The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-28
M'KIssICK's BASEMENT DEN.
A Novel Attraction at the Battery
Park Hotel.

In the Savannah Press Of recent date
appeared the following which wall be
read with interest and pleasure by many
people in North Carolina:
Proprietor McI<issick. of the Battery
Park, is preparing unique retreat in the
basement of his hotel. A large fireplace,
which occupies nearly the whole side of
the room, has been amplified for the yule
log and the oldfashioned andiron. Over
its brick mantle are grouped guns. amt
lcrs. skins of animals and other souvenirs
OF woodcraft. There are big rocking
chairs and the whole place suggests the
interior of Joachim Miler's log cabin in
California. This cosy corner of the Bat
terry Park is reserved for the choice
spirits who frequent that tavern mostly
IN the winter time and who talk politics
and the hunt. Mckissck, who is a ma
tive of Union s. c., has q passion for
politics. He is a sort Of a Warwick for
two States. His hotel is the resort
of leaders all over the Union. President
and Mrs. Cleveland stopped the train
while they were going through Western
North Carolina once to ride up to the
Battery Park and secure its matchless
view. Vice President Stevenson and
john s. Wise are intimate friends off
McKissic<, President and Mrs. McIIin-
ley and the Hon. William j. Bryan, of
Nebraska, have been his guests, as was
Speaker Crisp just before his death.
Secretary of State Day passed through
North Carolina not long ago and was
charmed with his visit If McKissick
could take Il month off in the mountains
and summons has newspaper pen again he
could write splendid book about public
men he has known
There is no more popular man in the
South than Edward p McKissick. RO-
bust, horid and clear-eycd he is a splen-
did specimen of youth and strength. He
was born in Spartanburg county, South
Carolina, just 80 years ago. His family
was reared in that town. He attended
the South Carolina College, and on re-
turning home commenced to study law.
At the same time he taught school in the
village academy. The rule was to turn
ont the school at 4 O'Clock in the after
noon. During the quail season the youth
full preceptor closed it at O'Clock and
spent the balance of the day shooting
quail ON Partridge. Now and then he
plodded through ''Starkey's Evidence"
and "Dillon's Railroad Law" In the
meantime. however. he began to busy
himself on the Union Times, for which
he received a pass on the railroad. 'The
old gentleman who edited the paper"
McKissick explained could not get
about, so | did the getting about
In 1879 Ed McIIissick was appointed
rage in the Carolina State Senate and
afterward became clerk in the engross-
ing department. In 1887 Capt Francis
/ w. Dawson offered the young man a
position ON The News and Courier ut SO
n week. In abiding to this crisis in his
life McKissick laughed and SAID: mo
mountain trout ever leaped to a greater
height in trying to catch n fly than /
did in accepting this offer" After the
death of Capt. Dawson MclAsSick was
promoted from his position as Reporter
ard took the road for the paper. can
vassing and writing UP towns. In 1891
Col Frank Cox, owner of the Battery
Park Hotel in Asheville offered young
McIIissick the position of manager. This
was remarkable change of base. No
one had ever looked upon the genial and
| free-handed McKisSick as a hotel man
ager But the unexpected happened. He
made the place immensely popular. He
kept a splendid inn and no man ever
had better advertisement at the hands OF
his old newspaper friends. He man
aged the hotel for FIVE years. Three
years ago he leased it outright. His bills
Of fare were published in leading news
papers by telegraph and his hotel was
the only one in the South that was an
entire in the editorial columns. Today
McKissick is bank director, railroad
director, and club man. He was on
Gen. Horace Porter's staff at the inall-
guration of Mckinley. He is vice-presi-
dent Of the antitrust League: he bears
several titles bestowed upon him by reg
ular commission. but he doesn't favor
tin soldiers ranks, he says, when there
are so many gallant Confederate soldiers
living who WON their title by heroism.
1t is impossible to sample the hospitality
of this young Solrtherner and view his
work by the glare of the back logs in the
basement den without realizing the truth
of Shenstone's verse:
"Whoever has travelled life's dull round.
Where'er his footsteps may have been.
May sigh to think he still has found
His warmest welcome at an inn."