Newspaper Page Text
■ -
wiv/uijft '.r lofty.
I fIOR®A.
,(Jill's If 1 '
pi WP
Tbiorih
tlie Land
$ Hears ia
to-ndfiBiossoiHS Grow
ibSt
r.T«n of Yellow Fever
Tcvlluloid Beefsteak
' jjiH'uits—Bive Oak
hJPV
How u Upon
Kiver.*’
o:
f oin
trees topped
are
jjpal 1
laity 01
L;.rJ’ 1
l
its
tint place.
here,
till:
lever struck.
Jitrak that you
igf*" 1
pointed at, while a row of Confederate
soldiers' craves, 'enclosed with rott.i::-
planksare on the road side.' Even
tl. - Yankees ;! : > norVemove their dead
from this h otL-ihl . a< most of the
.slain on side acre negto troops,
ami their b lies are still mouldering in
th" trendies wliete they were hastily
hi; i -1 and the winds sigh n ' through
the pities sing their funeral reqi i -m.
The battle of Oiustee is noted as the
first important conflict i. where negro
troops conspicuously figured, and was*
one of the greatest slaughter pens
knowu in the war, Fort Pillow perhaps
excepted.
I h HV'Y? ^‘at the Federal troops,
covipose 1 largely of * riegro
weremo.ing across the country from
Jacksonville, leached Sims, Finnegan
and Colquitt, wjio were in camp at Live
O.i iy nd despite the f; ct that the i n -my
out numbered them five to one, these
▼. liantofficers iu: r lied out to meet
them. When Oiustee Station wrs
reachf|P, videttes brought in the. news
th it the Federate were immediately in
front, and Fennegan pressed forward
his men to meet them, and about 2
miles down the railroad found his an-
IVt rifled buis- j tagonists drawn up in battle array, and
can only cut j elated with confidence of an easy vic-
Jtiv i? a
r y !n lorost Along the
Way-
V11 Oct. II.-Dear Ban-
•i un-liound here, Imv-
' wa 5 t four hours
, ^waked up this uiorn-
' ,r;iiiy hour of 4:30. Live
i7 ',. 0 [ I.ula, and the
trains most forcibly
There is a
bill of fare is
L", and sausage that
, i dojj smells. Live Oak
u ,| lt . place where the yellow
Lillies halt. We think a man
•toiivo liviv would lind a case
" kversi pleasant relief from
N j |)e ai „i monotonous life lie
p There arc no wells m the
J’wl.entlie cisterns give out
> telw le liruled tiiree miles from
Lpiml, and i- l® Idled to the
I g said many Northern
.winter at Live Oak.. If this be
•south is avenged for all her
I
Misiiiv
made the acquaintance of Mr.
VcnlKuion, emigration coimnis-
for Florida, and am indebted to
,{ hi/company as a means
several otherwise weary hours,
ijw*gft-at deal of valuable infor-
jjuK'U! tic's State and its resoui-
)Ir. YoaD •mon is an Ohioan, but
asiunch Dun- crat ami a great bfe-
in Florida and her future, lie
fcouc is on die verge of one of
(£*p;t booms ever known.
f Florida is peculiarly
ilto tin* Sami pears, grapes and
>,:i:nl oranges can be successful-
J|irtiri'.;My raised around Lake
a pine land it requires the
fertilizers. The Indian
arc iln* finest. ITarnock
t; or tv.« :ny miles from the rail-
aak-lia-.l at £15 per acre, and a
travel orange trees is a fortune
owm*r. An orange grove, liow-
ftaiiv- as lunch care and atten-
alaly, n»>;1 to make a success of
REi.» a man must not rVIy upon
ni<‘pear and Kelsey pltun—
>r fruit growing as large as a
ft! itii;! of delightful flavor aid
"?;•••! for shipping—are growing
ikr as nrauge. culture, and a
i'll of attention is paid to these
i s nv hundreds of acres in Le-
psartrees, but noticed tiie fiuit-
>1 lrie< at Live O ik. As far as
fomented, however, even the
^ here appear to be suffering from
®s**L and 1 believe even a sledge-
tkr 'vouldiiT escape the disease in
fr-iry saml-bank.
