Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-03-11
UPPER SANDusKY, o.
March 7th, 1870.


MIR. CUNEo -
Having just returned from a trip
through the states of Kentucky, In
diana and lllirois, travelling over
twelve hundred miles, l prol ose to
give your readers the benefit of a
few observations on the route.
My first days ride took me toCln-
cinnati where l attended Woods
theater, and saw "Fritz" played, by
the renowned Emmett, who certai. :
ly is entitled to the appellat ion of a
star if any one is. 1t will b e a long
time before l can enjoy anything
like a theatrical performance in
Beerys' Hall after this. No Fritz
ever comes around here.
The next day 1 took the Ken
lucky Central for Paris, Ky. The
road goes mp the valley of the Lick
ing river, through as fine country
as ever l saw, but there is lack of
enterprise-only two railroads
worth calling roads in the State
The manner of farming, of building,
and the habits and customs of the
people are very different from this
region and almost entirely so from
a New England section. stopped
off a few hours at Paris, where l
came in contact with kentuckians
in the way of business. 1 found
them open, frank and hospitable,
slow of speech and action, but al
ways ready to live up to the spirit
of their contracts.
Horseback riding is almost their
only mode of travelling. l saw
hitched around the public square
and on the streets at least two hun
dred horses that had been rode to
town, many of them with the old
fashioned saddle bags on them. A
buggy is regarded by most of them
as useless article. A family car,
riage is sometimes kept by those
that are able. Another characters
tic of the Kentuckian is, that he
does his own business and rarel,
does it through an agent-has. nc
intermediate between him and tn,
people. He either does himsel
what he wants done, or. to use hi:
expression, "sends nigger." Part,
has population of five or six thou
sand, fully half of them are Ameri
can citizens of African descent. Th,
colored population Ga phraze rarel,
. used in that section are maintain
ing and conducting themselves d
a worthy Kentuckian told me IA
better than was expected. Man,
he said were accumulating property
and educating their children, boil
morally and intellectually, while 9th
ers were shifting around doing n 9th
ing more than was necessary t,
keep up an existence, sponging
half dozen meals here an there
wherever one of their number wa
at work. In answer to my ques
ton why not charge them for vict
uals as white folks do each other
he showed a 3little indignity and sal
in his blunt way "who in thnnde
would think of charging a nigge
for something to eat"
Leaving Paris in the evening fo
Lexington, I saw but little Of tn
country on the road. or of Lexing
ton as l left it early in the morning
The Phoenix House is "first class
Kentucky Hotel, and in many re
spects far superior to hotels in tn
!, Northern cities. Corn bread is
necessary appendage at all meals il
Kentucky. AS to walters they ar
always colored, as their idea of.
, Tavern" is "that if it can't affort
to have niger walters the proprie
tor better quit the business" l go
to Frankfort about O'Clock, A. NJ
and saw more "darkies' than 1 eve
saw before or ever expect to agai
| as it was the second day of thei
State Convention. One car on ou
train, if not more, was filed wit
, delegates to that Convention. The
J were met at the depot by at least
!. thousand of their color, and ever
street appeared to be lined wit
them. There was not a particle Q
> confusion or even boisterous Ian
: guage on the part Of any of then
l and they showed more intelligenc
than I expected. Through Frapl
: : fort we passed over the hills an