Huntsville gazette., 1881-12-10
Notes by Bail.
Along the North and South to Mont
gomery Birmingham Impressions
Two Days at the Capital.

Along the North and South to Mont
gomery Birmingham Impressions
/ Two Days at the Capital.
As the train speeds along you strain your
eyes in vain for glimpse OF green wheat
fields along the road between Decatur and
Montgomery. The bare cotton and corn-
fields alone re ward the look. Dashing
/ southwark, you emerge from the pictu-
resoueness of hilly, mountainous coun-
trv into more even and unbroken sur
4 face Great stretches of pine make you
| imagine that the eternal notes of the pine
! forest can be heard above the rattle Of the
1 cars. The title German settlement,
CULLMAN,
| is among the most interesting objects the
eve rests upon and affords the sight-seer
real contrast to Southern ideas and meth
| DDS
The town has substantial business-like
| appearance. The plump rosy faces of the
men, women and children, would tell you
at glance that the inhabitants are not ma
tive Southrons. 1t was here, not many
/
taineers, descended on the peaceful streets
and made matters lively for short time in
general rough and tumble fg bit. with the
/ r-imbibing citizens. There was left No
discernable traces of the memorable event
Extensive vineyards surround this place
and the cultiva ton of the grape has proven
profitable and become an important indus
Try.
BIRMINGHAM
the Pittsburg Of the South, is second in
interest, if first in importance. Business
here fairly booms. Everything wears a
business appearance. The very boys are
too busy to black boots, and the stranger.
alighting, feels strange that no snterprls-
ing boot-black approaches him with,
Have shine, sir?'' Old men are scarce
here and the young men have full sway.
Numbers of new frame and brick buildings
are being built new railroads are coming
iii, and daily paper-rhe Iron Age
has jast appeared to round of the busl
ness boom Thousands of dollars are paid
to the laborers every Saturday. The saloon
| keepers then have boom in business, and
the stree is of Birmingham are made lively
with reeling, drunken crowds. Policemen
are kept busy and use their clubs freely.
! We saw one fellow who seemed in the act
of resisting arrest downed with couple of
! blows and marched of to the station-house
It the pout of a revolver. 1t may be said
that part of Birmingham after the wosk's
LABOR gets on spree every Saturday night
| But the place is new and the rough edges
haven't had time to be worn OF. Some Of
the colored people own property in town,
among whom may be mentioned N. X.
Fielding and Mrs Coker, the mother of
the editor OF the AdUance, James A. Scott.
Walker and Coins do we'll in the barber
ing business. Geo. Evans runs restau-
rant aud IL barber shop. In the educa-
tional line there is one school taught by
| Mr.. B. H. Hudson. These hasty notes on
this little city of wonderful growth must
not be closed without warming colored trav-
elers against the fate which awaits them
should they stop over there without prevl-
ously engaging place to stop. Ihey
must 90 prepared to camp out or fare ike
hogs. No hotel opens its doors to such
travellers, and to find lodging in private
| families is an impossible task. Mrs. Coker
does what she can to accommodate stran-
gers. bat her facilities are limited. so
much III justice to the public.
| Scarcely better in this respect is Mont
gomery,
OUR CAPITAL CITY. .i
Outside of the limited sleeping and
boarding accommodations which his house
offers, there is no public place for the col
ored traveller to rest his weary bones In
ease and comfort, except it be Phillip
Scroggins' But in Montgomery there are
numerous private families with sufficiently
well-ordered and hospitable homes to take
care of decent strangers and preserve the
reputation of the city abroad. Some OF
the best known families and men OF the
State reside here. For politeness and an
accommodating spirit, the people gener-
ally appear to good advantage. Every body
salute each other in homelike manner,
and the children cay "howdy" with charm
ing grace A social spirit floats i'll the air
Going for doctor or to a fire, are about
the only things which would make a Mont
gomery gentleman quicken his dignihed
strides into anything like gait. which
would have the appearance OF hurry.
| Life is taken leis1rtly. H.;
All is ne4tLeos aud order in and around
the suite Of iol lins III the Masonic Temple
occupied by NJ. James L. Rapier. as the
offices Of Internal hevenue Collector. They
are Oh the seloAd door, and you step out
from the windows on Il broad veranda,
from which a splendid view of the city Is
| obtained; and also. tue softest zephyrs stir
| ring. Ii Is Lere, III these delightfully."- sit
uated Offices that Collector Rapier main