f^reane i< ib e staple, crop here,
t fanner tells me lie made 15
, of wrap per acre. Y"ou see
•fstaplcs for s:ne at every store, and
, l H * :lnu: in Georgia, sugar cane
’l®"' ' s S!l >d to be the great pastime
loriO.i legislators. In fact, it is
W "P° n by the solous as a sort of
Blood,
^"eeii Jasper and Live Oak we
rt'v Smvanee river, made famous
^ tr - aml song. A single glance,
eTfr ’ at ' ts black, sluggish waters
l be romance attached to the
3 > out of me. I think a poet could
J y*n y as much enthusiasm and
^'on from one of
1,5 mini hole* as this
J'jjeSVanee river
'iinee
tory Over their weak antagonists.
Here the soldiers learned that they
must fight negro soldiers, and their
blood boiled with indignation and
hatred, and the cry went along the line
that no qnartre must be asked or
given.
The two armies met in the barren
wa te we have described, and separated
by a i.arrow swamp, that had a dry
ridge probably 20 yards wide passing
through it, an artillery duel at once
took place, that was plainly heard at
Lake City and all the neighboring
towns. Owing to the thick pines, how
ever, no great execution was done,
there being more men killed and wound
ed by the falling t;e • tops than by shot
and shell. At this instant the Yankees
attempted to charge and press back the
Confederates. They came in three
solid columns, tlie first two formed of
negro troops, while at their ’•ear came
the white soldiers with fixe l bays nets,
and instructed to impair the first black
soldier that flinched. It was from
Oiustee that the famous message was
sent to Abraham Lincoln stating that
“the colored troops fought bravely.”
The Yankee lines pressed for the nar
row passage-way between the swamp,
which was guarded by the Confederate
artillery. They literally marched into
the jaws of death, and were mowed
down by the 'hundreds, the solid shot
and shell placing paths “ through their
ranks. In front, these green negro sol
diers were met by a death-dealing rain
of lead and iron, while at their rear
was the unbroken phalanx of
white soldiers with lire and gleaming
bayonets, pressing the victims on to
the slaughter. To advance or retreat
meant certain death. As soon as one
line was moved down other men were
showed no
/ to the prisoners or tlie wounded.
I be Confederates lost heavily in this
battle. The victory of Oiustee placed a
check upon the invasion of Northern
Florida.
l be train is now approaching Jack
sonville ami J ipust stop.
Lakk Gu v. o Cf . 12.—Dear li.vx-
x R: After going “all around Robin
Hood’s barn to g. t iu at the back door”
l arrived at thi# place yesterday at noon
a id after registering at the hotel, found
it run by Mr. A. B. Howard, who intro
duced himself to us by asking after Col.
C. Washington Baldwin, Col, Morton
and other distinguished Athenians.
Lake City is one of the coining towns
in Western Florida. It contains 2,500
inhabitants,- the State Agricultural Col
lege is located here, besides several
other fine educational institutions.
The citizens personally speak of it as
the “Athens of Florida.”
Tlie town is one of the oldest in this
section of the State, being an old Indian
trading port, and was settled by the
whites in 1S37. From the looks of
many of tlie houses they may have been
constructed of lumber from Noah’s ark.
A good system of water works is here,
being supplied from one of the numer
ous lakes that surround the place. I
remarked to one of tlie citizens, how
ever, that it would have been best f r
their town to have had a few sweeping
fires before investing in water works.
There are, however many handsome
private residences here, and the new
stores going up are modern structures
of brick. There is also a knitting mill
here that gives employment to about
50 givls, and its capacity will soon be
largely increased. Several otjUr u.u::-
ufaeturing enterprises are in pr '»pec
tus for Lake City, including the alibps
for the G., S. & F. R. It.
Lake City is built upon a va-t sand
bank, and you can’t cross a stn-ei with
out it coming over your shoe mouth.
