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VOL. XV.
*r i ? h i E CAVE SEEKERS.
A TRIP TO MOUNTAIN HILL IN
SEARCH OF WONDER CAVE.
IKarvela of the Imagination A Search
for the rnVnown.- Is the Cave
a Myth. j«VUio Knows I
The Columbus Enquirer of last
Sunday contained a piece of inform
ation that produced a sensation
wherever read in Harris county, save
perhaps at the place of its birth—
Mountain Hill. The article was
signed “Lum D.,” a name familiar to
ike readers of the Journal, and it
stated that a wonderful cave had been
discovered by the writer and two
other well known young men of
Mountain Hill. A graphic descript
ion was given of their lucky find, de
tailing minutely the sights under ground so
as to arouse the interest of
every reader, at the same time leav
ing his curiosity unsatisfied.
In Hamilton the cave was the sub
ject of conversation whenever two or
more people met. Tn all its bearings
and in every possible shape it was
discussed. Some of our townsmen
were familiar with the German peak
and some knew where the stream at
the mouth of the cave issues from the
mountain’ *.. ,j * A. Some believed ev
c-ry word of the account, others be
SSiHfxSSS in
lived west of town who came was
questioned for information, but no
body b ° y from the neighborhood of the
cave came m. The cave mountain
is; as the ciow fiici, only seven or
eight miles distant from Hamilton
and by Wednesday morning the pent
up curiosity of the town could stand
it no longer. Doubt could be dis¬
solved only by an investigation, and
ten men, brave and true, decided to
brave the fear of derision and inves
tigate. When the cavalcade left town
three of the truth seekers were confi¬
dent, three were hopeful at best and
four had no faith at all. The repor¬
ter of the Journal confesses to a
place among the first class enumerat¬
ed—he had faith strong enough to
move mountains or to find caves in
them.
The day was balmy and the ride
enjoyable. The upper road to Moun¬
tain Hill runs parallel to Pine moun
tain as far as Blue Spring, where it
bears north-west for a short distance
until it crosses the mountains, run
rung thence west through a wild
country that only at long intervals
suggests anything akin to civilization,
a together the ride was full of inter
At and pleasure and the persen finds who
njakes it for the first time and
not emotions of pleasure at every
change vVm in the grand panorama sensibilities must
to all the finer
u nature ij
h e 'l P e he^e ,mnn the
road, bu L. t nnneof M fMLed vere anowed Sour
to pass questioned to their
mission or as
knowHdffe fr^ve of the cave. Nobody
net us any information and
when-e Wz.en drove up i to Squire A Smith’s
..w
store, m the town of Mountain Hm,
not . o.ie • ^ Oi r ,. c ‘ „q qAr on caves
T. lvit 1 nom e . \y e had
mountain _ which ,. .
the German
OO SlV'HT estively upon our left, but
- r o it about it suggested
not g upon or
’ z.h or the ::T f J IT of ie cave
JOSEPH L-DENNIS,
PROPRIETOR.
article. The German peak was
tirely non committal.
Sc were the citizens of
Hill or so they seemed to the
score truth seekers. All except
Lum Duke, whom we found
after our arrival. His
was open and his replies to plied the
tions with which the party
were frank and clear. He and
two friends with him had
the cave Friday. Its entrance
about half a mile east of where
stood. It was entered with
and the exploration was not full,
though they had remained in it
hours. The temperature on
seemed slightly cooler than it was
the outside, but further in the
it was warmer. The lake was
yards across they thought and its
they could not ascertain for
sloping banks. The chamber the m
the gun was found was on
side. He had brought the gun
rel out with hira. Only the iron
parts of the gun remained. It
a flint and steel rifle. It was down
at his father’s, two miles south
Mountain Hill. He would go with
us to the cave at once—he and one
of his friends who had explored the
cave with him. They were ready
goat once.
So Mr. Duke talked, the questions
chatechisedfor ten minutes and
the close cf his examination a count
of noses developed eight
and two doubters. One
doubter had his doubts'
and one of the original believers
°
changed his faith ’changed
The cavalcade its front
an d proceeded back in the
of the German mountain.
Mr. Duke would not accept of
seat in the first buggy, nor in q ie
second, h e third, the fourth or the
fifth. Neither would Mr. Smith. A
neighbor was directed to pilot us to
a certain spot, where Mr. Duke and
Mr. Smith would meet us when
had procured a rope ladder from the
mill. The neighbor guided the ten
truth seekers to the spot designated ;
a spot at the base of German moun
tain. Here, by the purling mountain
brook, that goes merrily by on its
way to the sea, we spread our dinner
upon the green sward, ’neath the
umbrageous trees, and sated the ap
petite that our long ride had whetted
keen. Then we waited. The
_ shaft the of .
er, crops, mineral state
the republic, the Woolfolk murder,
the Horne homicide, anything, every
thing was discussed Twenty min
utes, thirty, forty, fifty, an hour pass
ed and stfil no rope ladder was p-c
duced. I hen we went in searen oi
the German cave. Our leader could
n’t find it, but he found an
nitv to lose himself from us. Then
another Mountain Hiilier failed to
answer to roll call Another still was
avowed to go tc*- he “ to J "
nao happened to tne and DO) S. A “ iS truth iei[
only two neighbors showed ten
seekers and our watches us
mat , ior £ uiuic ore q uiau ian two t hours we had
been waiting for the ladder.
