The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-11-05
VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS
The Stranded BOOms Are
Only Ahead of Time.
THEY WILL RECOVER & PRO PER.
The Wealth and Attractions of the
Mountain Regions.
THEY WILL RECOVER & PRO PER.
Letter from the Editor of the Times.

Letter from the Editor of the Times,l
BRISTOL, VAu October II.
/ date this letter Bristol, Va, be-
cause | happen to be stopping on the
east side of the main street of the city.
Had happened to stop at II hotel on
the west side OF the street, i would now
be writing from Bristol, Tenn. What
was struggling settlement in the ear
ly part of the century in the beautiful
valley in which nearly ten thousand
people now live and boom their tual
city in regulation style, finally saw its
main highway made the line between
Virginia and Tennessee. In point OF
fact theIe are two cities named Bris-
tpl--Bristol, Va, and Bristol, Tenn:
but the Tennesseans happen to have
the Post Office on their side OF the
street, and outsiders know only Bris-
toll, Tenn, although halt the popuIa-
ton worship at the sacred shrine of
the Old Dominion.
There are some odd antics inspired
by an active and progressive mountain
city with different municipal and
State jurisdiction on opposite sides of
the same main street. Each city has
it's municipal authority, euacts its own
local laws and enforces them in its
own way, aud each has different State
laws regulating licenses, Sunday OBJ
servance, schools, elections, etc, and
citizen committing crime on one
side of the main street can be reached
only by Executive requisition warrant
from the other State if the criminal
steps across the street and chooses to
remain there. Now and then this
anomalous condition of things causes
serious irritation, especially when spec
ulative interests come in contact.
Two water companies supply the twin
cities, and they came to the verge OF
civil war before the interests Of the ri
val corporations were justed. They
finally attained peace by allowing
each water company to lay mains Oh
the opposite sides OF the street
The people of this section are a
sturdy race. Their ancestors were
the mountain pioneers, who always
preferred rebellion to submission tC
tyranny. Eastern Tennessee, that be-
gins on the western eide of the main
street of Bristol, was the most rebel
lious of all Southern communities
against the Southern rebellion. Jones
boro, the first capital of the State, il
only an hours travel by rail west o
this city. 1t was there that the bril-
liant, erratic and tempestuous Parsor
Brownlow was reared. He published
his weekly Jonesboro Wing fifty years
ago, swung his pistol in street fgh
every month or so, and preached t,
the mountaineers OH Sundays. 4
few niles further toward the settinJ
sun is Greenville, the home Of anoth
er OF the conspicuous types of this re
gion-Andrew johnson. After thirt,
years of perpetual, always bitter an
often violent political conflict thes
two rugged gladiators came togethe
as champions of the cause of TIN
Union, and they inspired rebellion
within the rebelliuos throughout til
mountains OF East Tennessee. Boil
have attained In the grave the peac
that life refused them, and mode;
stone column on u knoll outside of tn
ancient and practically unchange
village OF Greenville marks the res
ing place of the once unlettered mour
tain tailor who ruled the nation i
unexampled violence.
The Virginia mountains and va
legs from the Potomac to this poir
are q most interesting study. Th
first impression made by iourne
through them is that the region hi
been doomed to death by ill-adyise
spectators, but more careful inqu
ny will prove that these jostling boon
and the many new cities which ext
chiefly in beautifully illustrated plan
on paper, are simply more or less
advance OF the times. There is va
aud varied wealth along the who
line OF the Norfolk and Western RAJ
way from Charlestown to Bristol, al
the attractions OF scenery and china
are unsurpassed. You can travel
whole day and never be outside
what seems to be a complete circle
mountains, and yet many farms (
this line would do credit to the fam'