Wilmington journal., 1876-01-14

SAC, 900 per annum. The Hale or mid
die possession is the smallest aud
least valuable. The Rector posses
sion IN the upper part of the valley
has two large hotels upon it, and prob
ably the best bath house on the reser-
vatlon. Rector's bath house has thirty
one rooms, twenty-six for gentlemen
and five for ladies'. At this estab .ish :
ment there are taken annually O,OOC
baths. The bath tickets are sold at the
rate of three for u dollar. The cost of the
building Is mere trif1e. and the
cost OF attendants nothing to the
owner. the attendants considering
them selves well paid in the gratuties
they get from visitors. From this
brief statement it will be seen the
claimants 10 possession are making q
good thing of it.
A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL.
But suppose the claimants in pos
sion are ousted and the Federal Gov
ernment gets the property, what then ?
The answer in my bum Die opinion. is
an easy one. If the Government shat.
| recover possession of this reservation.
it's first duty will be to make as equit-
efle and indeed as generous arrange
ments, with the squatters here, as m "
be possibIe, and tnen straightwny to es-
tablish here a hospital for the treatment
of sick soldiers and sailors afflicted
with any of the many diseases in which
| these waters have proved so ef1icacious.
| With such an establishment here, un-
der competent medical Gfficers there
would be margin enough to offer shell
ter. food, baths, medicine and medical
treatment to thousands and tens of
thousands of citizens at mere nom
NAL cost, who no drag out wretched
"x'ste 'cA, with no hope of retief save
III death. The ground rent received
even euppOsin& the most favorable ar
rsngomenta TO be made with suuatters
would be amply sufficient to sup
| port q hospital of any proportions.
The fact hat this is the cnIy property
owned by tie Cover ment, that pos
aessea such curative waters, points it
out as the place for the hospital.
| GOING AHEAD.
But in spite of all lis drawbacks.
Hot Springs is making rapid strides
Last year, it is said, Notwithstanding
the national financial depression, and
notwithstanding the local rolit1cal
! troubles in the State, the town doubled
IN size and in resident population; ali uf
"AAiSi' 40 ''N AhS ~ tt1c luCISu5CtI Dul-
! ber OF visitors coming here to use the
; waters. Tho most reliable estimate
| puts the average number of visitors
during the last three years at ten thou
| sand per year. It may be confidently
| expected that the better quality of
| accom- odations now furnished by the
hotels, and the completion of the rait
road. will soon be known and greatly
increase the number of visitors AL
ready there are churches of all deno1n-
nations here. l have been to one only,
however, st. Luke's Episcopal Church,
which was under the charge of the
Rev. @. Stewart, from Memphis,
Tennessee. Mr.. Stewart is very
pleasant and very effective preacher.
The church is just about being finish
ed, and is really quite pretty struct-
ure- The resident congregation is not
very large, and like many other epis-
copal congregations, ia quite poor.
There certainly ought to be heaven
somewhere for preachers not fash
ionable sensational city preachers-to
go TO aud get even on the general aver
age. Certainly the share OF good
things they get IN this life, outside of
Brooklyn at least, is very scant one.
There are lawyers here too, and of
u
whom it is said make $4,000 a year.
BY the way, do doctors quarrel with
each other all over the world OF
newspapers the re are only two, both
morning papers. The Telegraph, bow
ever, is the only one that prints the
daily press dispatches.
HOTELS AND HOTEL RUNNERS.
There are three principal hotels
here, and any lumber of smaller ones,
and boarding houses. There is no
difficulty about being well fed, and
comfortably lodged, if one only has
the money to pay therefor. The
competition is brisk and lively The
conductor on the train from St. Louis,
was vigor ous electioneerer for his fa-
vorite hotel, and no less SO for his
favorite physician. At Malvern We
were bcset by resident agents for every
prominent house of entertainment
here, and at the stage stand some
twelve miles distant, runuerv from
this place net us on horse back in ful
force, and returned with us to town,
giving US printed circulars, and put
ting in words of commendatiOn of
their particular houses, whenever OPP
port,Inity offered.
MANNERS AM CUSTOMS.
People here are pretty much as they
are elsewhere. Some drink whiskey.
some play cards, some dance aud SOM
sing; some go to church, mostly wo-
men, and some don't, mostly men.
People here get married too, that is
scme of them and some do not, mostly
men. The most distinguished event
of the season in the matrimonial line,
was the marriage of Coiorel E. ".
Rector, prominent young lawyer of
this place and said TO be the handsomest
man in Arkansas, with Miss Aicorn, n
fair daughter OF Mississippi, and she
too is 'eal'y very handsome. The
bride is the daughter of an Ex-Governor
Of her State and the groom is the son
of an ex Governor of his State and
the happy couple start life with brill
liant prospects. Seeing them every
day as we do at neal times, enables us
hotel folks to crafty that natural in
terest people everywhere take in
newly married compile. There was an
elegant hop given in their ho..o at our
hotel and festivi les suitable to the oc
casiOn have not been wanting else
where. The number, variety and
quality of the brides t0ilctteS have att
tho conclusion that mat, imony is a Sc
rious business to the paternai pocket
in this section; but then a handsome
woman handsomely dressed is SO pleas
ant sight that no man ought TO be-
grIdge the money his neighbor pays
for IL. Yes, people here move on
| pretty much in the same rornd of bus
mess and pleasure that they do else
where and they accomplish their elds
vesy much by the zsnme means here as
are used in other places. For Instance,
if woman wisheE TO dnd out
something that it is not exactly Ihe
correct thing for her 70 ASK about
herself, Size will set her child OH to
ask, or she will herself Question the
| child of the party of the other part. But
where is the mother or auutie, who
does not know what valuable aid chill
| dreu can be made to render in th e