The sidewalks are all of plank. The
streets are narrow and bordered v\ ith
large water oaks, lestooned \vi h moss.
In every yard you see orange, pear and
peach trees, tlie former fruit ju t be
ginning to turn. While this is not the
orange belt proper, they are sue ess-
fiilly raised iiere, and the fruits are re
markable for their rliinds and delight
ful flavor. The crop never fails. When
the season opens farmers biiug oranges
into town by the cart load, and peddle
them oi^at 25 cents per hundred..
This is a magnificent vegetable sec
tion—the best in Florida—and is des
tined to became a vast truck farm,
lb • soil is sandy hamroek. is dry and
easily cultivated an J very productive.
From 20 to 40 bushels of corn per acre,
but two principal products are sugar
cane and long staple cotton.
Lake City deserves its name from the
fact that a chain of lovely lakes sur
rounds the town on all sides. These
bodies of fresh am! crystal water vary
from several miles in length to a few
acres. Many of them arc connected by
underground streams. They abound
in aiigators, but the boys keep the ali-
gators thinned out in town. Mr. Baya
tells us that a short time ago he found
What was Seen in this Old
Spanish City.
A Slice of the Sixteenth Century Trans
planted ia Amend
now a
receding
tide, lias witnessed the distruction of
nnny a proud ship i:i the treacherous- -
sands of Bird island,and tho rcuuiarnts'
of these wrecks j.re seen to tins day-
Once a company of Fraueiscians went
down iu sight of their conv nr., and
a cross was set u;» i»n the island ni mem
ory of certain uuus who aivt a similar
The Narrow Streets and Quaint
Buildings.
Historical
Incidents and
Interest.
Points of
The Palacial Hotels and Miracles
Wrought by Money.
THE HISTORY AND ATTRACTIONS
OF THE PLACE.
Kind reader, jpicture to yourself a
slice clipped from the Spain in the
sixteenth century and transplanted in
the New World, arid you have St. Au
gustine. In treading the narrow
streets of this old town—across some
of which neighbors eau claq> hands
from the overhanging balconies—with
their quaint buildings and high walls,
built of coquina stone; with glimpses
of waving palms, orange trees laden
with ripening fruit, oleanders as large
around their trunk as a man’s body,and
the great wealth of tropical fruitflqw-
ers and foliage; with the half-buried
and rusty old cannon on every corner;
and looming up in the distance tlie
frowning walls of tlie old fortress—and
it only requires a stretch of the imagi
nation to people this ancient city with
the warriors of Jastile.
While the hand of progress is at work
Iiere changing and remodelling tlie old
nothing but a aquatic game and ani- T e old 14 ht-ho-.ise,
mals could exist. Broad avenues, p3ved pile offstone disclosed by t ic
with asphalt aiul ns dry and sinoo. li as
a parlor floor, now cover space once
traversed by tin* boats of the Seminoles,
the rude crafts of tlie Majorcans, or
hygafteys propelled by Spanisheouvicts.
Where the hotel Alcazar now stands a
broad and deep stream, only a few years
ago. flowed. Tlie grounds occupied by
the Ponce de Leon and other modern
^nhe-es in St. A agusLae were rec!s&l
ed from the marsh, being filled in to
the depth of several feet.
This great work is due to the enter
prise and capital of one man, Mr. Ilenry
P. Flagler, of New Y"ork. He it was
who rescued this old Spanish city from
decay, and bj- the magic wand of money
transformed it into au earthly Para
dise, With the millions he aunually
.extorts from the poor of our country by
levying a usurious taxjipon their light
and very eye-sight, has this gentleman
buildcd in this far-away and decaying
corner of tlie South a winter city such
as America lias never before seen. Mr.
