ARKANSAS. 



31 



III. The expense of subsisting the State Guards 

 and enrolled militia that may be called into service 

 under his order shall be borne by the county of 

 Pope, and paid as provided by section fourteen of 

 an act entitled " An Act to provide for the Enrol- 

 ment of the Militia, the Organization and Discipline 

 of the State Guards, and for the Public Defence," 

 approved July 14, 1868. 



By order ot the Commander-in-Chief, 



O. A. HADLEY. 



EDWARD SAXTON", Capt. and Asst. Ad. -Gen. 



General Upham at once issued the following 

 circular to the citizens of the county : 



DOVER, POPE COUNTY, ARKANSAS, September 20, 18T2. 



Many extravagant and unreasonable rumors are 

 found to be in circulation concerning the presence 

 of troops in the county, and the intention of the gov- 

 ernment concerning the use of the same, and the 

 policy to be pursued respecting the arrest, trial, and 

 punishment of parties guilty of the commission of, 

 or participation in, high crimes in the community. 

 Such reports have 'generally, up to this time, been 

 treated as unworthy of notice. 



It appearing, however, that such rumors are oper- 

 ating against the speedy restoration of confidence and 

 peace in the community (which is desired above 

 every thing else by_ the authorities), I will say, first, 

 that the report in circulation that, if the guilty parties 

 hereinbefore referred to cannot be found, other citi- 

 zens are to be held responsible, and that innocent 

 persons will be made to suffer for the guilty, is false 

 in every respect; It is also reported that fears are 

 entertained by parties guilty of crimes that in case 

 of their arrest they will not be allowed a fair trial as 

 provided by law, but that they would be summarily 

 punished or tried by court-martial and shot. 'l 

 will say;, in respect to this, that no reasons for such 

 fears exist. 



The county is not under martial law. Special or- 

 der ; No. 148, dated Headquarters, State of Arkansas, 

 Adjutant-General's Office, Little Kock, September 4, 

 1872, which has been published, shows plainly the 

 object of the calling into active service the State 

 forces in your county viz., to " aid in the execution 

 of the civil and criminal law" and that they are to 

 be used " in compliance with the law under all emer- 

 gencies that may arise." It would seem that this 

 alone would satisfy any reasonably intelligent mind. 

 It is also claimed that fears are entertained that an 

 "old-standing threat" to burn Dover is now to be 

 put in execution. 



Whether such threats have ever been made or not, 

 I have no knowledge, but it is well known that such 

 a rumor has been in circulation, and that it has been an 

 "old-standing" ex6use for filling the town of Dover 

 with armed men to " protect the property" in place 

 of applying to the proper authorities for protection, 

 or arresting the parties guilty of making such threats, 



and punishing them according to law, in such cases 

 made and provided. No portion of the the town has 

 yet been burned, and all the force at my command, 

 if necessary, will be used to prevent it. 



The report that the State Guards of Pope County 

 are under the immediate control of Sheriff' Dodson, 

 and are commanded by him, is also incorrect. 



The several companies are officered by experienced 

 and competent men. Sheriff Dodson is not a mem- 

 ber of the State Guards or enrolled militia in any 

 capacity, and, as will be seen by the letter of his 

 Excellency Governor Hadley to Sheriff Dodson, 

 bearing date September 4, 1872, which has also been 

 published in connection with the Special Order, No. 

 128, of the same date, has no control whatever over 

 the State troops, being only entitled to support and 

 protection in the execution of the legitimate duties 

 of his office as Sheriff of Pope County, and that can 

 come only through the general commanding. 



A peaceable adjustment of the difficulties surround- 

 ing the people of Pope County is desired by the ad- 

 ministration if possible, and every means will be 

 employed by me, and the cooperation of all good 

 citizens is solicited to that end, but I assure you the 

 presence of unauthorized bodies of armed men in 

 the county under any pretence whatsoever will not 

 be tolerated. 



The fields are covered with crops of corn and cot- 

 ton ripe for the harvest. I hope all will return to 

 their homes, and those who have crops to gather 

 will go to work in the fields and gather the crops 

 they have labored hard to make, and I assure them 

 they will be protected. D. P. UPHAM, 



Major-General commanding State forces. 



Comparative quiet and confidence were re- 

 stored to the county by this action, but the 

 judicial investigation of these troubles has not 

 been made. 



"The area of Arkansas is 52,198 square miles, 

 equal to about 33,406,720 acres of land, and 

 one-fourth of that amount is still owned by the 

 United States. Its natural resources are still, 

 in a great measure, undeveloped, but a strong 

 impulse is likely to be given to their develop- 

 ment by the construction of railroads through 

 various parts of the State, which is progressing 

 quite rapidly. In 1860 there were but 38 

 miles of railroad in this State; in 1870 there 

 were 128 miles, and State aid at the rate of 

 $15,000 per mile to roads having no land 

 grants, and $10,000 a mile to those having 

 land grants, is given under an act of 1868 to 

 the extent of 850 miles in all. This aid has 

 heen awarded as follows : 



Among the roads in course of construction 

 is the Cairo & Fulton, which will pass through 

 fifteen of the most important counties of the 

 State, connecting with the St. Louis & Iron 

 Mountain and the Illinois Central to the north, 

 the Memphis & Little Eock, the Little Rock & 

 Fort Smith, and Little Rock, Pine Bluff & 

 New Orleans, on the east and west, and with 



the Mississippi, Ouachita & Red River, and 

 the projected Texas railroads on the south. 

 It has 1,926,400 acres of land along the 301 

 miles of road. The Little Rock & Fort Smith 

 line is 160 miles long, of which 60 miles of the 

 eastern portion are in operation. It has over a 

 million acres of government lands in the valley 

 of the Arkansas River, which contain some valu- 



