San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-04-24
AN IROQUOIS VIEW.
What Member of the Illinois
Press Association Saw in

Grub.
The LIGHT has just received a
marked copy OF the Iroquois County
Times, giving some very readable
descriptions of portions of Texas and
San Antonio as well, from the pen OF
Mrs. Clara Lyon Peters, who was one
of the members of the Illinois Press
association that made the trip to
Mexico last month. From this article
the LIGHT gives the following ex-
cerpts as showing somewhat how We
appear to others.
"At half past three a famished
press gang, as some of the party
called US, stopped at Palestine for
dinner. kilograms had been sent
ahead as usual, so that mine host of
the hotel chosen should he prepared,
and our mouths were made up for a
good meal. Perhaps that was why it
went so hard to get such miserable
one as we did. fl could remember
the name of that hotel | would adver-
tise it free for it was a swindle to take
poor, hard-worked editors money for
such wretched scant fare as we got.
The landlord was fat, butt think he
must board at some other hotel.
Palestine, Texas, almost makes me
decide never to visit the Pales tine
that is on our Sunday school maps,
because am sure it would bring 10
mind that dinner which | hope to
have forgotten before l 60 to the
Holy Land.
My note book says that after dinner
we wendell our way through swamps,
pine timber and saw mills and saw the
first misletOe. | have read of the "sons
of the soil" Before dinner the soil was
so red that if like produces like'
crop of red men would be the inevita.
BILE result of cultivation; after we leave
the swamps theground is so white that
only white men would be produced.
Just as we get we'll through the
dreary pine swamp and see one love-
ly bit of scenery it grows dark and
we must put ourselves in our little
beds again which by this time we
have learned to do with much less
trouble than at first. During the
night we arrive at San Antonio and
remain" A splendid breakfast at
a splendid hotel, the Menger made
savage over our Sunday dinner
We knew that at San Antonio or
near it we have some dear friends,
DR.. Viola Ludden and son Prentiss
who are there fOrthe latter's health.
We had sent them word of our COM
ing, hoping to see them little while,
but we find afterWard that they were
in the country and did not receive
our word, and alas! we find upon our
arrival home that Prentiss mad
sought too late the sun-bright land
on earth and had while we were gone
found still brighter one in Heaven.
San Antoine, as we hear it called
ig queer compound, not
only a little but a good deal mixed,
houses two centuries old stand close
by those of modern architecture, old
missions and new churches Whites,
MeXicans, Indians, negroes! One feels
rather as though one was in a
dream. The citizens and the editors
mot but that editors are citizens and
good one too of the city have prepared
to do us honor, and if they had con-
suited me about it before hand they
could not have suited me better, even
to the gentleman who rode in the car
rage with US.
First they took us block from the
new hotel to the Alamo, a building
famous in history.
The place is in charge Of an old
Texan soldier who led US from place
to place and pointed out all these
points and told us these things and
more, fully as interesting in low
mumbling monotone, most eXasperat-
ing to our eagerness to hear all.
We were then treated to a carriage
drive around the city and again 60 IN
to raptures-Uhat is the ladies do,
men are not so given to raptures-
over the flowers and vines; roses,
syringas, iapOniCas and plenty more
in full bloom. We first see banana
trees, but it IS not their season for
bearing here; palms, cactus and
Spanish dagger abound. 1t was the
exceeding good fortune Of this family
to have for guide, philosopher and
friend" w. :. Messmer, editor
of the San Antonio LIGHT. We
found, even in 50 short a time, that
he was man of original characteris-
tics aud marked individuality, high
ly cultivated and refined. He made
our ride most delightful by his fas-
cinatlng conversation and knowledge
of the place and surroundings. /
have only one fault to find with him
in so short a timeJ-he is not pro-
hibitiOnist.
We drove to Government Hill of
which | Will leave the lnOminaI
head of the family to tell; gov
eminent does not let me have
any finger in the government
tai pie and | do not intend to do
any more advertising for it until it
does. How badly the government