The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-11-29
In HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

school. He was proud of his race, his
lineage and quite properly so. His elder
brother, John Gill Shorter, was governor
IN the years succeeding the outbreaking of
the civil war, and was in reality Alabama's
war governor, although that title is gener-
ally conferred upon the late former gov
ernor, Thomas W. Watts, who was elected
governor of Alabama whilst colonel of
regiment in the field, and. by the way,
whilst under arrest and in danger of being
shot for dsobedience of orders.
Major Shorter-they called him colonel
in his latter days, but he was never in
fact either major or colonel2was one of
the most sweet gentlemen whom I ever
met. He was courtly, superb-handsome
as dream of some old knight slept out of
the canvass in the picture gallery of
proud race. He was the most courteous
of all of our public men. He desired to
go to congress and aspired to the governor
ship but, as he expressed it himself, he
was pushed off the roost.' He was for
dozen years president of the Alabama
railroad commission, and 1 should have
been glad to see him hold that easy and
dgnified office to the end of his honored
life. HIS death demands really more than
passing notice from the press. He has
been strong figure in the public life of
the state for more than twenty years He
was a man of unsatisfed ambition; so are
most men who have grown old. There are
good men all over Alabama who will regret
to know that he has passed away"
Henry R. Shorter. of Barbour, was sc
years old. One of his two brothers was the
late Colonel Eli s. Shorter, who was
member of congress from Alabama twenty
odd years ago. He leaves three daugh-
tiers and son, the latter being Henry
r. Shorter, the younger, who is a lawyer
in Eufaula. His second daughter is the
wife of Senator william D. Jeks of Bar
bour, editor of the Eufaula Times. The
eldest daughter is married and resides in
Savannah. Major Shorter the uncle
of Captain r. f. Kolb, of Birmingham.
'The action of the Alabama legislature
in taking an informal recess the other day
to welcome Senator Pettus is, so far as
my recollection goes, without precedent i'll
the history of our general assembly" said
an Alabamian with a mind for history. Il
mean to say that the honor paid to Senator
Pettus was practically unprecedented. The
but Senator Pettus reception was not pre-
arranged and his visit to the capitol at
Montgomery wholly unexpected by the
legislature. The senator merits all honors
which his people can pay him. He is one
of the strongest and noblest types of our
cid men, and his services to the democratic
party are incalculable.
1.-THE senator is great hunter. He likes
above all things to get his gun and his dogs
and go out for the birds. For several
weeks he has been confined to his bedroom
by the pains OF govt, and he has chafed
greatly under the restraint, chiefly because
it kept him from his beloved hunting. The
senator hoped all along that he would be
enabled to have one good days hunt before
proceeding to Washington for the opening
of the short session of congress, but l
doubt if that hope has been or will be
realized. If Senator Pettus should go
a-hunting he will have fully thirty rogs
to take along with him, for in addition
to his own dogs, admiring friends have
sent him more than score of the CANNES
to aid him in his sport
There is one drug store in Birmingham
which sells as much whisky for; shipment
to the outlying mining districts as all the
bar-roems in the city, said a man in the
trade. 1.-The drug stores are taking the
Jug and bottle trade from the liquor houses.
The liquor license for a drug store is $3.50;
the license for a saloon is $1,000. So the
former have greatly the advantage of the
latter. OF course, the best profit in our
business comes from sales over the coun-
- Il
is of great Importance, as may be well I'M
derstood. Formerly, unwise police restric-
tions drove away much of the best retail
trade of all sorts from Birminghamk for
men from the surrounding districts coming
to town to buy necessities not unnaturally
bought drinks, and that was good for our
trade. The ordinary saloon trade is in a
poor way; there is little profit left to the
proprietors."
Mr. Victor H. Harrison, of Washington,
is in the city. Mr.. Harrison is the general
agent of the American steamship line, and
is travelling through the south looking af-
ter his agencies. All four of the great
ships of the American line were in the
service of the government during the war,
and were used as fast cruisers. They have
now been returned to the American line,
and are run on regular schedules between
New York and Southampton. These are
equal to the fastest ships in the world.
Mr.. Harrison announced yesterday that
the New York, which was known as the
Harvard during the war, is to be run on a
special trip, leaving New York March 4,
through the West Indies. 1t will touch at
all Cuban ports; at San Juan, Mole st.
Nicholas, Trinidad, Martinique, Porto Rico,
Kingston and other points Indeed, 1t will
go over the same course which it traversed
during the war. The general accommodate
lions will be limited to about $50 and the
trip will occupy three or four weeks OF
course, it will be splendid opportunity to
see Americas new possessions in the West
Indies and several Birmingham people are
already booked for the trip.
"There was an incident in the house of