair county. Later I knew Waldo P. Johnson, then Alex McClain and later still John T. Crenshaw. Bullock was clerk of the circuit or district court for some time in the early days of court proceedings in St. Clair county. Johnson came to be judge of the district and McClain was more noted for pleading at the bar. We need the lawyer as well as the doctor and I remember when I first learned that L.L.D. stood for Doctor of law, and later on I read somewhere that a lawyer well acquainted with international jurisprudence would have ac knowledge of the contents of many thousand law books.
The lawyer as well as the doctor or preacher is a prophet he interprets law and tells what will happen if a certain course should be pursued, penalties attached or protection given. It is their business to search for evidence against or defend if within the law persons accused of the crime. Some laws are not good but the rule is that a law abiding man is a safe man. Law is liberty.
Gamsleel spoken of in the Bible was a doctor of the law and the Apostle Paul had been his pupil, and who can say that Paul was not a better preacher for having been a lawyer. This defense before Agrippa in the 26th Chapter of the Acts is a masterpiece of oratory and argument. His sermon on Marrs Hill shows a great legal mind as well as having the gospel of Grace.
When I was quite young I read about Chief Justice Marshall and then Patrick Henry. When I was younger I talked with old men who had seen Daniel Webster, Rufus Choate and Caleb Cushing – could tell of their speeches and the effect upon the people and the jury. The stories were very thrilling as they evidently impressed most who heard them. Some lawyers like some doctors fight against their own business, that is they advise men to stay out of law, yes even when there would be a big fee in it. The lawyer will tell a man plainly that he has no case when it is explained. In this he gives a good diagnosis as the doctor does.
I knew a great lawyer in Nebraska who has a great library – heavy, legal volumes and as to reading them, he said they contained everything he wanted and he knew where to find it – his great books were to refer to on occasions.
Many men fail in the law like preachers fail in the ministry; they do not know. Some have no ability to know and some are not willing to pay the price in hard study and hard work, but the life long student succeeds and is a useful citizen – in fact the country must have legal talent to uphold a stable government and adjust great forensic matters.
We are under great obligation to lawyers and judges for the interpretation and enforcement of law. I should be very glad if I could show my appreciation of lawyers in a more tangible manner as fellow students with me in trying to know supreme things.
B.F. Lawler

Reminiscence:
Sac river has four heads, something like that which is said of the four heads of rivers upon which the Garden of Eden was located, Gen. 2:10.
Among some of the early settlers this river was called “Sock”. I heard this: “Big Soc, Little Soc, Dry Fork and Turn Back”. See now how fast you can repeat those four names and you can have an idea of the manner in which I heard it repeated, and it referred to “movers” passing over them and becoming discouraged, and turned back at the last one named.
I remember well in coming out from the Gasconade as we came from Tennessee that we met some movers going back. They ask where we were going to locate. Some of my Seniors of course answered them, saying we aimed for Polk County. Yes, and one of the women said: ‘You’ll poke back again”. I was too young to talk on those matters but I had good ears and eyes, and I saw the forlorn appearance of the “turn backers” and their teams and heard those words – “you’ll poke back again”. But we came on and swinging a little North settled in St. Clair County. But Sac river had its charms as well as its terrors for “turnbackers”.
Dunegan’s Mill was on one of those streams West of Bolivar to which people went from great distances to have their grain ground into bread. Some of the nephews of that Mr. Dunegan are now leading business men in Bolivar.
Wild animals did scare some people in those days, but not many. Rifles and dogs proved to be effective assets in those days not only against wild animals but wild men also.
Later, Caplinger built a mill on the river a few miles below “Fremont” as Stockton was then called. At that place our charming, singing, four little rivers were all in one channel, and to me a fine large river, thought I had seen the Mississippi a few years before. Crossing with ox teams and having trouble to keep the leaders braving the current when they were out of reach of the long whip lash was difficult to do as many an ox driver sitting above the foregate of his wagon box, then called “wagon bed”, found in his experience especially when fording was deep.
Still later, Avery Howard, built a Mill, the place being called Cobb. Here our already famous little river had been reinforced by Cedar Creek, itself having received Horse Creek into its channel. Horse Creek comes from way out toward “Golden Grove” as it used to be called and drains a vast extent of country. So Mr. Avery had something to do in harnessing the Sac river at that place to make it serve him, turning the monstrous wheels of his then great Mill. Yes, there were times when the raging waters had their own way.
Over that Mill Dam a boat went in spite of the rowing of strong men, and Andrew Culbertson, one of the model young men of the county, and a colored man were drowned. Young Culbertson had married my school teacher making him doubly dear to me – his lonely grave is, to this day, watched only by the “All Seeing Eye” close by the now gentle stream that dashed him to death.
When crossing at that place with father each being on horseback I became dizzy headed; I was about to lose control of my horse when my father told me to look at a tree on the opposite shore and looking I could guide my horse without difficulty. Fixing the eyes on something which did not move was the remedy.
Now I have learned in later years to listen to Him who says: “Look unto Me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved.”
When I was a man and had a home of my own I had occasion to cross the river, coming in from Cedar County, at a ford a little South or West from Doctor Harris’ fine home.
Jake Roe lived a little East or North of Dr. Horn, Pucket lived not far away.
The afternoon was golden. The river was placid and calm. The falling leaves were floating beautifully down, voiceless, and reaching the water they were carried away without resistance – how like multitudes of people – carried away into evil without resistance.
Ah! that was a fine afternoon, a fine river, and a great lesson had been learned. B.F. Lawler

