The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1884-04-10


upa Tree-Another
Scare.
Leesburg, Fla, Mar. 26th, 1884.
ED. Herald: Leaving Summit l
travelled on the St. Johns and
Lake Eustis rail. road finding the
entire distance of 20 miles q con-
tinuous town built up within year
or two, trains stop at hotels as
we'll as at t,depots. Altooner, Tam
borces, Fort Mason, Lone Park
and many other thriving towns are
on this railroad. You see hume
rous crates of squashes, beans, cab
bages and other vegetables, to say
nothing Of the fruits; but few now
ship Strawberries as it is so late.
Lumber is what the people want
here; saw mills do we'll, and those
here can not, supply the demand
price $3.50 to Sl7.00 pert thousand.
came across Lake II arris to Lees
burg; and it is no pond, but the
cruel Captain would not allow me
to shoot at the myriads of ducks and
alligators. At last we landed at
Leesburg, and are now stopping at
the mammoth Gibbons Hotel kept
by j. D. Ryals, and feasting on the
fat Of the land. Our host has fine
fine garden, corn almost for use
as well as watermelons, cucumbers
and numerous other vegetables. l
left by horseback to visit other
places Sc miles distant from any
rail road. and saw some of the very
finest lands l ever saw in my life.
My nag was o slow one, and, the
sandy roads made it difficult to
travel. I found Helena, Center
Hill, Fort Dade to be fourishing
towns out in the country. The early
part of the day was very pleasant,
but in the evening q rain came on,
and1 was soon drenching wet, and
the tall dead pines swung to and
fro, and occasionally a dead limb
fell near me, and reminded me that
l was not in the ark Of safety.
l was riding under dead tree and
a bunch Of needles fell on my hat.
and l thought l was gone to the
better land, but not so as yet. l
stopped at MIR. Ben L. Rasp's, a
Barnwell man, who gaze me dry
raiment and made me feel at
home; showed me over his lands.
and did not charge me a copper; he
had lands worth S100 an acre, with
out groves on them; they were COW
cred with large hickory trees, soil
II inches deep. I next stopped at
Mr.. D. T. Kennerlys, also a Barn
we'll man, who fed me on vegeta-
bles, as we'll as many delicacies
too tedious to mention; we took half
an hours fish, catching all we need
ed. These lands are also excel
lent. Mr.. KS lands are now worth
some $4,000. and when he landed
some three years ago, he did not
possess S100-lands down there in
fernando Co., sell from $50 up to
the thousands per acre. Water
good, wells from 20 feet up to 90
feet deep, game abundant, % wild
turkeys up atree; 90 squirrels can
be killed before breakfast. Mrs.
kennerly taking a fancy to me,
presented me a neat Palmetto hat,
and also a beautiful lady's hat to
my little widow in Newberry; find.
ing it impossible to accept the
many invitations extended me, after
learning a rail road would soon be
built from Sumterville to Tampa,
furnishing these people transporta-
ton, bid them adieu and started
on my Sc miles journey horseback
for Leesburg. ! saw by the way
side plenty of game, squirrels, par
tridges, ducks aid hundreds Of
gigantic cranes. I crossed Oc-
wahalawa river, ald could not re.
sist the temptation to cast a hook
into it's clear waters and soon drew
forth some very fine Dream. Night
approaching Il hastened on to be
scared almost dead again, for in
the swamp [ could hear noises,
the bushes seemed to speak, and soon
l saw a horrible sight, a panther l
thought, cross the road above nae
lying in waitsfor square supper. I
could not go around, so by it I
must 60, intending strategy to save
life, when my heart was soon made
to again beat free on finding the
beast to be large dog the color of a
panther. So I am alive and intend
to keep clear of the swamps and all
it's wild beasts. I arrived at above
place about sun down and feel
tired enough to sleep month. In
my next l will tell your readers of
the lands and the few disadyanta-
ges Of Florida. More anon.
NEWBERRIAN.
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