( ron’s note – I am not real sure, but i think the Mt. Salem Church was located on Route BB, between Higbee and Huntsville ? ) 29 June 1906--MAY HAVE LEFT HIDDEN TREASURE --Milton G. Sears, one of the old citizens of the county, died at his home near Mt Salem church about 11 o’clock a.m. Tuesday, June 19, 1906, of dropsy. The deceased was a native of this County, having been born a few miles southeast of town in 1829, and was a son of an old pioneer known as “Bottom” Sears. The deceased was a very large man, weighing over 300 pounds and his remains were buried the day following his death in the family burying ground in that neighborhood. He was a quiet and peaceable citizen and never had an enemy in the world, that any one knew of. In many respects the deceased, while kind and friendly to all, was a very peculiar man. By trade he was a chair maker; he also made brooms and baskets and was handy with tools and did good and honest work. He had lived alone 40 or 50 years in his little shop that stands at the forks of the road and in which he died and never spent any time out of it unless compelled to. He was never married and in a sense was a miser, though he had no wretched or despicable disposition and it is believed by some that he has hidden about his shop several thousand dollars. During the latter part of the Civil War he served in the militia here and at Macon though we have been told that he was a Southern Sympathizer. He has drawn a pension of twelve dollars per month for many years, and in cashing his warrants always asked for money in silver or gold, stating that “rats and mice could not destroy silver or gold, but they could paper money.” It is said he kept his money in various receptacles hidden about the shop, and, no doubt, the “boys” will spend hours in searching every nook and corner of his shop and “dig up” his half acre of ground in search of silver and gold. Another peculiarity of “Uncle” Milton was that when the Negroes were enfranchised he quit voting and never cast another ballot nor would he go to the polls on election day, not even at a school election. He did not believe the Negroes should have been given the right of suffrage when they were. He never belonged to any church or made any public profession of religion, that we know of, though he was no atheist. --Huntsville Herald. (Transcription of the Old Higbee News by-Kathy Bowlin)
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:57:54 +0000
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