“Boys, if you don’t go home pretty
soon Tp we will will, ” remarked remarked a a mena >
neighbor. So v.e hooze- -P ojr
horses and
“Silently, silently stole away.”
HAMILTON, GA., AUGUST
In the weirdest point of the road
beyond the Blue . Spring the writer
and his companion, the advance
guard, met two barefooted' urchins
whom we interrogated:
“Boys, have you heard of the cave
found over here in the mountain?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is it on the German peak?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is there any lake in it ?”
“In what?”
“The cave.”
“What cave ?”
“The German cave.”
“No, sir, 1 havn’t heard of no
cave.”
EDITORIAL NOTES.
Pay your money and take your
choice. A Savannah man advertises
photographs-* $3 per dozen and
another Savannah man advertises, a
complete photographic outfit for only
$2.50.
President Williamson, of the
Chattanooga, Rome & Columbus
railroad, in an interview with the
Rome Courier says that just as soon
as arrangements for terminal facilities
can be completed at Chattanooga
work will be actively begun in t!
ing dirt.
£
government treasuiy and the amount
13 or. ^ twelve Cln 3 increased millions at a monlb. the rate 1 of 10 ten **c-
Merited,.ttac vaT
treasure out of the 3 of.an x ,
pressed people, has enriched a select
class manufacturers, whose vast
wealth now threatens the liberty of
people. A tariff for revenue
would reduce the cost of living,
while it would afford ample means
I for conducting the affairs of state.
! The contractors are throwing dirt
at a rapid rate on the Birmingham &
Atlantic railroad near Savannah and
will have, they now think, iro miles
ready by the first of October. This
road runs by Macon, Thomaston,
Greenville, and LaGrange and has
fur its terminal points Savannah and
Birmingham. Between these two
points it will be nearly an air line,
much shorter than any other line run
ning from Birmingham to the sea
board, a fact probably which enabled
’ the placing of $6,000,000 of bonds
a few days since upon the English
market.
-- 409 =—-
.Shiloh Short Stops.
Mrs. Alice Gorham has a flourishing
school of aboul 40 pupils at Middle ltidge
one of the suburbs of Bliilch.
j a. Grant, fir., & Co., are building a
iai-ge and commodiona store room. It is
about ready for the shingles.
T. J. Neal, Jr., is receiving some of
his fall goods. Expects to open a large
.ad attractive stock of goods early.
We will *on have in operation a milli
j | repaired styles. and rigged out in all the latest
: We have a neat and nico drug store,
! presided over by Dr. Crawford, who e
the sic* and af.Lcted will receive prompt
v lit attent ion.
; G. W. Cook is preparing lumber to
build a large business house, i his old one
being entire!y too 8malI to eet the de
mauds of his increasing trade,
Dixie Harris is doing wonders in selling
goods; has already outgrown the dime-n-
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR,
STRICTLY IN ADVANCE.
2 $W
ions o? his Lon; ;e< Mr. 8. ,11. Morph ay
Son & Bray Julia are out looking up mo.o
commo<3ioU3 quarters.
Tho road hands are patting this end of
tho Hamilton road in apple pie ord^r.
Why can’t the Hamilton end bo put in
tho fame condition, i e., if yon wish the
Valley folks to vi it you, for some places
on tho road are almost impassable.
Oapi. Jeokina in king at tlie depot, ar l
by tho way the Captain is t .kicg a largo
interest lu beautifying our town. IIo i
bnildiag a largo carp pond a fow feet
south oi' tho depot. II3 haa a good quails
tity of tho water on baud now, and when
Lis sail boats arrive wo think it will be a
great attraction and pleasant summer re
sort for mosquitoes, tadpoles and bull
frogs.
Judge A. I). Anderson is building a
large and palatial residence, and when
completed will have all the modern im
provemonts and conveniences, and soon
as ho completes his residence will com
menc0 ootion of a mammoth gin
d looms IZ?
Ra to work tho fleecy staple,
Nothing like enterprise.
G.
\ Bcst'vveil Conipliiiuut.
Tbe Jountun takes special pleasure n
publishing tho following complimentary
notice of onr correspondent, Lum D.,
which wo clip from the Griffin Nows of
raoeut date :
Tho “Bhro John" negro dialect sketoh
" just published in < ha Hamilton Jour*
nat. are superior to many of those printed
in more pretentions day periodicals, make and the
author may some a mark in
literature if ho continues to cultivate his
talent. Not only is tho dialect natural,
but tho ingeniousness of the negro char¬
acter, with its nmnsing peccadilloes, and
the true ring of nature in tho courtship
of tho school teaohe? and Miss Cora uro
admirable. Wo regret that tho first part
rf. s ME£n *»**
escaped our notice.
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