The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-03-08
UNEARTHING RELICS.
NEW FAY ETTEVILLE UNEARTIIS
PART OF THE OLD TOWN.
A Place Which Grows so Fast that the
Town of One Generation Covers up
and FOrgets the Town of the Preced-
ing.
Special Carespondence Of The Chronicle.


ing.
Special Correspondence of The Chronicle.
FAYETTEVILLE, March away back
yonder, say half century ago, when
Starr, Mcneil, Sewell, Myrover, Mallett
Stark, Cook, and others whose names |
cannot now remember, and who have all
passed away, were active business men in
this community, shaping and controlling
public matters, one beautiful May morn
ing the school children and teachers of the
old Donaldson Academy, together with the
citizens en- na0sse, marched from Hay
mont under the escort and music of the
Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry
to the river bank, to participate in and
witness the breaking of ground for the
wonderful enterprise of that day, the con-
struction of a horse railroad from the
boat landing up town. AS the first shov
els of dirt were thrown the steamboats,
blew their whistles, the military fired a
salute, a cannon belched forth in tones of
thunder, the drums beat, the dogs barked
and the ladies smiled their sweetest smiles
and waived their handkerchiefs in honor
of the inauguration Of the great enter
prise.
The road was completed and had its
day, but has long since past into oblivion,
with but few of those who participated in
dier boys living to-day. This afternoon
the workmen, in excavating for the pur-
pose Of conveying water into McKethan's
elegant new building, struck the old ties
and under rails of the said road, which
were about two feet under the surface, and
| found to be in wonderful state of pres
ervation. Mr.. McKethan is going to have
! one Of the ties dressed and converted into
| pedestal or table, to be used at the chair
| of the presiding officer of the Public Ii
| brary Association, as relic OF an enter
| prise once causing as much interest and
| talk as the State Exposition now does, or
as the recent cyclone did a few days since.
! In discussing the subject of the old road
over the excavation to-day an old gentle
man related a laughable incident On a
| lovely June day, when the bon tons had
| turned out to witness the train, which was
| going at a rapid speed, making probably
| four miles an hour the old black mule on
| the off side got his fly brush over the
| lines, and having an aversion to such lib
| critics by the drivers strings, and probably
| with view to delight the gazing specta-
! tors, very suddenly displayed great agility
in lifting his hind feet in an ethereal di-
rection, in a style and earnestness as only
the mule Of ancient days could emulate.
| Who knows but that it was the elevated
| position Of that mules heels that gave
| rise to the first impulse to the elevated
! railway system? The sudden and unex-
! pected diversion Of the motive power of
! that time caused as sudden a stoppage of
| the car as the air brake Of this day do,
| and Mr.. Johh Carney, printer, jumped
! from the car and sustained serious injury,
| and at once instituted suit for damages,
| which was finally compromised and set
tied by the company paying for eighteen
| drinks at the famous bar of Brooksbank,
at Liberty Point" for the benefit Of the
prosecutor.
1t is wonderful to contemplate the
great strides made in the railroad enter
prise since the day this ''horse railway
was constructed here.
| have above spoken of the McKethan
building and the Independent Company.
AS l now write this company is hoisting a
flag pole 3S feet long on the top of the
four story building mentioned from which
will wave the colors of the oldest military
organization in the United States, having
been organized on the 23d day Of August,
1893. 1t has for its armOry the third story
of the building, which is beautiful
room, 45x7O feet.
The Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Rail
road train is just in from Rockfsh, and
happened to hear old Aunt Peggy Jones
explaining her visit out to the stOckade tC
see her son Bill, who is boarding With
Thos. Jones. In reply to my inquiry how
her boy was getting on she said: why
Laws amassy, bless your sole, honey, he
is getting on all rite. Why he is doing sc
we'll bleeve I'll try an git de ole man an
Pete in dar too" This reminds me of the
good old father whose son had returned
home from the State prison. He said
''Now, Simon, dat yer is done got outer
de pententiary hopes dat you will try
fur ter keep out, an arter dis don't stee
do more; but eff it dus happin dat yer mus
steel, don't do like yer did dat udder time
take par of boots dat is too big fur yer
self an too little fur yer ole daddy. Ye
ladders vice ter yer is if yer can't picl
up sup'n dat will do yer sum good, or da
: will be useful ter de family, dat yer bette
be honest" TORY.