St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-16
Letter from Florida.
RADIX.

Dear CdLedOnidn We have been
here one month. We have had no
weather colder than July in Vermont.
1t has rained about five hours, and we
have had only three or four cloudy
days the rest have been sunny and
bright, with a most delightful tempera-
ture. The peaches, plums and roses
are in blossom.
This city contains about ten thousand
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. colored than white
and is the largest in the state. The
streets are wide, and laid out at right
angles, cutting it into squares some
twenty rods on each face. There are
many open lots, and these, and the in
terror of the squares, are mostly filed
with orange, lemon, fig, peach, and
plum trees, and garden vegetab les and
flowers. The streets are amply shaded
with live and water oaks and magnolias,
whose leaves are always green. Bay
street, next to the river, has several
handsome brick blocks, and is the prin-
cipal business street. Steamers and
sailing vessels are daily coming and
going, bringing visitors and nearly all
the eatables from the North, and taking
back in return considerable yellow pine
timber, cotton, oranges, peanuts, and
early vegetables. The colored people
live mostly in small, poor houses, in the
outskirts of the city, and are scattered
for miles around it, and far into the
pine woods. Some have little plats of
ground enclosed behind and around
their dwellings, and many none; and
how they live is the wonder. They do
nearly all the work, but there is not
enough for all, and some do not find any
employment. They have the reputa-
ton Il think JUSTIFY of being inveterate
thieves.
There are several elegant and COM
mOdious tirst-class hotels, more of the
second class, and many private board
ing houses here. The latter are most
patronized this year, economy being
the rule. There are so few visitors this
year that part of the hotels will hardly
pay running expenses.
Building lots here cost from one to
ten thousand dollars each. Taxes are
about five per cent. on the valuation.
The colored fire company, with hand
some uniforms and splendid engine, and
good band of music, made a tri-
umphant march through this city few
days ago, and as the men were picked,
large and muscular, they made fine
appearance, and were apparently very
proud. Shortly after there was an
alarm of fire in the night, and they
stopped to put on their uniforms, and
were so much delayed that the building
burned down before they got there.
They were hooted and Kissed, and re-
tired rather chop-fallen. Ere long there
was another night alarm of fire. They
went in with a rush and threw the first
water. The building belonged to one
of the prominent hotels, and after the
fire was got under control, this COM
pany struck up and sung, ''Satan's
Kingdoms tumbling down, glory halle
lujah."
The city is we'll supplied with churches
and scholastic colored people and
whites do not mingle, but each attend
their own churches and schools, and
even have separate places for voting.
There is a very prominent, popular
Baptist preacher here, who bears
striking resemblance to Wesley's pic
ture. His sermons are extempore, and
short, but able, eloquent and powerful.
He drives his hearers into the corners
of the pews, and makes them think the
devil is after them. There is no sleep
ing in his church. l enquired of a
sensible old cOlored woman how she
liked emancipation. She said she liked
it much for the children, but as she was
old and past her labor, she longed for
the old plantation, and the old master
who was good and kind to all his col
Ored people, and especially to her be-
cause she was related to him.
In coming here, wherever we stopped
south of the Potomac for wood and
water, the negro women swarmed
around the cars, with broiled chickens
and corn cake on pieces of bark, and
hot coffee, and apples, and were clamor-
GUS to sell and when one received the
price of ration, twenty-five cents, she
would laugh all over her face and grin
with joy. All the food was cooked and
shortened with lard, and our invalid
could not eat it. l telegraphed one day
ahead to have boiled Irish potatoes
ready for us. The programme was
changed, and we dined twenty miles
further along. telegraphed again next
day for the same, and on arriving l en-
quired of the boss if he got my telegram
for Irish potatoes. He said no, but
they had plenty of them. 1 asked how
they were cooked. He said baked.
Rejoicing in our good luck we hurried
in. We found the potatoes had been
boiled, warmed over and mashed, rolled
into balls, dipped in pepper and lard,
and baked our invalid renewed her
fast, and didn't telegraph any more.
The cemetery here is one of the pref
test to be found any where. 1t is sit
qated on q gentle rise, laid out exactly