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Note: "Definer" written by Cyrus Byington
E.G. Corder's book
bought April 20, 1855; printed New York 1852
Now on display in the Five Civilized Tribes Museum
Agency Hill
Honor Heights Drive
Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401
from Herbert Marr Alston to W. C. Alston, Jr
Apparently E. G. Corder was a Methodist missionary teaching in an IndianSchool in what was then Indian Territory
Grandma killed a bear
East Tenn
About 1847, Captain E. G. Corder moved to Southwest Arkansas andbought a farm and had built a double log house. This was a very goodcomfortable house in those days. Some time later, a Negro girl, about15 yeas of age, named Mag came to Mrs. Corder and said she was lost andwanted to live with them. Perhaps this was because grandmother Corderwas kind to every one and also provided plenty of good food.
Once or twice a year, grandfather Corder went to market to buycoffee, ammunition and a few things that they could make at home (andmedicine). Of course, they spun their own cloth for clothing and madeleather out of the cow hides, and made their own shoes and harness andchairs and furniture.
One day while grandfather was away, Mag heard a noise in the backyard, and soon discovered a black Bear "robbing" a bee hive. This wasvery bad because honey was their only source of syrup or sweetness. Anyway Mag picked up a rock and sailed it at this bear, evidently strikinghim in the eye. With a savage growl he dropped the honey comb andstarted after Mag with murder in his eye. Mag headed for the house"screaming" worse than a panther, Mrs. Corder (Grandmother) said.
But grandmother got the door open and let the girl dash in, then theyboth bolted the door, and braced it with all the furniture in the room.The Bear soon left the door, and began to scratch the clay mortar frombetween the logs. Grandmother knew that he could not tear those greatlogs out, but was afraid he would try the window that was only about 6feet above the ground. But about that time, grandmother thought of theold rifle, hanging on the wall. She snatched it down and shoved themuzzle thru the crack between the logs. The mad bear grabbed it betweenhis great jaws just as she pulled the trigger. It took grandmother along time to convince Mag that the Bear was really dead. Then theyskinned him and this made a nice rug for the floor.
Note: Emelius G. Corder was Postmaster at Chapel Hill, Arkansas 1874
Mrs. Sarah Corder (?wife) Postmaster Nov. 7, 1881
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