Jackson County IL Archives News.....W. M. TARPLEY, ANCIENT MILLER STILL WITH US October 16, 1923
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Mary Riseling riseling@insightbb.com July 13, 2006, 8:56 pm

Murphysboro Daily Independent October 16, 1923

    W. M. TARPLEY, 419 North Eleventh street, came to Murphysboro in 1869 from
Carbondale, where he was born in 1866, and went to work in the flour mill at the
foot of McGuire hill, now the southern end of Ninth street which was then owned
by Ben HALL and John GILL, and later by YANTIS & TISMER.

    At the time Mt. Carbon was the home of many of our citizens and Mr. Tarpley
tells of the way in which his hair had the uncanny habit of rising straight up
when he passed under a certain old tree at the east approach of the old covered
wagon bridge that then spanned the Big Muddy, as he walked home after midnight
from his work at the mill.

    The tree had been the scene of the hanging of a negro shortly before when he
was lynched by an angry mom, with Old Aunt Granny PATCHETT putting the rope
about his neck for the timid mob.

    Mr. Tarpley declares he was at the hanging, a looker on, at the edge of the
crowed and stood just across the road from the tree that was used as a gallows.
 He saw the boy in the tree who had been used to pull the rope up over the limb.

    Working at the flour mill at that time was Don OZBURN, brother of John and
Allen OZBURN, who was manager, Louis BLACK was miller, Mr. Tarpley was packer
and other workmen were Sam WEATHERLY, father of Sam WEATHERLY of Eighth Street,
Thomas GARNER and John McGOWAN.

    Mr. Tarpley said that this mill was the gathering place of all the farmers
in the county.  Later he worked at the other mill then in the city, which stood
for years until fire destroyed it at what is now the Wm. KULL bottling works
property.

    These were great old days declared Mr. Tarpley when the only lights on the
streets were the dim flickers from the tallow candles and oil lamps in the
windows of stores.  However with all the darkness and so-called wildness of the
community there was never any fear of robbery and men went about their affairs
with large rolls of money without danger.

    Mr. Tarpley knew the young editors of the Independent well, his brother,
John TARPLEY, now of Dallas, Texas, learning the trade under Gill BURR of the
Era, and later working on the Independent for many years.


Additional Comments:

Transcribed by Mary Riseling from grandfather Dr.C. E. RISELING's collection of
old newspapers.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/jackson/newspapers/wmtarple99nnw.txt

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