Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-27
OVER THE KITE TRACK.
WELLS DRURY AMONG SEMI TRoPIC
SURROUNDINGS.
A Ride on o Panorama Train-Incidents
of the Trip-That side-Tracked
Insane Asylum - State
Division Favored.

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Tuesday last contains letter by Wells
Drury, an account of part of the doings
of the Editorial association meeting.
The following is the letter in substance:
PASADENA, November II.
1.-The editors are rapid people and must
be given trip around the double kite
! shaped track" said the residents of
Pasadena. So, this morning we started.
Down this way the kite-shaped track
is railroad that covers vast deal of
territory. 1t runs out of Los Angeles
and touches every village of importance
in the great San Gabriel valley. On the
map the road looks something like two
kites Joined together-one big and one
little.
After leaving Pasadena the first i'm
portant point is Santa Anita. This is
where Lucky Baldwin raises fast horses
and makes strong brandy. The road
runs through the ranch, and beautiful
oak trees are plentiful on both sides as
far as the eye can reach.
After that we branched out into the
valley, which few years ago was an
arid desert, but which is rapidly being
coverted into fourishing irrigated Or
ange orchard. Statistics show that
more planting is going on now than at
any time during boom times.
The editor Of the Ontario Observer
frankly admitted in his last issue that
the people had concluded to quit wait.
ing for the yearly crop of tenderfcot
immigrants and to depend more on the
perennial crop of fruit that is to be
gathered from the irrigated acres of this
modern Italy.
A. Ssn PnrporI;po &La ol,Aoxa
met by delegation of citizens, headed
by Hon. w. w. Douglass, deputy state
controller, and were offered the freedom
of the city. At that moment we had no
time to stop, as Scipio Craig was in a
hurry to get home, and kept hurrying
up the conductor.
Redlands was finally in sight. Red
lands, the home of Scipio Craig! The
publication place of the Citrograph, in
disputably the best printed paper in the
state OF California Here we were to
bid farewell to Scipio Craig and his
brije. They were married only last
Saturday, and were accorded all the
distinction that is due to the newly
welded.
1t was pleasant to see them accept our
condign homage. Both had been mar
ried before, and frost had touched each
poll, but they were as jolly as the most
youthful OF the party. As Anacreon
would have remarked, had he seen them,
they were "old, indeed, as to the hair
but young as to the heart"
MIR. Woodson was troubled because
there were no old shoes on the train,
and no rice nor anything else of typ
ical character that could be thrown at
the happy couple as they would move
away toward their home.
At last a compromise was made by
crunbling up two slices of bread that
had done service in railroad sandwich,
and which, when dry, made very good
substitute for rice.
Proceeding on the small loop, we
passed Mentone, Highland, the states
Southern Asylum and Arrowhead.
Nothing could be more desolate looking
than that asylum. 1t is just finished,
and was told it was waiting acceptance
by the state authorities. Everybody
here speaks of it as relic OF the Water
man administration. They do not wish
visitors to charge it up to the present
governor, for Markham is popular among
his neighbors.
Modern treatment of those suffering
from alteration is in the direction of in
creased social opportunities. Here we
have an asylum stuck away out On the
verge OF hot valley, secluded and ex-
cluded from all human visitation except
by an expensive and dusty railroad trip.
If it were near Los Angeles, or even San
Bernardino, there might be some ex-
cuse for ita location. Standing as it
does, wearisome mass Of red brick, be-
meath the beetling crsgs of the foothills,
it looks like veritable madhouse.
above whose doors might be inscribed
abandonment of hope for all who enter.
In the name of advanced medical knowl-
edge, in the name OF mercy and human
ity, let protest be made against the
use of this building as receptacle for
any persons suffering from any form of
alteration that may be deemed durable.