Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-03
THE OLD GAYOSO
Hotei-A Voyage OF Discovery Through
the Once Most Famous Hostelrie
Of the South.
Probability that the Structure viii
Again be Restored to Its Pristine
Glory Before Long.

"Do you smell garlic?" queried Sanitarian
DAILY of al APPEAL man yesterday as they
entered the yeslibule of the old Gayoso
House on a tour OF the building. 81 believe
every man, woman and child in this wing OF
the hotel make il their chief food"
Ascending by a flight Of broad stairs
which we're 30 solidly built that time mad
been unable TO pull it down, the reporter
stood upon the fret landing and gszsd down |
upon = wide court, through what hsd been |
a massive window. TIE lights from the |
lower sash had all been broken out, but those |
above and next 10 the top of the arched cas- |
ing were still intact, the suns rays sitting |
through the s.sIHed glass snd falling IN vel
veiy colors upon the rugged floor OF the
landing.
at YES up this stairway and upon this
landing that Gen. Forrest rode" said DAILY,
sand yonder," he continued, pointing TO
balcony above the door, SIS the place from
which it Is said Union officer apg to the
stone pavement beneath. / remember hav-
ing seen s cut of him in one of the illustrated
pspers, with his bare legs paving the air and
the drop-curtaiu of his nj ght robe waving in
the evening breeze S. he lesped for life. You
can see the marks OF bullets all about the
walis-shois fired at random"
A couple Of lsbby cats at this juncture came
softly up the stairs, and seating themselves
upon Z heavy carved railing, seemed anxious
10 hear the remainder of the story, but the
narrator Of legends dismissed them with
graceful gesture OF his of foot and led the
way up The winding stairs to the next floor.
| Here more cats, q Big dog and several small
| dodgers were found, playing hide and seek in
| the hail. They were not at all disconnected
| by the appearance Of visitors, but one old
| crone put a tousled head out of q door
| close at hand, 10 satisfy her curiosity. a
| peep into the room, in passing, revealed a
| strange anomaly. The fireplace was adorned
| by an elegantly carved mantelpieee of pure
| white marble, but no s.atuette OF Venus or
| Palias Athrne added I } its effect. in the place
OF one stood a very black skillet stesmiug
| hot, and contributing its share to the general
| incense OF garlic that psrvaded the place.
| Beside ii, Fl At upon the marble, WAS ham
| bone. on which a miserable skeleton Of
dog, from his place on the floor, cast linger-
ing and piteous look. A baby sat on a
cracker box in one end, with another baby
in her arms, which she tried IN vain to
quiet, A man lay stupid in the corner,
upon q ragged quilt, and the poor woman
| noticed as peepIng from the door had now
returned TO the window, after slapping both
the children with a dexterity born of long
practice, and resumed her work at a wssh-
stand which rest / upon 3 rickely chair.
The floor was bare; The window panes,
when whole, were streaked with dust, and
| prevented the light from breaking in. A
porcelain plate on the door bore the legend,
| Ladies' Parlnr," but the lock was in the
hands of the junk dealer, and the smallest
baby sucked ine broken doorknob.
Other rooms like this were numerous in
that part Of the building. 10 many large
pieces OF marble manteIs had been broken of
and carried away, locks and knobs there were
noue. On the next floor lew of the rooms
were occupied, but there, too, the vandsl
had been present and left his finger marks
sIge piec, split from The wooden mantels
the doors and the windOw-silis, obscene
caricatures drawn with nails upon the pol
ished walls and the bricks from the hearth
taken entirely away.
The north wing OF the building was xxi
visit d and presented a considerable contrast,
Many OF the rooms we'll kept aud dscsntly
| furnished, the halle swept, the do0rs and
windows 10 good repair.
"This is the dark hall OF which We hear &c
much" said Officer DAILY, leading the way
into it. This corridor will be found on every
floor, and though now it is comparatively
Light, on q cloudy day you can with ficulty
see your hand before you.
"rhis is the great dining hall" he conf; n
usd alter ascending another q ght Of stairs
, When the 10 dang doors are thrown open II
makes 4 grand apartment, extending acros
this entire wing Of the building"
The frescoed ceiling, the walls and the
great srched windows, gave one good ides
OF what the dining hall of this famous
hostelrie WAS in the day Of its glory. The
wall from one corner of it fell into lhs
court not loug ago, and it has never been re-
paired. Ascending to the roof a msgnih
! cent prospect deiishteI the eye. The build
ing is five stories in height, and as the cell
ings are Lofty, the roof Of the house ia tal
above that Of any OF the neighboripg build
ings.
Fort Pickering, with avenues shaded by
green trees and white cottages gleamin;
! among the foliage, was spread out like some
! master work froLI artists hand. The street,
1 of the city with their busy, teeming thronl
could be seen, but as no sound came it die
not seem real. The surface of the river wa
S spread out like cleaning whIts cloth, aoc
Hopefeid, with lis houses, seemed simply 1
. collection OF dots.
The Gayoso has perhaps $50 rooms, only
about fly of which are occupied. 1t is nov
: in pretty good sanitary condition, thanks tC
!, the vigilance Of Offer DAILY, ard coulC
easily be again transformed into state o
splepd r, equal 10 that it enjoyed in the OLE
: haicyon days, when 1t was said TO be tn
! finest hotel in the whole South. A compau,
e OF citizens now have the matter of its recon
slrgction in hand, and all the stock has beel
i subscribed. Work will commence as soon a
= q few other preliminsries are arranged.