Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-12-12
WANTS TO COME BACK.
Joseph Gelyen Likes California Well
Enough, but He Likes Mexico
Better-Incidents of
His Trip.

Correspondence OF the Ledger.
SAN JOSE, CAL, Dec. 4.-DEAR SIR:
| have been nearly three weeks IN
San Jose, Cal, and have been patient
~ waiting every day for the LEDGER
to get the news from Mexico, but in
vain. 1 suppose that my son, Charley,
must have made a mistake in the ad-
dress, or the postal card must have
gotten lost. 1 know it can't be any
fault of yours, for the five years that
| have, been a subscriber of the LED
GER | never failed to get the same
and il was always looked for with
pleasure, and especially nov while we
are away from Mexico. While writ
ing the above, in order that | might
get the news from my old home, 1t
may be of some interest to you and
my friends to hear something about
our trip to California and the beau
tiful city of San Jose, sometimes called
the Garden City of the world, which L
think is proper, for it is a beautiful
place, of which / will say something
later.
The first is of the trip. joined my
family on the night of Nov. 18th at
Mexico and through the courteous
and accommodating agent, E. S.
Wilson, we received first-class accom-
modations to Kansas City and again
on our through a on the Santa Fe
Ito California. But after leaving Kan
sas City and on through Kansas and
Colorado it was all right, but on
reaching New Mexico and Arizona we
encountered a blizzard which con-
tinued till we reached California.
| During the blizzard in Arizona the
| porter or sleeping a conductor let
| the fire go out in the stoves and we
had no more fire in that a until the
next day noon, SO that l { contracted
one of the worst colds l yer had in
my life, and the chills that l first got
were something similar to ~congestive
| chills and if it had not been for an old
doctor that volunteered mis- services
to me l don't believe / would have
gotten alive to California. Nearly all
of the passengers caught cold. After
arriving in San Jose my wife was
taken sick and she was very i'll for
several days, SO that / had to make
my first acquaintance with the doc
tors in California. AS it happened l
had a letter from Joseph Potts to his
brother, DR.. Potts, on whom / called
for acquaintance and medical assist
ance. found him a very nice, pleas
ant gentleman. My next call after
my family got better vas on the Frost
brothers, who are now in the grocery
business for themselves and apparent
ly are doing a lively business. l have
since found a great many here from
Missouri, but more or less of the same
opinion that / am about California,
and that is, il they have plenty it is
good enough, but if not my advice is
that they had better leave well enough
alone and not do like / did, leave one
of the incest business towns in Mis-
souri, for something better, which !
know no other man can find here.
But if had, say one hundred thousand
dollars, or say an income of a sufficient
amount to live comfortable and had
good health | might content myself to
remain here, but under the circum-
stances 1 prefer Missouri. l have
crossed the Rockies three times anc
my fourth time, if l live, will be
| nank-ro Missouri and ii. will be my
last. / will say here for all that are
not satisfied, to do as I have done.
| Experience is the best teacher but il
is pretty dear.
Now, about the beautiful Garder
| City and the climate. At present We
have the rainy season, that does moi
mean raining all the time. 1t rainl
mostly at night and during the da,
the sun shines and it is pleasant, while
during; the night it is cold, and in or
der to keep comfortable it is neces'
sary to have fire, which is a very ex'
pensive thing here. 1 have to pay 81
cents for a sack of coal which weigh
100 pounds which will last two nights j
you don't have too big a fire. Every
thing else Is in price about like in tn
East, with a slight advance. l fine
business overdone here and compe
tition is great. No trouble to go il
business here, and / believe it is les
trouble to get out, for l find a grea
MANY that have been in business ono
that have gone to fruit raising or do
ing something else TO make a living
l should like to say something MOI
about this beautiful place where rose
and geraniums r yet In bloom an
s~emi-sropical trees and plants gro,
outside the year around, and where
IL you have plenty Of money, you ca
enjoy all kinds Of fruits. Just thin
of it! Strawberries, blackberries an
raspberries at this time Of the yea
when all is frozen back East. An
that IN not all that Ia beautiful. Tn
paved bitumen streets, as hard an
smooth as your granitoid walks, an
with its grand and beautiful building
on all sides with well kept yards, tn
grand public buildings ard beautif'
churches that are seen everywher'