Flagler is as much responsible ' for this
New St. Augustine as was Phillip II
and his Captain, Menetidey, for the con
struction cf Ike old fort Ent guards its
harbor. To him St. Augustine is as a
petted child. He lavishes upon her the
fullness of his purse. With Mr. Flagler
a whim is to aet. Money is the “Open
seasame” that gratifies his every wish
and accomplishes ends and overcomes
obstacles that almost seem impossibil
ities. He has actually changed the
handiwork of nature, and forced the
sea to yield to him its territory to trans
form it into building sites and pleasure
grounds. To show the liberality and
enterprise of Mr. Flagler, 1 will site one
instance: The Presbyterian church
stood on a lot that he wanted. He de
molished this building, and erected fo»-
the congregation another magnificent
house of worship. He also built tine
churches for other denomina
tions. He has pav d from
his own pocket miles of streets with
asphalt, and is now constructing a
market house and making the linest
I baseball grounds in America, the latter
houses, there yet Pngers- around St
Augustine characteristics of the Old ! by filling in a'swamp.
World, to be found nowhere else in j Wh(Jn Mr> Flagler first came to Flor-
Anierica. i jq-i he tried to buv a tract of waste land
This town was originally compactly : at j ack30nvi iie, but could not do so. He
built, covering a narrow strip of land thencameto S t. Augustine, and in-
surrounded on three sides by water,and V8gted in lhat c ; ty . This was a fatal
a walk of less than half a mile would OV ersiglit on the part of Jacksonville,
carry you across it. San Marco guard- : for his investment there would have
cd the entrance of the barbor, whieh is ; been the ma kiugof that city. Mr. Flag-
so narrow that a shot fired from the j er a ] so 0 v V nes a controlling interest in
open sea would strike its walls. From j many 0 f t h e railways in Florida, and it
the fort a wall extended from river to ; j s j n 'his power to build up or retard the
river, with a flooded moat in front, the gvow th of any place in that State.
< illy entrance t^the city being by a, Onl- the pen of Washington Irving,
narrow gate flanked on each side by :
towers. These pillars and a short sec- 1
tion of the wall still remain, and are i
religiously preserved by the inhabitants. (
In the centre of the town is the Plaza,
a small park once used as a drilling
pushed forward to lake the place of the an aligator in front of his store door
slain. The Confederate side of the when he opened it in the morning. The
swamp was finally reached, and tlie lie- thing bad evidently started to crawl
groes rushed up to’the very missiles .of from one lake to other, but daylight
our numerous
“Way down
is growing iu
is determined
Below
O 'd>einon tells me the Farmer’s
! movement is
and l,e believes
J* Possession of the
members are using cotton bag-
rtL r 0n S sti >Me, but not generally
a T .L g G. n *
°Wstkr Statiox, Fla.,
L fi October lltli, 3889.
^ j/ n, ° ’ train has
«eWiT,° aantl ’* ater on th e bis
ItatuJJ!' 1 0l . 01l >stec, I seize the
fetid ‘ . t0 wnte a few lines. This
“Bug. *' l,! ? 1lt directly on the line
fiubo ” * ttiihvay, about twelve
Ulsdbvtl ,Fhe * 8
^snie Jr™*** Oiustee, from
t mju v 10 ,le!lr est station, about
hut the Gerais
^?*aeof ? “ Poud ’ wllich is
11 tattle ij l ai}?c lake a * Oiustee.
Bowi
rt NCi U J eVer ’ ' va * fought in ..
‘or re 4 s ( i l f ,Iley wo °ds, with neither
in Bight. Tlie field
!. fh,, ^ was tlie.day aftw the
,0f «UltK « ‘ 6a ndy plain, too
f t4S3a ‘ V . atlon > a «d covered with
a E& w palmetto. The
I
the Confederate guns. Our ranks be
gan to yield to superior numbers, and
it seemed that fate was agains the gal
lant Finnegan, when Colquitt with liis
brigade of veterans flew to tlie rescue,
and quickly turned the tide. Never
did men fight harder, or do more effec
tive work. And among the officers
who signalized themselves on that day
was Col. J. H. Huggins, now of Flori
da. At a most critical time he threw
his regiment at the thickest of tho fight,
and to this valiant soldier, as much as
any other man, is due tlie victory of
Oiustee.
