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“THE YOKE,” AN ABSORBING SERIAL, STARTS NEXT WEEK—SEE EDITORIAL
VOLUME XLII— NUMBER rORTY.
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Atlanta, Ga., Week Ending December 3, 1904.
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50c PER YEAR—SINGLE COPY 5c.
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Tallahassee ®, ‘"Tallahassee Country,
Noted
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By PAUL LINCOLN.
TVr-far for Zo*>c ,?unny Sou i ,-v
HE staid old capital whi h.
in anti? Ibellurn days. was
the seat of such renowned
wealth and culture. «n«J
which. iJesrpite the chaages
going on In every direction
around it, bat? never lost
Its original character,
threatents .it lost to suc
cumb to the spirit of prog
ress which has the whole
state in its grasp and sub
mit to the invasion which
is only another name for
it.novation and the demolition of the old
regime that ha's so long held sway.
New people from 1 he west and north
have brought new methods and ideas into
tii - Tallahassee country, and their capi
tal. which is hull ling up the old planta
tions, Is changing the aspect of the sub
urbs where modern homes are going up.
and even within the city Itself the recent
ly erected buildingis have a. modern loot:
strangely at variance with the old-time
architecture aid generally “before tiie
war’’ appearance.
In tie old days Tailaha-ssee -was pos
sessed of an all pervading comprehen
siveness that 'Was as delightful as it 'was
■fital to any central growth. The people
who made mi its society were scattered
throughout Leon county a red even into
.Ioffe; son and Gadsden. Around the bor
ne:.-. of hikes. Jiio.ostrkee, Jnekuon, Hall,
i. mo h , Bradford and Lafayette were
|o. a ted the large plantations, privates es~
t ;ies and hunti’.'.g preserves of tin- old
- Tin- lane-. Lake La Li yet t e. wax
on the grant of 10.000 acres malic by the
government io
named for him.
unty
Centers of Ante-Bellum Hospitality. Succumb to Modern Progress
Ft
the o
their
General La fay e 11 o, and
Some of the best names
vere of members of the
-turn
'y
.-hi h
ettled here.
still living in
do-cendanli;
bout. Tallahassee.
HER LORDLY HOSPITALITY. -
In view of the final revolution Whie!
» li.- o i ity’s inevitable fate, a loo
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back at her social life; is most interest
ing. tin? more that she has never, even
up to the present time, permitted her
character of dignified culture and lordly
hospitality to be touched materially by
the rush anG sortl lid ness of the time?.
What Tallahassee was when she enjoyed
t ue height of her glory and reputation
she lias ever remained. In all the south
ern country there was perlwtr * not ;ln ~
other community more thoroughly repre
«.■’ntative of the south’s 'best realization
in xi.cial life and the boundless gener
osity which ied lie. to keep open house
the year round, berseL a most gracious
arid seif-forgetting hostess.
That broad way in which they speak of
the “Talahassee country” is itself sug
gestive of the scope of lfijr far reaching
society, and the generous conditions
which prevailed throughout the. section
made up of tlio hest blood of A irginia
and the Carolinas, and of sturdy Scotch
settlers, who brought all the best of the
excellent qualities of l he race. Society
in fhe thirties and thereabouts was
made up of such people as the families
of General R. K. Call, Judge Thomas
Randall. Governor W. P. Duval, the ceie-
b rated William Wirt, Colonel Bird
Lewis, Prince Archille Xlurat and others,
some making their residence in the
town and others on their large planta
tions. The Prince and Princess Murat
(Murat was a nephew of Napoleon Bona -
partem, divided their time between their
two plan tations. one in Leon and the
other in Jefferson, and at either place
entertained lavishly, being very popular
throughout the three counties.
Tallahassee Signified in the Indian
tongue “Beautifu! Land,” and it might
lie supposed this ideally beautiful spot
had received its name from the very
auggestiveness, yet not so, but in honor
of a noble young Seminole chief whom
tin? first white settlers found living there.
When ill 1821 iedoral commissioners
were sent to survey the newly acquired
territory of Florida and select a location
for a seat of government, many natural
advantages led them to settle on this
sin’, in tills hill country with its superb
Court House, Tallahassee
Postoffice at Tallahassee.
forests, fertile, loamy soil, and sparkling
waters, with its game, fruits and food
stuffs; and most of all, its pure, exhilrat-
ting air, choice fell all naturally enough
near the wooded shores of one of the
numerous little lakes, two miles to the
eastward of where Talahassee now
stands, and occupied at that time by
bands of Seminole Indians.
DEALING WITH THE INDIANS.
