Omaha daily bee., 1893-12-17
IN THE CRADLE OF SECESSION
Where Ruin Stalks Amid the Grandeur Of
the Past,
VIEWING SUNTeR'S GRANITE PfRPET
pilapidated Condition OF the Famous For
Past Glory and Present Gloom OF
Charleston-state Liquor
D~Ispenssries.

CHARLESTON, Nov. 90. Editorial Core
spondcnce of TuE BEE Overhead the sky
was blue and the bright MONDAY sun poured
a flood of light upon the dark green foliage
of tho great forest, through which our train
was speeding toward the South Carolina
metropolis. In this tropic borderland a
forest is not a b~eggarly collection of scrub
oaks ana dwarf pines. Majestic live oaks
and giant cypress, sycamore, hickory and
chestnut trees spread their boughs
and branches over vast areas, in
common with magnolias, sweet gums,
chinguapins and p~crsimmons. Every
break in the deusely wooded forest
opens a clearing through cotton and lice
plantations, with their annex OF cabins,
surrounded by v~ariegated patches of garden
truck. In the background, obscured by
shrubbery ana tretlised arbors covered with
honeysuckles and climbing rose bushes, the
pretentious, weather-Deateu planters man
sion with its broad veranda and mlssive
%cornice.
Nature has been lavish in her gifts to this
sunny land. but man has done comparatively
little to attract or distract the tourist.
With two or three exceptions the railway
stations between Savannah and Charleston
Nv lob'h IIbIlG sutuS, dub ScNtIhl il
them are as primitive as they possibly can
be, consisting of n stationary boxcar or
caboose. The towns through which we
passed had a dilapidated and poverty
stricken appearance, while the crowds at
the stations reminded me of the inscription
over Dante's "Inferno:" who enters here
leaves soap behind"
In Striking Contrast.
NvLn.. za..t.-- ill., -, .--
Savannah and Charleston. Savannahk with
broad, asphalt paved streets, shaded
avenues and charming parks. electric street
railways and electric lights-cheerful,
bright and exhilarating. Charleston.
gloomy, dismal, musty and antiquated,
with narrow streets, crooked lanes, cobble-
stone pavements and bobtall cars. And yet
you are reminded at every step that
Charleston has seen better days. Up to 1920
Charleston had a larger than
New York. Everything about tins place
has an air of bygone glory and grandeur
Like the poor but proud Spaniaru who
wraps his patched and threaubare cloak
about his shoulders with the air of a
grandee, the Charlestonians are wrapped up
in the past.
Charleston is a collection of shattered ar
chltectural bric-a-brac, venerated by its pos
SCISSORS as precious relics ana heirlooms of n
blue -blooded ancestral aristocracy. Nearly
every prominent ediiice in this town, from
custom house to market house, is built in
the classic style. Bank buildings, hotels
theaters, CLUB houses and even churches and
private residences present a most imposing
appearance with their Doric and Ionic col
onnades and Greek peristyles. Tn most IN
teresting of these buildings are the churches,
which nearly all date back to the seven
teenth and eighteenth century.
But while great church ediices may be
seen in every direction there is a lamenJable
absence Of school houses. There are of
course several colleges and military acade-
mics and seminaries, but there are no public
schools, or at least | failed to see one in my
touring about town. which included ali
points worthy of viewing. This is the great
est drawback to the regeneration of the
south.
The most attractive spot in this city is the
battery, with its monumental mansions, fac
ing the harbor and commanding an unob-
structed view of the shipping and the sur
rounding islands. From this point of vantage
the Charlestonians viewed the lombard
ment of Fort Sumter By the confederateS
and the subsequent engagements between
the forts and war vessels that sought to re-
capture it.
State Dlspensaries.
One of the features OF this city is the
state liquor dispensaries. To ascertain how
the experiment operates | called for a small
bottle of brandy at one of the principal drug
stores, alleging that | needed 1t for medicinal
DuEDOStS. we dEc uOU dllbWcu W SUI
liquor responded the clerk; you must get
it at the STATE dispensary."
"Dou't you sell for medicinal purposesn
"We do not we can't even fill a prescrip-
tion compounded with alcohol or wine"
"Suppose a man was suddenly stricken
down and people must get restorativesf"
''They must get them at the dispensary,"
blandly replied the druggist.
Upon further inquiry Learned that there
are five of these dispenSaries in this city,
with state bartenders and state cocktail
mixers. There are also more than 200
"blind tigers or resorts hat sell liquor,
wine and beer in defiance of law, just as the
bootleggers and holes-in-the-wal do in pro-
hibition Iowa and Kansas. And there is no
attempt, even, at concealment. The con
stables make an occasional raid and the city
police are strictly neutral, as the city does
not concern itself about this granger dis
pensary law.
Historic Sumter.
as there any way for me TO reach Fort
Sumter" l asked the hotel clerk this
morning.
fort, but / reckon you might engage a small
tug that makes trips to the fort once in a
while. You will find the owner on the
wharf near the market house"
After quite q scramble among the docks, /
succeeded in finding the man OF the tug.
81 am sorry" said he, but my large boat
is engaged for today If you can get a rubber
coat and don't mind being splashed by the
sea, we lnlgnt Try u III tue llJlfe DUAL, lnOuBn
it's mighty rough this morning"
The 'little boat which he pointed out to
me was a mere cookie shell, and as the tide
was running very high, and | had no rubber
coat at hand l decided 10 go over TO Sullivan
island, which lies right opposite Sumter,
and take my chances Of finding a boat that
would take me across. A steam ferry runs
regularly twice a day from Charleston TO
Mount Pleasant and Sullivan island. When
boarded the ferry boat at 10 a. IN. there was
quite a number OF passengers aboard, in
Guiding a party of school girls who were
going over to have an outing. Sullivan
island is plainly visible from Charles
ton, butts Fort Sumter looked like a small,
black speck in the sea. AS we approached
the island Sumter began to assume shape,
and when we came nearly opposite,on round
ing the point, Its appearance was that of an
old line OF battle ship with q row of port
holes near the water line, a big smokestack
fore and aft aud a high mast IN the center.
The walls of the fort appeared 10 be perfectly
black. Several siege guns were visible above
the parapet. BY IL O'Clock we had reached
the last landing ON Sullivan island and all
the passengers went on shore. This island
ia about ten miles in length ana before the
war many of the wealthy citizens
of Charleston had their summer
residences here, and some of their
t. 1000 n 1900. M