Even the superior numbers of the
enemy could not long stand before such
determined valor as the Confederate
troops that day showed. Charge upon
charge was made to break our lines, hut
each was repelled with fresh slaughter
The negro ranks could not longer be
priven forward, then a retreat was or
dered that soon became a carnage
Disceptatiou could no longer be main
tained and only the shades of night
saved the Federals from extermination.
Col. Blount, Treasurer of Florida, is
on the train with me, and pointed out
the principal points of the battle ground
as he passed through it. He, at the
time of the fight lived near by, where
he still resides. While the battle was
being fought a girl baby was born to tlie
gentleman and his lady, and as the lit
tie Stranger was rushed into the world
amid the booming of cannons and the
rattle of musketry, it was ebristined
“Oiustee.” This infant is now happi
ly married, and we hope her declining
years will be more peaceful than the
stormy day that marked her existence.
Col.Blount tells mejthat theFedaerlJarmy
advanced and returned by his door, but
did not molest his family, being con
tent with searching his smokehouse and
barns.
He says lie went over the field the
da}* after the fight, audit was certainly
a horrible sight. He saw a number of
neighbors with a bayonet driven
through their forehead, for so enr
were the soldiers at haying to fight
overtook it and so it decided to remain
in the street.
Many of the private residences in
Lake City front on these pounds and
the citizens have pleasure boats for a
row or sail. This is one of,the healthi
est and most delightful spots in Flori
da, and is destiued to become not
only a great commercial and manufac
taring centre hat a popular water re
sort.
I am indebted to Mr. J. D. Calloway,
g prosperous young merchant who was
born in Lexington, Ga., and nephew to
Mr. Wm Weatherly, of Athens, foa i
most enjoyable stay in Lake City. Sat
urday he took us on a drive over the
place and we inspected the State Col
lege, the water works, lake fronts and
other points of interest in and around
town. Mr. Callowy is doing a fine bus
iness here, and owns a great deal of
property in this plaoe. We visited him
at his home last night, and spent a most
pleasant time.
Property here is pretty high. The
people of Lake City realize the fact that
there is a big future in store for them
and appreciate their real estate.
I leave at 11 this a. m. for Oiustee
battle ground and from which point
will go to Jacksonville and St, August
tine.
Will return home about Wednesday
T. L. G
Fine Weather,
We never saw better weather for get
ting the cotton crop gathered, and it
will soon he all out. The staple is un
usually good, and much of it would
rank as strict middling but for being so
badly cut up by fast ginning. Farmers
should look into this trouble in prepar
ing their crops for market. The county
ia in a more prosperous condition than
it has been since the war.
' The G., C. & N. Road.
Mr. A. L. Hull tells us that there are
no new developments in regard the
Georgia, Carolina and Northern road.
A large number of hands are
at work grading in South Carolina, hue
it is not known when dirt will he bro
ken on this side of the rivei.
the word painter of the beauty and
magnificence of tlie Alhambra in Gren
ada, could describe the Ponce dc Leon.
This btvlding is a lit setting to this
lovely tropical country, with its blue
skies and romantic surroundings. The
ourid for soldiers, hut now ornament- • Hotel Ponce de Leon, in the beauty and
ed with trees, shrubbery, flowers and harmony of its parts, furnish a token of
fountains, and utilized by the inhabi
tants and visitors as a retreat from the
scorching sumays. In tlie Plaza there
ire two monuments, built of stone
formed of cement, but of neither im
posing proportions or unusual artistic
merit. One of these was erected by the
ladies of St. Augustine in memory of
their dead who fell battling under the
stars and bars. The thousands ofNorth-
ern visitors who read its inscription are
told that this simple shaft eommemo-
old Castile, the mother of artists and
architects and Craftsmen. The hiiilvl-
ing'and its surroundings are more like
a beautiful dream, and it was the happy
fortune of tlie dreamer to transform
the shadowy pleasure-dome of fancy
, into substantial, concrete reality.