A recent eloquent historian gives the
following account of what threatened to
he a puzzling situation confronting the
commissioners:
“Suki, Xehamathia. Tiger -Tail,
.lumper and Talahassee were conspicuous
among chiefs whose villages and people
were scattered through the woods of the
immediate region.
"The federal commissioners, recogniz
ing the im nmpai ible presence of these
hunter bands with contemplated settle
ment thereabouts of incoming whites,
negotiated and concluded a treaty with
the chiefs. l>r which the latter and their
followers agreeq j 0 vacate the precincts
of north Florida and repair to a reserva
tion to be made for them to the south
ward, beyond Tampa Bay. The govern
ment agents contracting that by a day
then made certain and within a year, a
nothin of eight draught vessels should
assemble in the harbor of St, .Marks
bard by, to transport the natives’ be
longings down the coast, and the In
dians, on their part, stipulating that
no clearing of the forest should com
mence until after their departure.
"Time approaching for the assembling
of territorial delegates ;to organise a
government, with the following spring
came a corps of contractors among these
-southern hills to construed a council
house for purposes of proposed conven
tion.
“Somewhat to their surprise and dis
way, they found the Indians contented-
fy .loitering among tlieir accustomed
haunts. Upon inquiry as to why they
had not gone .as agreed upon, these
worthies somewhat indifferently pleaded
the non-arrival of the promised flotilla,
but emphatically insisted upon a strict
observance of the treaty stipulation re
garding the clearing of lands, etc., until
after their departure. Here was an
awkward dilemma.
“Communication with Washington City
in those days Involved the coming and
going of many moons, and in the mean
time the appointed date of the conven
tion was drawing rapidly on. The vii-
•ciges of Nehanucthla and Tiger Tail
were in immediate vicinity of the site
chosen during the year before by the
commissioners for the location of the
new capital, while ttieir somewhat chill
ing reception of these intruding chop
pers and builders made the situation pe
culiarly .forlorn The embarrass mfcnt
was finally relieved by a ;
MT’*o-T.'tIiahas.see. whose town, or set
tlement, was situate across a valley two
miles to the westward.
“ 'Come there.’ said this young diplo
mat. ‘you will find a great spring and
cascade of swi-e-t waters, and alongside
lx a clearing ready made by a people
before us here. Set up yoni wigwam—
there in the open—and avoid violation
of your agreement not to clear.’
‘This solution of the difficulty was
eagerly accepted by the puzzled build
ers. and so it came, about that the first
council house was erected on the west
ern side of a. little stream having a head
a, little way up the valley, and in com
pliment to the amiable brave dominat
ing the locality, the place was named
Tallahassee.”
About this time the large numbers of
slaves held by slave owners threatening
to exceed available areas for their profit
able employment, the acquisition by the
government of fertile agricultural lands
opened up to the large planters of Vir
ginia, Maryland and the Carolinas new
and inviting fields, and straightway num
bers of them moved down and proceed-
vigorously to lay hold on the wide ter
ritorial opportunity thus offered. They
iirouglit with them not only their slave-
and bountiful habits of living, but the
culture which they saw no reason to
forego the pursuit of simply because in
a frontier country. The elegance and
refinement which had characterized the
homes they had left were the very foun
dation of the ones they now built; and
from that time until the ruin following
Ihe civil war— though Tallahassee was
the only southern capital never captured
—there was no finer society anywhere
to be found.
LEATHER-SWING COACHES.
The people being mostly planters, the
.nrtfi customs of ‘southern plantation life,
au abundance /o4 leisuv entailed »
boundless hospitality and round of visit
ing and entertainment which was prac
tically endless, find this among an edu
cated and icultureid people tended to the
propagation of a high social status.
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The ,-ainc writer (from whom we have
quoted rays, in speaking of the social
life of the Tallahassee country: “Leather
swung stage coaches bumped arid rocked
their weary way along, up through the
lowland pine Delt. over the Appalachian
hills, a. ross the Potomac to Washington
tiri.i beyond or staunch sailing packets
piled biiioiwy depths from at. Marks to
Sandy Hook, and yet our grand dames
and their travail eri'sii men managed it
all seemingly as well as now. Great,
hampers of personal harness, gear • and
lingerie went with them to Berkley,
White Sulphur, Old Sweet anti Saratoga
further away.” And there amid the
ga-ltii.s of the rich and leisurely they
h'..i ; .-e'd the summers away.
Not far away, near the largest of the
lakes, ar e seen Immense mounds where
Genera] Jackson fought his last battle
with the Indians. In the live oak groves
here are trees with trunks measuring 7
feet iii diameter and magnolias shedding
their blooms 40 feet in midair.
in the city library, among old relies
and curios, is a piece of Spanish armor,
- n id to have been found near St. Marks.