Reminiscence:
Sixty-eight years ago I saw a steamboat being unloaded not far above where the Frisco R.R. bridge now is; the river was high, the water being over the banks on the opposite side of the river. Some white men but mostly black men were doing the unloading, and I was told they were paid ten cents per hour – now smile, but I knew a white man, who afterward became a money lender, who worked regularly for thirty-seven and a half cents per day.
Earlier than that time the town was located a little south of the Chautauqua grounds and the boats landed above where the wagon bridge now is; some old relics of that early period are still to be seen about the old landing.
Johnson and Vaughn had a warehouse where Mr. Shaffner’s garden now is and Judge Johnson had a law office on the second floor of the ware-house.
In digging a post hole near foundation of that house Mr. Shaffner found an oyster half shell about eighteen inches under the ground. It is more than twice the thickness of the ordinary shell. One man suggests that it has been there since the flood, but the supposition is that somebody in that early day enjoyed
Oysters On Shell:
as many of their cousins did in more advanced cities than was Osceola at that time.
Sure it was that the early promoters of Osceola had good things in their day and enjoyed life even with all the disadvantages they experienced.
What a leveler sixty-eight years have proved to be – gone, so many gone from the walks of men. We can almost feel their presence now.
The owners of that ware-house and possibly all who lived at that time doing business here are gone to come no more. But visions of their persons, their actions and many of their words are still with us. The eloquent lawyers, McClain, Johnson, Bullock and others no more stir mens hearts with their great speeches. The doctors have all put away their medicine cases for the last time, and the busy merchants then have closed doors on their last Saturday night, and the working man has turned his feet away from the path of toil into the shadows of evening and disappeared in the twilight of life’s day.
But see! another people – another generation has come and the patter of their busy feet is heard on streets, in stores and on granitoid walks.
With them came the telegraph, the steam locomotive on the rail instead of in the water. Later came electric lights and artesian wells and furnace heated buildings and elevators from basement to upper stories.
No one rode on bicycles then, and trolly cars had no place in the dreams of those well trained, bright business men of that early day.
While sixty eight years have leveled all the busy heads of that day, these years now reaching us have been great producers – of men – of things, of great achievements in all walks of life.
What a panoramic view of contrasts and differences, and preferences as the last generation and the present generation are both seen at once. Those without the telephone – these with it: those without the telegraph, these with it. A few people know how to have these things and also know the early privation as well.
There are times when the plain farmer of that time, meeting his children at the door step of his cottage is to be envied because of his simple life.
His horses have been unharnessed to roll in the meadow and their tired owner sits in the doorway of his home waiting for his well earned supper.
Our merchants went away to the cities to buy goods often riding horse back to the nearest point on the greater river.
The credit system was well nigh universal and settling long accounts at the end of the year was the rule.
Yes there are times when we can almost say
“Backward, turn backward O time in your flight
Make me a child again just for tonight.”
But these times are only temporary. This is a great era in which to live – to grow in brain and heart and purpose. B.F. Lawler.

Reminiscence:
In the “forties” the small corn fields had become larger and corn huskings were quite common in November and December and these were called “corn shuckin’s” by many people – “husking” was a new word among some people.
The corn was snapped from the stalk or “gathered” as it was more commonly called and thrown in piles by the side of the crib heaped up almost reaching to the top of the crib, part of the roof of which would be removed so that the ears of corn when husked would go from the hand into the crib.
Then an invitation was given out to all the neighborhood for miles away and many men would finish their work at home and reach the place about the time when daylight had faded out in the west to begin work.
White men and negroes worked side by side having come from different farms or plantations.
About nine o’clock supper was announced at the house where a long table loaded with good things to eat waited for the hungry men whose work was bout finished at that time and all had a feast.
The “shuck pen” has disappeared and I question whether very many of our young farmers know how to carry shucks in their arms now as it was done then. The husks were tramped in a rail pen and covered temporarily for stock feeding later in the winter.
A question of ancient history was discussed at one of these gatherings, and a “farmer reader” was appealed to whose name was McCann. How is that for an early settler in this fine country? The only resident “Domine” we had was an educated man who lost some of his laurels in favor of the farmer on that occasion.
The stalk fields were pastured then much as they are now, only there was not so much food for the cattle for in many instances the corn had been “topped” at the time to save the fodder and when the farms were very small all the blades had been stripped from the stalk and bound in bundles and stacked around poles, but all the “stack poles” have disappeared now. “Blade fodder” was excellent food for a horse in addition to his eight ears or ten ears of corn.
But the “corn shuckin” is gone and most of the men, white and black also, come no more late at eve or in the “breezy morn” to aid his neighbor who lived and labored in the year of our Lord 1841-9.
How glad we would be to shake hands with them again and enjoy their keen wit in retort or simile, or riding up to their front gate to hear them say: “Gi’ down and hitch your horse and come in”, or hear him call John and tell him “put u this hoss and feed him”, and turn leading the way into his house asking all about the family. Peace to their ashes.
B.F. Lawler

Submitted by Stacy Kelly

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