The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-22
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

uUl ! I'LL IllUll UAuli UltNlA'
SOMETHING OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN
HERE AND THERE.
Parting with Friends at Sinety-SiX
---The Trip 10 iiIan!a---Dn TO Chat.
tanOOsa...LOok Out MOuntain.-.
Nashville and Yandcrbilt--.DiZZy
Heiishts..-SiiadGwy Dept.S---Rnc.
| ing Down Il Mountain---lnciden
| Etc.
Editor Press and Banner.
| Before leaving Carolina we promised many
| friends tuwrite them about our trip, and the
new Country. With your permission to use
the columns of the Press and Tanner We will
write mauy Of these letters IN one. On
the llth April, VIC boarded the train ut Nine.
ty-SiX and Greenwood, sixteen IN nuinoer
That WAS the hardest time OF all. Mr.. Editor
did you ever exchange what you believed tC
be the final "goOd-bye' with those you love:
If not, let me tell you that to sever the ties
| that bind us SO strongly TO those around
whom the tender tCndrlS OF the heart have
| tWineu themselves, and i'll whose lives the
tibres Of hrotherly-love nave so intrcateiy in
| tcrwoven themselves makes the heart bleed
and many afltcLlOnatc "gOod.bye" is chok
ed back by the swelling emotions Of the heart
They are crushed under the pressure, and
while tongue seems to be para lyZed, the heart
speaks forth words of love through the tears
| that fill the eyes, and the strong, warm grip
OF the hand. Sometimes the tongue would
| be sufficiently liberated to utter a"God bless
yOu." The dear people of Ninety-Six deal
with us in .Soodly manner.
Nearly 1liteen years OF our life have beer
spent with them, and we part with them un
der the pleasing reflection that there abldcs
| nothing in our hearts for Them but love
EKnowing them rs we do, we have no difficulty
| in believing that they have ere this throwI
Qle mantle of charity over our many error:
and defects, and to-day only remember rs n:
| friends. God bless them, and, If we never
meet them again on earth, we pray that We
may all meet ON the shores OF "Swcet deliver
ance," where parting will be no more.
Having slid "good-byc." we roll away, ant
| leave them gaZiug after us. In our passage
from Ninety-SiX to Atlanta we met many
friends. among whom were Gen. r. Il. Hemp
hill, Prof. Geo. G.. Hodges, uncle Grew. G. IL.
Pritchard, and Jones Davenport, u posla
clerk on the Air Line railroad, who met Us
about forty miles cast Of Atlanta, accompain,
ed us into, and showed us around the city ad
jacent to the depot. Finally, his generosity
bloOmed out, and brought forth IL good crol
Of oranges, and other fruits 10 the delight o
the time to say "goOd-bye" to the last Caro-
liam that we met on the way. We rolled ou
of Atlanta ut ll:l5 PM. central time. Al
though we passed some famous battetlclds, ant
the country until the brakesnan called on
! I"Cartersville." Then we rubbed our eyes
went out and took moonlight gaze at tn,
town where sam Jones lives. He had just re
turned from the Pacific coast where he ha(
done good work. On we 60 to Chattanooga
where we arrive about sun up. We make az
effort for some hot coffee but fail. We hat
no time to see the city. On the road to Nash
Vile, and IN sight OF Chattanooga, is Look Ou
mountain, made famous in history as tht
place where was fought the "battle above tht
clouds" We did not ascertain its height
but, as observed from the car window, il
NaI hx.
places almost perpendicular. Yet there Is
railroad ascending to the very summit of th
mountain by circuitous route eleven miles
long. There Is also q tramway which runs Il
the hotel, which Is situated on one of tht
highest peakes. The Tennessee river pasSin!
along ut the base leaves just room enough
for the train to pass between mountain anC
river. We are treated TO some grand scener,
along here, which we cannot now describe
Passing on through fine, but varied countr,
we arrive at Nashville, Tenn. ut ll:a0 y. NJ
Having to murder about nine hours here w
determind to see around the city Il little. A
soon as we had transferred our hand baggag
to the waiting room, secured mfUrtIb
quarters, and parlooll Of some dinner, ~
boarded street car and were soon ramblin;
over the beautiful grounds of Vanderbilt
University. AS we were wandering over tn
campus, admiring the magnificent buildin;
and the beauty OF the surroundings, we CAM
upon the newly made grave of Bishop Nc
Tyiere. While thinking OF his wonderful
silent resting place, we had desire to SCI
where he lived. lie had Il beautiful home OF
the campus, near his grave. II is u little re
tired and: yet conspicous enough to be Oh
served from most any part OF the enclosure
4 shower Of rain drives us from these inter
eSting scenes, and we find shelter in th
street car and return TO the city. After tn
rain had ceased we made our way TO the capi
toll On our way we passed the residence o
i President Polk. His remains rest beneath
huge pile OF granite and marble in the from
yard. His aged widow still resides here. w
approach and ascend the mound upon which
The capitol stands. Through the kindness o
the Janitor we were permitted 10 ascend th
many flights of steps and were finally usheret
through the scuttlc. From this lofty position
we took in the whole city Mt one view. w,
can not now relate what we saw, and th
many interesting incidcnrcs that were ex
planned TO us. We descended, took u gooc
look at .'Old Hickory who is ST. nicely pois
ed In front, and passed on To the Southern
Methodist Publishing house. Here is th
literary fountain .of the Methodist Church o
the South. 1t also gives ont the Sund!
School supplies OF that Cnurch. We me
brother Barbcc, the agent. bought bool
from him. After looking around Il little w
hurried on.
After visiting the magnificent Iron bridg
which spans the Cumberland River here VI
make our way back 10 tn" depot. We lcf
Nashville on time and arrived ut ST. Loui
7}0 next morning. AS wrmadc tn is run in til
night we cannot II YOU much about Til
country. we uld NOT nave time ut st. IOui
to see any thing except railroads and railroad
men and passengers. We did manage to &C
some warm coffee. We left st. Louis com
fortabiy quartercd in a nic, clean, CHAIR car
We reached Kansas City ut TP. NJ. Aftr
spending two hours and Il half here, we Wer
!; inducted into one OF those Tourist SlepperS s.
popular on the Western roads. We rei0ced /,
!, know that we were now through with chang
ing cars. We take our quarters for ninC
teen hundred mile ride over the Atkinson
Topeka and Santa Fc Route. In this car wcr
our party; Of sixteen, family Of seven from
West Virginia, Il family of six Canadians
fresh from Montreal. q lady from Topeka
Kansas, and Il young New Yorker, all boun,
for points in California. The lands OF Mis-
souri, and Eastern Kansas arc very fine
Western Kansas seems to be no good eXcep
At Kinsley. Kansas. shcriGs poss
: entered the train with four hcSpcradns, wh'
had about two days before stopped the trai,
and robbed the express car of cOnSidcrnbl
money. They were bound for Santa Fc, Ncy
T Mexico. All along through Kansas we say
missed land. Their turnOuiS resembles
fever was running high as we came through
Kansas city.
While ascending the mOutainS west Of Tri
nidad, and as we approached the tunnel on
Of the train robbers cunirivcd 10 get hi
shacklcd feet out of the car window, lCapet
through the window, and made his esca pC
We now descended the mountain until w
reached Albuquerque. Here the weather i:
oppresSively warm.
The mountain scenery through New Mex
leo and Arizona is simply sublime. IN west