! The main building with the court
covers one and one-half acres, and tlie
, dining hall and other buildings one and
j one-half acres more. The towers rise
; 105 feet against the sky. The hotel has
rates tlie South’s heroic dead, who 4~,o rooms, each in adornment and fur-
yielded up their lives for their native
land and the cause they thought just.
The other monument was erected in
nishing a gem within itself. The main
material is shell concrete. Brick is
used in the arches and window jambs;
1313 by Spain, to celebrate the adoption | and the corbies, balconies and ornaments
by that government of a liberal consti
tution. Similar shafts were placed in
all the Spanisli provinces; but when
Ferdinand VII mounted the throne his
first act was to repudiate the constitu
tion adopted by his government, after
solemnly promising to observe it, and
as these monuments were a constant
reproach to his duplicity lie ordered
them all destroyed, which command
was obeyed, and the monument on the
Plaza was taken down and buried. But
when the United States purchased the
city the shaft was reconstructed, and
with its inscription, ending with the
s juare and compass—a Masonic em
blem—stands today on American soil as
a monument to the treachery and tyr
anny of an alien government and the
oppression of a helpless people by a
despotic ruler.
But in sight of this old shaft stands
another and a far more costly and impo
sing monument, erected only a few
years since by a nineteenth century
despot, who, under the protecting wing
of the laws of our country, has
exercised a tyranny more oppressiveand
burtliensorae than the mendates of tlie
Spanish Crown. This third monument
ia hotel Ponce de Leon, erected at the
cost of light for the American people.
The new? - portion of St. Augustine is
built on land reclaimed from the sea—
where the marsh lien once reared her
young: where the hoarse bellowing
of the alligator disturbed the lonely
Spanish sentinel as he guarded the
sleeping city from the watch-tower;
where once flowed hold streams that
furnished the starving inhabitants
with food during a seige. This spot is
now filled in and covered with the most
magnificent palaces; with gardens and
pleasure grounds adorned with every
tree and plant that yields shade, fruit
and fragrance; stately houses of wor
ship are here erected, aud the iron
horse traverses and passengers embark
and disembark where a few years ago
are of terra cotta.
Passing through the gateway and tiie
portico we enter the fountain court,
which is beautiful beyond description.
Turn which way you will in this court,
there are charming combinations of
light and shade. Upon the decoration of
the interior of the building, the skill of
the most renowned sculptors, painters
and artisans of all kinds has been lav
ishly spent. Mr. Flagler determined
to erect an architectural monument for
this age and land, and he has accom
plished his ends.
St. Augustine to-day is as thoroughly
an American city as our own Athens.
With the sale of this territory the Span
iards returned home, lcaviug nothing
behind to mark their sojourn oir‘ our
shores hut mouldering walls and re
minders of their bigotry, intolerance and
cruelty. In winter the city is filled
with Northern tourists,who come to this
balmy clime in quest of health or pleas
ure. During the summer, the negro
population predominates. There are
yet seen the descendants of the Minor-
cans, who were brought here in 1709
from the Balearic islands in the Medi
terranean, under false promises, and
afterwards subjected . to cruel treat
ment.
In front of the town lies the Island of
Anatasia, on which the light house is
built. The old light house, first used
as a look-out in 1586—when it gave warn
ing to the inhabitants of the city that
the English sea-king, Francis Drake,
was approaching on his way home from
pillaging the cities of tlie Spanish Main
—was blown into the sea one June night
of 1880. 1742 the Georgia troops under
Oglethorpe captured this look-out and
from the island bombarded the fort
The new light-house resembles a gigan
tic barber pole, and on looking at its
colored stripes the visitor inadvertently
feels his chin to see if he needs a shave.
It is on Anatasia island that the co
quina deposits are faun*’,
and although -worked for
more rVin three centuries, the sup
ply seems undiminished. Coqulax i%
forme.; of shell deposits cut oil from
the so iby intervening sand bars, and
in course of time is partially dissolved
by water and] firmly cemented to-
getherin a coinj a -t mass of shell stone.