It Ls a solid iron helmet of the rudest
make, w&lgldng many pound's, so heavy
it i s inconceivable how a man could have
supported it.
The railway to St. Marks, 2! miles dis
tant. on the. gulf, was one of the first
to be built, in the United States. It con
veyed to this port quantities of cotton,
lumber, grains, sugar and tobacco. Be
fore the civil war tobacco was a staple
nop. In i32S Governor Duval started
the planting of a certain small leafed
variety of Cuban tobacco which came to
be known a* the Little Duval,” and in
I860 the county of Gadsden, adjoining
Leon, Is said to have raised 12.000
pounds. Since the Cuban w.
creased tariff duties there b
return, to the production of tobacco,
a number ■■>-’ plantation- r tv -an
ed and a“e successful.y cultivated,
large cigar factories at Ybor City
a gpet-h deal of the Florida grown
CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE
and in-
been a
i be
to-
Florida’s State Capitoi.
Uhe Ubiquitous Mollie ^
By Alary M Alears
Sunny South’s Series of Short
Stories by Prominent Authors
T was a little after i o'clock
arid the barn and the house
cast short, black triangles
ol - shadow. Norman Ei-
wood'e handsome, Hushed
face wore a look of utter
bewilderment as he slowly
let his eyes travel from
the ancient tnare, with
down-stretched neck, nib
bling at a bed of nastur
tiums. to the equally an
tique vehicle to which she
was harnessed.
To.; don’t propose to go In this rig?”
lie gasped.
Wlnnefrod Penn nodded, though she
flushed pink as one of the hollyhocks
glowing against her grandmother's barn.
Indeed, in her green muslin dress, she
had the look of one of those flowers,
plucked stalk and all.
"And drive her?” and lie made a ges
ture toward the horse, who was foun
dered and had not been harnessed for
years. Her foretop. mane aqd t«il were
white with agf* Now, with a nasturtium
trailing from her mouth, she looked
around, reproachfully, at her mistress.
VVinneTred avoided that milu, old eye.
T thought, of course, we'd row down.”
he continued, "otherwise I’d have
^brought my horse. I’ll get him now.”
For answer she gathered up the reins.
"But why won’t you l«t me get him?”
he exploded.
Sit* turned full upon him. it was as If
rhe petals of the hollyhock fell wider
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apart. "Because 1 want K> drive Mo.ilie
—that’s why!”
”G«'t up. Mollie.” chirruped Winnefred.
stealing a glance at the house, blit she
was obliged to reach for the whip be
fore she was heeded. Then, wltf. a
strange preliminary movement, in wli.-ca
every leg shot out at a different angle,
the mare gathered herself tojreiner.
El wood reached for the reins, but he
was too late. They went curveting into
the main street. Unmindful of the jeers
that followed them, on went Mollie. The
stiff side curtains of the buggy stood
out in the wind like ears. It swayed
from side to side like a drunken thing,
it dogged her closely, and WTnnefrcd's
laughter but tended to increase her ex
citement. But as they neared the out
skirts of the village, the conviction grew
upon Mollie that she could not get away
from her pursuer. She gradually came
to a standstill, trembling in every limb.
Winnefred covered her face. “And yon
thought she couldn't go.”
Her companion stared straight ahead.
She leaned toward him. It was as if a
0 very wind of penitence swayed her.
"Please forgive me,” she whispered. ”1
never dreamed of her attracting so lnuoli
attention. But if we’d gone the other
way, grandma would have seen us from
her window. You see. she's threatened
to have Mollie shot, and 1 couldn’t leave
her home.”
"She ought to be shot."
It was as if a counter-current swept
the girl in the opposite direction. "Oh!”
she cried, “you’re barbarous. You should
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have heard .Mr. Wharton’s last sermon.”
Harry Wharton was a young theolog
ical student who carried himself in in
nocent imitation of a Catholic priest
During the summer lie had been reading
tiie service in the Episcopal church and
introducing the full ritual. He was pop
ular among the girls of the village, but
Norman El wood disliked him fiercely
on account of his attentions to Winne
fred. Now her sh.»t told.
\t*‘] 1. when 1 go and listen to thai
idiot you’ll know it.”
“Oh. you can t go now. Didn’t yon
know that he was sick?”
Tiie note of anxiety, reai or. assumed,
was By no means lost upon Elwood. He
relapsed into an angry silence. An hour’s
laborious plodding brought them in sight
of the slirlne. which was on the sum
mit ota hill.
In Uye immediate vicinity of the shrine
was a spring which was said to have
been blessed by Father Marquette, and
at the conclusion of the service the peo-
plo moved off in groups toward it.
