Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-13
Saturday, March I3, 1886.
D0WNIN FLORIDA.


 Notes Of n Pleasure Trip Leesburg-A
 Steamer Trip on Lakes Harris and
 Griffin - Rig Fishing-A Big Fish
 Photographed-AR Rare Scene OfLeve-
 Illness and Beauty on OkahumPka An-
 let-Our Tourists Startling Discove.
 ry-A Rag Full of Shining Gold Coin.
 LEEsBURe, Fla, March 9.-Late in tho afternoon we arrived at Leesburg, which Is the business metropolis of Sumter county, and located on the Florida Southern railroad 143 miles from Jacksonville, on a peninsula aboat eight hundred yards wide stretching between Lakes Harris and Griffin. We have not been able to find map showing the lay out of the town or to learn the number of inhabitants, but should say there are about fifteen hundred, as about this number gath cred to see show the other night, and it was said that all the people of the town were there. Almost every householder is 8 fruit grower, with orange trees in the yard and garden.
 The orange groves in this section are very fine, and hour after hour may be spent pleasantly among the well kept trees of Messrs. Lee, Milan, Coffin, Pratt, Kidd, Sti- wander, Cunningham, Lanier, Roberts, LoV- ell, Vale, Bishop, Hoyt, Holden, Whedon,
 
 whom there are many.
 The lakes are great source of pleasure
 here, and days enjoyment IS secured by stepping on some of the steamers and mak- ing tour of the settlements on their bor- ders, which can be done every day.
 Lake Harris is sixteen miles long, and 8 steamer starting at a. m. can touch at the prominent points and get around by D. m. Lake Griffin is nearly as large as Lake Har- ris.
 We went fishing the other day on Lake Harris, and in less than three hours caught over thirty pounds of fish, the small est three pounds and the larg- est fourteen pounds and one ounce, good weight, by the butchers scale. And to prevent this being considered fish story, we took the precaution of having the big one photographed and then served up to l the Bureau of Information" at the Leesburg Hotel, which secures this trout place in the history of the Leesburg fisheries.
 Yesterday we rowed across the lake and entered Okahumpka inlet, which is water connection with Okahumpka lake about eight miles distant, perfectly still and perfectly clear When the sun broke through the trees to the water we could see the bottom as clearly though it were only few feet deep.
 The many tints of foliage on the water oak, live oak and the cypress, as they min glsd their branches high above us, and the
 
 thickly grown beech, maple, shrubbery and undergrowth along the edge of the water which vas wide, then narrower, ever chang ing in form, with bright sunshine in one place and deeply shaded in another, the harshness all subdued by the Spanish moss hanging in heavy tresses from among the opening leaves, all combined to form the most beautiful place I ever witnessed. It could not be more aptly described than it was by Ar. c. of Chicago, one of our party, who Con hearing an extra heavy splash forward on our right and seeing long black head back down into the water) said in very low but satisfied tone, "Gosh, I would have thought that was in heaven, if it had not been for that alligator" In passing along we found large crane's nest, but as the crane would neither leave the nest nor let us catch it, we moved along and coming to place on the bank which was solid and dry, we concluded to examine the soil which was composed almost entirely of small shells. We hitched the boat and started for short tour of in spection through the woods, each one going as fancy led. We soon got separated; the writer, choosing q direction in which it seemed that no human foot had ever trod be- fore, had managed to get through several barriers of interlaced scrub and vines and passed through several tent-like chambers
 formed by the dropping branches of an oak or cypress, all aglow with the fever of an explorer and enjoying l the shelter of 8 house such as man never made-an oaken pillar nearly five feet in diam l eter, roofed by the arching oaken rafters, and shingled for at least fifty feet high by the | yellow jsssamine in full bloom We had | just finished spacing the circumference of | the tree with rule, but forgot the measure as something under foot attracted my atten- | tion. On removing the leaves I lifted bag | made of alligator hide, and found it we'll | filled with United States coin. at first l thought that the JOURNAL AND COURIER | would be good medium in which | to advertise for the owner, but concluded that it would be useless, as have
 no doubt that it was placed there during the war, if not before, but a more feasible theory is that a big alligator ate the owner somewhere, and finding this bag to lay heavy on his stomach, went to that beauti- full, quiet spot and placed it just where I found it. have sent it by express to New York.
 Our time being up and signal given all started, to meet again at the boat where we 1 compared clothing to see who had lost the
 most buttons, then started back to l the lake when we discovered l that we were all hungry l We saw nice house located in a beautiful orange grove and pulled for the pier where ! we learned that the place was called "Cor- | ley's Island" We went up to the house, | asked for dinner and got one of the best din
 nsrs we have had in Florida. The place be- | longs to Hon. H. A. Corley, land eommis- sioner of Florida, and is one of the finest sites to be found. We were entertained by Miss Corley, who invited us to come again. This is the way that tramps are treated at Corley's Island.
 On our way home we rowed around the shore of the lake to enjoy the scenery, which changed with every stroke of the oar, and so beautiful that it can only be described by sight, in silence.
 We are almost cut off from the world here,
 as we only get chance at a paper which some traveller may bring along in his pocket, or occasionally morning paper from Jack sonville. So our time is spent in listening to the real estate men, who are legion, and they have got, or if they cannot suit us will sell any land that anyone else has got, they are not par ticular. He who buys is the man to be par ticular, and very particular, too, if he wishes to keep out of trouble. When we are not
 and hammock land we are gunning, fishing or cutting orange canes, with which, with few excursions to Indian mounds or old ruins which we can see, but not understand, our time is pretty much occupied.
 The orange trees are putting out finely, much better than was expected. They are now in button, so-called from the shape of the bud. The largest growers here expect good crop the coming season, and some consider the freeze blessing, as it has killed
 the scale which infests the orange tree. The red-winged blackbirds have start ed
 north. They left here this morning at 8
 o'clock. They started from an orange grove
 of at least one hundred trees which were black with them. They made such an un-
 usual chatter that I went to see what it meant and got there in time to say good
 bye. HANGER. Boycott at RunueIl,R