It is soft and very easily quarried.
At the southern extremity of Anata-
sia island is the inlet of. Matansas, often
visited because of its ruined fort, erect
ed even before Santo Marco* and its
fine fishing grounds. A hotel is erect
ed here. During the second Spanish
war this old fort was garrisoned by ne
gro troops. At Matansas the massacre
of the Huguenots occurred in 1565.
These me’n. were wrecked, and Meuen-
dez, the Spanish commander, induced
them, iiuder a promise of protection,
tc come on hoard, his ship, where they
were all put to death in the name of
religion.
In Sf. Augustine, I visited the Bar
racks built on the site of the Spanish
convent and at the north end of the
sea wall. Near by is the ol lest house
in St. Augustine, recently remodelled,
and in its yard the trunk of the «1 lest
p T m tree in America, that was k lied
by the great fr t, but the gig: u ic
stalk is still preserved by a cap of ti i.
I also walked through the military-
cemetery, where bare three large
pyramids of masonry, forming the
the tambs of ofiiceis and men who lest
their lives in the Seminole war. A
memorial shaft is called the “Dade-
Monument,” because more than one
hundred of the soldiers interred here
lost their lives in that tragical massacre
It will be remembered that in August
18 Dade and a command of
troops, 110 all told, were carelessly
murcliiug from Fort Brook to Fort
King, through an open pine barren.
Without an instant’s warning—from
pine, from palmetto shrub aud from the
very grass at their feet—burst upon
them the shrill war-whoop, the flashing
and cracking of ritl**s, and the whist
ling, deadly aim of bullets. Sixty of
the troop fell deadly wounded. The
rest rallied, trained the cannon and at-'
tempted to form a breastwork of logs;
but in vain. In quick succession, cue
after another, they fell. Had the earth
yawned to swallow them like the army
of Korah, the obliteration could iiuvie
been little more complete. Of the
men, three miserably won tided,dragged
themselves away, two soon after to die
of their wounds. Col. Blount, Treas
urer of Florida, tells me£that liis father
narrowly escaped being witli Major
Dade on that bloody day,having reached
Fort Brook soon after the soldiers had
left, and was detained by some iruex-
peoted occurrence.
Since the building of new railroads
through Georgia and Florida, Athens
and St. Augustine are brought near to
gether. I left that old city late Sunday
afternoonjand tookdiuner tho not*
day at home.
It will well repay our people to visit
this quaint ami historic old city. The
cost of the trip is small, while the anti
quarian, the sportsmen or pleasure-
seeker will find a broad and in
viting field for an exercise and gratifi
cation of his peculiar taste.
I feel that I am due our patient-read
ers an apology for my extended letters
—and I have material enough left to
write as many more—but the trip was
such a pleasant, interesting and in
structive one to me that I could not re
sist the temptation to recount what I
have seen to The Banner patrons.
T. L. G.
holding tiieir cotton.
The AUianeemen are Not SeUing.and Bus
iness is Dull.
Not only is Athens, but all over tlie
South, there is complaint of stagnation
in business, owing to the fact that the
Farmer’s Alliance are holding hack
their cotton. The bales as soon as gin
ned are laid away - at home, waiting for
their warehouse to be completed. Mer
chants are gloomy oyer the otlook, for
their bills will soon begin to fall due,
and they are depending on the farmer’s
cotton to pay them ‘ off. Tlie Alliance
leaders say their members will certainly
pay accounts as soon as they mature,
hut if cotton declines will borrow mon
ey on it.
Within the last few days an unusual
ly large number of white bales are com
ing into market, and many of them
have from ni ne to ten ties. Before The
Banner made this suggestion the farm
ers were considering the question of
making up the 24 pounds tore taken off
by using old guanno sacks under the
catton bagging.
Governor Hill was greeted right voc
ally in Atlanta yesterday. Governor
Hill is a popular man and lias been
given many a reception, but nonemorev
enthnsi
pie hay