The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-02
MONTGOMERY COUNTY FARMERS
 WELCOMED CARRIER SERVICE
Advertiser Mail Boxes All Along Routes Covered by POStmen Yesterday for First Time.
 Negroes Were Dubious.
BY L. F. WOODRUFF.

to Route No. 4. The route begins at the origin of the Carter Hill Road. The first letter he delivered was to a negro wo- man of the better educated class. She was at the gate waitisg for the postman. When he produced letter from the mall bag and handed 1t to her, she received 1t with no small degree of pride in her face.
 Well. I guess I'm the first person in the country to get a rural free delivery letter. she said.
 On being warned as to the absence of a mail box she told the carrier that she was preparing to start to Montgomery, subscribe for The Advertiser and get one of the metallic boxes furnished with each subscription.
 There were few letters to be delivered after leaving that house until the coun- try proper was reached Mail boxes were in evidence all along the road but few of them contained postal matter. About five miles from the city we passed the boxes of settlement of negro farmers. Sev- eral of them stood by the boxes to see them opened and the letters depositd in the postmans sack.
 One old negro said he had not written letter in twenty years, but he had not missed the opportunity to patronize the BONeTHHlcII III US SeTNlCe III MOnI- gomery County. He had no particular reason to write, he said, but his daugh- ter had written a letter '.jes' ter drap in de box"
 Further down the road, the farms of several white planters were reached. Most of these had Montgomery Advertis- CT mail boxes hung up on the roadside and had mail in the> boxes ready for the carrier.
 w. D. Peck. a progressive farmer, who had worked with unceasing energy for the establishment of the system was at the roadside to meet the carrier and ex- pressed his qualification that the service had become reality He received a budget of mail and said he congratulated himself on not having to go to Montgomery for his mail Then he waved the carrier goodbye and drove to his plantation, a half mile from the roadway.
 After the white plantations were passed stops became less frequent, The people in this section are largely negroes, un- sophisticated, and suspicious. They looked at the carrier askance and evident ly regarded him as an alien invading their native soil with new ideas which should be deliberated over before receiv- ing their endorsement. When questioned they lnVarlaDiy asked us lO lnS CoSl Ol mailing letters and upon being assured that the service was absolutely free, they winked the other eye. and put Uncle Sam and his minions down as bunco steerers of the most dangerous type.
 The eleven-mile post was passed and the carrier turned into plantation road prescribed by his instructions This road leads through the Catoma Creek swamp and Is in a very bad condition. The natives declare that 1t will be impossible in the winter. which was easily believed as 1t passes through prairie soil and is low enough to be entirely covered with water during the rainy season.
 No mail was delivered on this road and but one house was seen.
 The Woodley Road was reached after three miles of travel through the swamp Negroes who conduct small farms lined the roadside at intervals and inquired eagerly for mail. Some few of them re- ceived letters.
 Down the Woodley Road, and with our faces turned toward the city, farm houses of white persons again began to appear To the gate post of nearly every one of these plantations The Adverti- ser boxes were fastened.
 The rest of the route was covered