"They’ge going to got bottles of the holy’
watery” she explained. Alike had to he
back in time for the milking, and she
waited only for him to be gone. Then:
“I’m going down there.” she announced.
”1 want to see If any crutches and cones
are thrown away.”
THe young man watched her scornfully.
Presently he saw. her returning and a
jealous suspicion flashed across his brain.
Ke put off down hill. Norman helpetl
Winnefred into the buggy and then stood
back.
“Oh. I understand.” cried the girl;
“you prefer to walk.”
Elwood flushed. “Yes. I do prefer to
walk.” !P» returned, “and when you want
to get any more holy water for your
sick CatHollc priest, you can get some
one else to go with you. 1 won’t. You
did get a bottle of the stuff, didn’t you?”
he iinlsheff, quickly.
But he got no answer. Driving off she
invested the old buggy with as much state
as a Roman chariot.
Hers was a sweet nature, which here
tofore had accommodated itself readily
to her lover’s stronger, more dictatorial’
one. She had' never quarreled with him
before. She wept most of the night and
Mollie’s danger was forgotten. The
next day. however, the sight of a boy
with a rifle, speeding down the lane which
led to the pasture, caused her to rush to
the door. Her rheumatic old grand
mother was asleep in the next room.
I nit she never lowered her voice.
"Stop. Tommy "Watkins!” she called
loudly. "Stop. I say.”
The boy wheeled about and Winnefred
wenT panting up to him.
"Where are you going with the gun?”
she demanded.
He stole a keen glance at Tier. "Oh. 1
ain’t goin' far.”
She caught hold of his sleeve. “Did
Mike send you for the gun?” she asked.
“Has he got Molly down there?”
“No. Mike didn’t send me for the gun."
“Who did, then?”
“Mr. Elwood. He said Mike’s old flint
lock wa’n’t no good; that I was to run
up to the hotel and get his, I must go
long now," and he twisted away from
her.
“Give it to me,” she commanded, but
he shook his head.
“I wouldn't come. Miss Penn, if I was
you." he panted. “You can’t do nothin'.”
But Winnefred, with a strange look on
her face, was close at his side. They
sped down the lane together.
In the pasture, three boys stood near
Mike O'Neil and the old horse. Alike
had broken AT..L1 e as a colt. The pasture
ran through to a back street, and Nor
man Elwood leaned against the fence.
He gave a great start and a flush when
he turned and saw Winnefred.
She walked straight up to the mare,
and her flashing eyes swept the group
“Come on. Alollie.” she said, in a loud,
clear voice. She caught hold of tiie
dangling halter.
Mik.- had been in Mrs. Allen’s service
forty years, and it had never occurred to
him to disobey an order. He turned and
looked at Norman appealingly.
The young man strode forward. The
mingled fury and misery in the girl's
face touched him. He completely forgot
Ids anger toward her.
"Look here, Winnefred.” he said gently.
T wouldn't interfere if I were you. It’s
bv far tiie most humane Ray when a
horse is in the condition she Is. But
it’s no place for you. dear.
“And is it your place?" she interrupted.
“Since when has the killing of old horses
been your business. Norman Elwood?"
He reddened “You’re right. It isn’t
my affair. But I was passing and I hap
pened to notice Alike’s gun. It’s an old
flintlock; it might explode,
it, Winnefred, I knew how
eared for tiie horse, and so
thy rifle and was going to
how to put tiie poor beast
misery in an instant. Hi
And. hang
much you
1 sent for
show him
out of her
avens!” he
finished, “I hope you don’t think I’d
mix ut> in an affair of this kind from
choice.”
“Take your rifle with you,” she called,
but he swung on unheeding and vaulted
the fence. “Take it to him. Tommy.”
she ordered, and the boy started to obev.
But at the fence he faced around o“
Alike.
“Ain’t you goin’ to want it?” he asked
in a protesting vole.e.
The old man stared from one to the
other, helplessly. Tommy flung himself
over the fence and the two other boys
followed, but once on the other side their
disdain found expression. "Fore I’d be
such a ninnyhead as to be seart out by
a woman;” they yelled.
But Mike feared a sterner disapproval
tiutn theirs. “What’ll I be after sayin’ to
Airs. Allen?” he quavered. “Jest lell me
that.”
AA’innefred looked at him in a strained
way as if she did not fairly see him.
"Don’t say anything.” she said dully.
“I’m the one to blame. Don’t say any
thing.’ Then suddenly she dropped her
head against the mare’s neck.
She was unconscious of the sympathy
in a pair of boyish eyes peering at her
over the fence, and not until Tommy
Watkins touched her arm waa she aware
that he had returned.
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