The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-17
WEST PUTNAM.

a Fine Section w mere ENcLa 'hihS -
Yet Cheap. A Hospitabie Peopi9
GoodIy Land. Beautiful Lakes
and Rich Hammocks Unknown TO
the Immigrant. The Next Field for
the Specuiator.
Putnam county has been so thorough
lv examined that it is matter OF sur
prise to find at this late day one Of our
finest sections as yet practically un-
known to the outside world. While
elsewhere the axe of the pioneer has
wrought a thousand changes, while the
cabin of the settler, has been continually
giving place to the cottage surrounded
by bearing grove, and the lonely farm
has changed into the thrifty garden,
we are surprised to find one part of the
country almost unchanged during tue
past five years-its forests still covering
many acres of ffrst-class land and us
people still Jogging contented i'll the
same happy path undisturbed by the
roar and yexations of the outside world.
For if we take the county map and
draw a base line from lnterlachen to
McMeekin on the Florida Southern, then
erect triangle on this whose apex shall
be on the line of Clay county anywhere
near Melrose, we shall enclose one of the
finest districts in Florida. It's pine lands
are of the highest and best-lts ham
mocks rich, productive and yet covered
with valuable hard wood forest III the
rJntnt1rhaI
save that Of the occasional hunter VINO
had found his coon or 'possum. Neither
is even the pine land monotonons as 1T
often is elsewhere. The bluffs rising
from the bowls of pure water, cool and
clear. are often fifty feet high-hlil and
dale succeed each other III way we
have never found in such various uni
formity elsewhere, and the road winds
up and down, around and across in a
manner vexatious to the traveller and
weary soul, but delightful to the tourist
who has 10 business but pleasure and
is experienced enough to have some
thing to eat and smoke in his pocket.
And tho people are worthy Of their
section. Just happen to stop with DR..
McRea or John Wall or Timmons or
Padgett or Siegler or any one of dozen
others if you want to find what the
country will produce. The oranges are
of the plumpest and sweetest, the chick
ems fat, the bread brown to turn and.lf
you are not too hungry to wait, the trout
are caught and put in the pan before
they realize their death. Then light
your pipe and hear Mrs. McRae tell Of
her house keeping trials, aud you Will
realize that Arcadia is around you and
all complaints must be taken strictly in
sense Pickwickian. We have been there
and we know.
And never would we have celebrated
these visits to the public, except that 1t
is now too late to keep our secret. For
on our last visit we took the inevitable
Yankee along by way of convincing him
that there was at least one spot in the
country where he and his had no intiu-
ence. He said little but took it all in.
Now he has bought several hundred
acres in the heart of our lotos land, Is
bringing cultured people from Boston
to settle his town, and is about to sur
vey the line for n branch to connect the
Florida Southern Railway and Green
Cove & Melrose road. Well we know
that " here the Florida Southern goes
dreams and sentiment flee before a busy
reality!! Well we know that our Ar
cadia is already of the past alas and
alas !
No more shall the tangled hammock
return again from its stiffness the noise
of the coon fight across paths traced
only by passing deer or COW as wild !;
soon they will bow to the spirit OF
change to be replaced by the waving
cane or sturdy orange. No more will the
gator sleep fearlessly in his brilliant
mirror which reflects the starry heavens
on bosom never marred by lines traced
by man! The gator must hide and
sneak off or be shot the lake will be
laid bare to the garish light of day when
the ssforest bangs" which fringed the
brows of her ladyship and added soften.
ed charms to her bright beauty fall be-
fore the axe. The change is coming,
and those who love the old times and
old scenes must take refuge elsewhere,
1t brings dollars to the pocket polish 4
the manners and revenue to the state
does it add warmth TO the heart, cordI
ality TO the grasp or kindness to the eye
ROBERT TOOMBS DEAD.
lie Passes Away at His Home i;
Washington, Ga, Tuesday
Evening.
WASHINGTON, GA, December 10
General Robert Toombs died here thi:
evening at 6 O'clock.
AUGUSTA, GA, December 1s.-Gener
al Toombs' funeral will take place q
Washington Ga Thursday morning a