Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-01-06
A TRIP TO FLORIDA.
ARRIVAL IN JACKSONVILLE ON A FAST
TRAIN ON TIME.
st. Augustine and Its Historic Assoeia-
tions-A Tnikntivc Sergeant mt tho Old
Fort-Amu using Incidents.
CHARLESTON. Dec. 81. Il
the Editor of the Dispatch:

To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
Having been called to Florida on bust
ness that gave an opportunity OF per-
sonal examination of things az they
are" IL has occurred to me that per-
haps some Of the readers OF your valu-
able paper might find II Interesting 10
hear from zone who has just been there
The train pulled into Jacksonville with
in a minute of the advertised time. II
vas simply wonderful 10 contemplate
that In less time than one revolution OF
the earth on It's axis a Journey had been
made Of a greater length than that OF
the children OF Israel In forty years, and
with as much comfort as in ones own
house.
To describe st. Augustine would be
too ambitious for my Pegasus. In view
Of the splendid eulogles that have show
cred on this stronghold OF the Span
iards": but In passing l must echo 10
tho trump OF fame the red0ubtab.e SER
geant who "ho.ls the fort Of the Pines.
II was lust scandalous. the yarns he
told. There was an English party in
the old fort at the time OF my visit, ana
FOR aught know 10 the contrary 1t may
have been the titled English lady and
her friends who were chronlcled - being
then In the city. At any rate, the SER
eeant yociferat,i and CALCULATED. lie
pointed here anC he gestured there; he
vowed that the prisoners were tortured
In one cell, AMI that CoacO0chee had
escaped from another. He could talk
% b. a
time than any fellow / ever struck. IN
les, 1t was the invalid who wanted to
show me the tomb OF Napoleon.
GIVING HIM \ POINT.
Tn, sergeant, however, was a mon
sirous clever fellow, and after the
"Britishers" had gone / interviewed him
on my own account. | esSayet 10 put
him up 10 a thing or two in this bust
ness. I told him of the old darby and
the junk-ship locks that he used 10 sell
70 credulous tourists AZ veritdOle souve'
Mrs OF Libby Prison discipline, and gave
him the address OF our junk shop ner-
chants in Richmond who could suppiy
hin ad infinitum with locks at 10 cents
apiece, which were warranted 10 be the
very ones which fastened those French
men whom the red0utable SpanlarJs ndl
put TO death.
AS the chronicles have It that first
the Spanlards massacred 200 FrenchmaD,
and in return that a certain Frenchman
enthused with grand revenge, massa-
cred. 200 Spanlards, there was a certain
demand for 700 lockS-ergo. 40 locks
at s. showed n clear 5000 transac-
ton, less the cost OF locks. which he was
to put at $50. ami my fee for putting
him up to such a good thing. | thus
hoped to open UP the way for him 10
gather a harvest.
A PAST MASTER.
To my cost. however. | soon discovered
that the sergeant himself was past
master in this guild. He regulated my
just claim for a fee or the ground he was
already conducting such 4 trade Fur
thermore. he had written a book. which
1t was my bounden duty to buy. and
forthwith a history of the fort was
brought out. | was fairly caught. In
stead OF quizzing the sergeant | was
quizzed myself The book was purchased.
and / left a sadder and a wiser man.
Moral Never tackle a fellow on his own
ground. especially a fellow who has
wrestled with tourists.
DRILL AND BATH.
The two things standing out most promi-
nent I'm my memory Of St. Augustine are
the drill and bath. The drill, Shades Of
Rameses and Of Cyrus. of Alexander ana
of Caesar. OF Charles the Hammerer and
OF Napoleon, of Marse Bob. and the Stone
wall, could you have witnessed such
scene and not groaned In your graves,
then grlm-visaged war indeed has smooth
ell his wrinkled front. Your correspond
ent confesses to being a laymaE In such
matters and might nc, be able to ap.
preciate all the subtleties OF the sltul-
tlon, but as far as h. could make out