Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-01-18
What a Pass Did.

aOOuU tHlS tlOe OF year, Wuen III Uut
Iowa country the thermometer how
cred about the zero point day ane
night, and for variation shot down tt
fifteen below on Sundays, an incident
occurred, for it looked no more thar
that, at the time, which has since
then meant the upbuilding and the
making of the entire southwest por
ton of Louisiana. One of the princi.
pals of that incident is now at St.
Charles Hotel; the other is resident
OF Jennings, La, and worth a neat
fortune of his own, after having made
hundreds of others rich.
1t was ut the time mentioned that
Capt. j. F. Merry, of Manchester, Ia,
who has sine become assistant gen
eral passenger agent of the Illinois
Central Railroad at that place, re-
celved letter from man out at
Cresco, Iowa, asking the genial Cap
tain if he would not provide him
transportation to New Orleans, as he
had in his head great scheme for
the development of certain sections
of the state in the southwest district.
Capt. Merry wrote s. L. Cary, for
that is who the writer from Cresco
happened to be, that he would gladly
send him to New Orleans if he
thought there was anything in it
from an immigrant standpoint.
MIR. Cary made the trip. He re-
NAMED in this city few days, then
took the Morgan train and went out
the line. He finally bought iaud, and
the town of Jennings, which is now
one of the most Furnishing aud pro-
gressive towns of the state, was locat-
ed and laid out on his farm. Cary be-
came the father of Jennings and the
pass which Capt. Merry sent him
those thirteen years ago is RESPONSE
BILE for all this excellent history.
Capt. Merry, the Jovial Illinois Gem
trail passenger man who accompanied
the congressional committee on mill
tary affairs to this city, sat in the st.
Charles Hotel lobby last night aud
laughed to himself as he thought over
all these incidents relative to the first
immigration business of this state.
He knows the history Of the move
ment like book. He ran the first
home-seekers' excursion from the
northwest to Jackson, Tenn, just
fifteen years ago. 1t was an expert.
ment. The railroads had been run
ming home-seekers' excursions to the
west. They had not thought of turn
ing to the south. Capt. Merry said
tIy the south. The Illinois Central
took up the suggestion and the re-
suit has been marvellous to say the
least.
Since the trial trip, an excursion to
Jackson, the passenger department
of that line has kept the immigrant
business right in the front. what
have we to show for it?' asked Capt.
Merry, and he pulled out little note
book from his inside pocket. why,
look at the map. There is Hammond,
with it's $500 people, and as fine a
place as you ever saw. Roseland has
1000 inhabitants and is still running
up the scale. Talk about immigrants,
| why the south is the future home OF
toiling millions. Kentwood is now a
hustling town of say 500 souls, and
McComb City has 800 or 400 imni-
grants in her confines In Madison
county, Mississippi, we have located
fully 200 families. In Baton Rouge
we have found homes for several
families. But the list is almost end
less. At Centreville, Ridgeland, Du-
rant, West Point, Grenada and Como,
all in Mississippi, we have made the
old places become new through the
introduction of new and active blood.
'Did you say southwest Louisiana?
Just as much interest in that as any.
We started that, too. South west
Louisiana owes whatever she is to s.
L. Cary. Cary is southwest Louisiana.
The state can never be able to repay
Mr.. Cary for the work he has done in
connection with the development of
the southwest portion of the state.
mo, oh no, there is no lull in the
immigrant traffic. On the contrary,
the prospects were never more en-
couraging. Beginning with the new
year we will put on semi-monthly
tourist car from the northwest to this
state. 1t will be one of the most inn
portant features of the Illnoss Cen
trail system. A through tourist Sleep
er will be hauled from Sioux City on
on the first and third Mondays of
each month straight through to New
Orleans. Two home-seekers' excurs-
ions per month will be new feature,
and they will carry persons for this
state.'
Capt. Merry will leave for his home
in Manchester, Iowa, this morning
over the Illinois Central. He is great
ly pleased over the trip and enter.
tainment of the Congressman. He is
now division passenger agent Of the
line and one of the best posted offic.
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