Butts County GaArchives News.....LETTER FROM TEXAS March 1881
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 March 18, 2004, 12:40 am

Middle Ga Argus
Mr. James Greer Tells Some Things of the Far West, His Hopes For The Future, He 
Expects To Pay His Creditors &C.

Elmo Kaufman County, Texas
March 1881

Editor Argus,

Before giving your readers a brief description of this Country I would say a 
few words by way of explanation of my sudden departure from Georgia.  I’m 
charged with fleeing from debt, which is a base falsehood.

It is true that I left some debts unpaid but have not sneaked off in some dark 
corner to hide myself but on the contrary.  I am ready to correspond with any 
creditor that desire to address me.  I have no creditor that I am ashamed to 
meet, and I believe with ordinary luck I can soon be able to pay out, which I 
never could have done in Ga.

My reason for leaving Georgia so abruptly was because I knew that my Dear Old 
Mother who’s word has always been law with me would have apposed my leaving, 
and I know I never would have been satisfied until I had seen the lone 
star “state”, I always had a desire to go West and I did not know whether I 
would be satisfied here or not and if I had not I should have returned to old 
Butts, I have committed no crime, unless debt be a crime.  If so I think the 
majority of Georgians is criminals.  I think if I had staid in Georgia and 
worked poor land, and bought supplies on time, I would have perished to death 
in about two years.  Now I must say this is the grandest country n the world.  
It far surpasses the many great accounts that I had heard of it, I am better 
pleased than I expected to be, and I don’t believe that any man who comes this 
country and moves back to Georgia will ever be satisfied again.  This is a 
great stock raising, as well as farming country.  

It is about one third timber land and balance prairie and produces some 1,500 
2,000 lbs seed cotton per acre, 30 to 60 bushels of corn and anything that a 
man will work to make, corn is worth from 25 to 35 cents, meat five cents, 
there is no system of credit for supplies here; and I am glad if it for you 
know that has been the ruin of Georgia.

There is a great many people here who don’t care for anything only what they 
can make a trading, they can live easy and want nothing more.  If this county 
was filled up with such men as you and Mr. Wiley Heard and others I could 
mention, who aspire to have something, this would be the best country on earth.

You can say to those that I owe that I never left to keep from paying them, but 
to try and find a place to be more able than I would have ever been in 
Georgia.  You can also testify to the fact that the report that I left without 
paying you or your father anything is a base falsehood, as you know I paid it 
very nearly all and left means to pay the balance.  Wishing success to all my 
old friends in Georgia, I strike out with new hope and energy determined to 
work out for myself a brighter future.


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