Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-08-28
THE RIVER COUNTRY.
Ripley, Dyersburg and Tren-
tOn-a New Country Jnst Opened
TO Us By Railroad.
Memphis Drummers Wanted-The Pa
dueah RaiIrOad-GOOd aud Bad HO-
tels-NeWspaper Men, Etc.
from onr speeial Correspondent.l

night, after a hot and dusty ride OF
several hours duration. put up at the
Olive Branch hotel, kept by Sam Shell
| ton, an old-time Memphis printer, who
knows how to keep hotel, and to ap-
preciate that fact, it is not necessary to
| take the trip have. Sam has newly
| furnished his house with all the latest
| conveniences and comforts, among
which is an elevator, which, for place
| like CovingtOn, is something remark
able, but some of his guests fail to ap-
| preciate the benefits of Sans hosting
| apparatus, and complain that it works
| too rough. To-day | met many of your
| patrons who speak in the highest terms
of your paper, and wish that you all
may live many years to continue your
good work. l noticed great many i'm
prOvements that have lately taken place
| in this town, among which is the
| splendid brick fiouring-mill of Messrs.
Hall, Leslie & Co., just erected, at a
cost of twenty thousand dollars. It is
two and one-half stories high and thirty
Eve by seventy feet, containing the very
best Of machinery of latest improved
patterns; has a side-track and elevators
to unload grain from the cars, and is
one of the best establishments of its
kind in Tennessee. Steam was raised
and everything worked splendidly,
giving satisfaction to owners and
visitors. They commence business regu-
larly tomorrow. found Fisher, of the
Record, in a quandary as to whom he
should support for governor in the next
canvass-Colonel Kerr or WillO Hay
wOod-but l suppose will make up his
mind by the time this reaches you, and
announce his choice in . dOuble-leaded
| editorial, with numerous roosters for
establishment. Our merchants are pa
trOnizing the Record literally, as it de-
| serves to be, and will reap a rich reward
| for their outlay. I met three Memphis
drummers here, making four have
come acress during my trip through
West Tennessee, while Cincinnati st.
| LOuis, Louisville, Evansville, and even
Paducah, have great many going in
all directions, and taking the trade that
rightfully belongs to US from our very
doors, because our merchants are too
stingy to eXpend few dollars in adver-
| Using, and the expenses of drummeTs.
AT Rip ley, met with all the courtesy
extended to members of the profession
| by the clever Sparks of the NelUs, who
even quit work and lost time to aid
| me in my labors. I found hands at
work on the Paducah railroad busily en-
gagged in removing dirt from the i'm
mense cut that traveTses the entire
suburbs Of the place, but beyond that,
no hands are engaged until NewbuTg,
on the far-limits of Dyer county, is
reached, where noticed a number of
cOnvicts grading, which looks as if E.
Norton q Co., intended to complete
that end of the road first to build up the
trade of Paducah against the wishes of
all the citizens along the line and
| those of Memphis who subscribed so
literally to build it. The Odd Fellows
gave a grand barbecue and parade, in
honor of the visit of the grand-master
| of the State, last Friday, which l was
| too late to attend, but, from what | can
learn, was great success, large num-
bers of visitors from the surrounding
country participating. The days pro-
| ceedings were followed by a grand ball
at night, which would have continued
| until late hour but for the interruption
of several drunken rowdies, who drew
| pistols and otherwise acted shame
fully, soaring the ladies and thus
maTEing the pleasure of the occasion.
The citizens entertain doubts as to
whether the present management of the
tine for the fall crops, and do not hesi-
tate to declare most emphatically, that
unless it is, they will haul their cotton
to Fulton and Brownsville before they
will give the road bale. | also en-
countered one OF the most miserably-
kept hotels l ever had the misfortune to
stop at. 1t is kept by gentleman who
would scarcely get out of chair to col
lect his bills. The apartments are box
like, and uncomfortable, and only
reached by a circuitous route that
seems to the poor wayfarer of sufficient
length to carry him around the sur
rounding country. The beds are untidy,
while the table is perfectly outrageous.
The surroundings and backyard would
give even Sergeant Rogers the cholera,
and / understand that the opposition
concern is but little better. l hope our
Ripley friends will take some steps to
remedy this great evil, or we will be
compelled to advise our friends who
have business there, to carry their "a
tiOns with them and sleep in the court
house, which, by the way, is one
Of the finest structures of the
kind in West Tennessee. A great many
new buildings are in course of erection,
and the town lots that were heretofore
allowed to grow up in '.jimsun" weeds
and dog-fennel are commanding one
thousand dollars each. Business men
| inform me that if the road is completed,
six or eight thousand bales win be
| shipped the coming season.
The great Tom Neal, of Dyers-
burg, was absent when l reached
there, but his assistant did the
hOnors of his office, and assisted
me every way in his power. The citi-
zens are out of all hopes of having rail-
road communication with US for the
next twelve months, and bless the man.
ayers with language that refrain from
using here There has been no work
done in this county, excepting mile or
so of grading, and we do not wonder at
their hostility, when we take into con-
sideration the liberal donations they
have made to build it.
At Trenton | find all the merchants
anxious to trade with Memphis, but to-
tally unacquainted with our manner of
unheard of, and as for adver-
| tisement. Glass says it would make
him almost weep to get hold of Mem
phis card. The contract for grading,
| bridging and furnishing ties for the Ten
nessee Central railroad, from Hunting
don to this place, was given out during
my stay, and it is reasonable to suppose
that at some future day we may lCok
| forward to a little business that the
great monopoly, the Mobile and Ohio
railroad, cannot control to our detri-
ment.
At Paris / found the citizens re-
building the burnt district, and agitat-
! ing the building of narrow-gauge rail-
road, with the talented Dr. Dickinson
to urge them on. Who can predict a
failure? The merchants here believe
that Memphis Is their best market, par
ticularly in the grocery line; but drum
mer never visits them, and Louisville
reaps rich harvest from our very doors.
Milan is improving rapidly. Many
brick houses are being erected ON sites
formerly occupied by frames, and its
citizens have the railroad fever very
badly. Finally, everywhere have Wis
tied the people are anxious to deal with
our merchants if the opportunity was
given them. My trip, as you are aware,
extended over the richest and best cCun-
ties comprising West Tennessee. The
crops are all favorable, and the people
generally look forward to the most pros
j porous season they have had since the
war. L.
Friendship DrIvinS-Pall< Association.
PIrrsBURG, August 27.-The first
meeting of the Friendship driving asso-
citation took place to-day at Friend
ship park, in this city.
The first race was for purse of $500,
for horses that had never beaten 2:30.