Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-02-21
Letter FROMFLORIDA.

Correspondence OF tho Alexandra Gizstte.
Palm Beach, Fla, Feb. 2l.-Think
ing perhaps your readers wonli be
Interested in hearing something ffon
this land OF sllg, tors and pslms
seGd you some imprt tss.ODs which
nope may be worth q place ia you
columns. With some misRiviDg5 l lei
your old town February l.. lat upon
the Southeru's "Palm Limited" one ol
the best equipped trains running
SOut1, the very name suggesting
v sions of the tropics.
| Everything that modern tsits a1d
skill could suggest found it3 realization
10 the effort made t foTeslal the COM
fort OF the passengeIs. AS we few
alOUg through tle darkness, over tle
! ground make classic by the events Ol
our civil war, / could not but recall the
old days of hard marches, hard Gations,
and hard fighting aud the many OLD
comrades now passed away whose
CHEEKY voices and hesIty hand clasp
would never be heard or felt again. |
| went to my stt terOom, just think of I;
a stateroom upon q train, and thanks 10
my war training slept sOuDdly uLtil
the sun came peeplDg through the
window, throwing lts bnght search
light over forest, caOe-Dresk and field,
arousing my curiosity as to the looks
Of the country we were gliding through
so swift y. Pats of North Carolina,
South Carolina aud Georgia passed 10
| review with the same mOnotonous
ranges OF pine bereus, cabins, freed
men old aud young, mules and thin
c, le. ShermAD's march through
Georgia seemed but of yeit srdsy, that
great strategic matcI, through q
oonI try whose oDly defence was smell
scattered commands thtt were swept
away ike ohSfi, but who can tell tle
woes of thu t trail of devastation, fre
and blood, the cries oi the old and
helple. 8, the widow and the orphan, but
such is war aud Sherman said war Is
nell" and he ought ID know.
We are still rushing on and fast sp.
preaching tle ancient land OF the
Creeks snd 5eminoles and later on the
land of the Spsnisrd, from whom
UDcle Sam purchased tle domain OF
Florida.
But Ike the Philippines. where the
price paid, bu. the goods not delivered,
this had 10 be fought for, through
swamp, morsss, caoebrake and pail
meEto groves, until poor Lo, after
loug aud brave fight. finally suocumbed
aud was planted on reseTvaliJus west Of
the Mississippi. Few realizs the cost
OF blood ana treasure Of that now far
ewsy Florida struggle and but ] t le
thought is given to the brave men VINO
tell victims 10 savage prowess or who
fled among lie fever stricken jusgles.
Passing through Jacksonville net yet
recovered from its late disastrous fire, l
arrived at St.Augustine, the old strong
hold of the SpaOisrd, about 4 O'Clock ..
%. somewhat used uD and dizzy
rom the motion OF the train. A,tTa
short rest l started TO explore tle town
and found myself on st. George street,
a name giveo, l Isuppose, during the Eog.
ish occupancy. Cottages VITA pretty
gardens lined 10 roadway interpreted
with some residences in the Spanish
style OF srchiteC are and some OF the
modern Queen Anne, with now and
tnen sn old houss OF uomistakaole
Spanish orgin with It's overhaDging
balcony upon which you could i'm
imagine soma dark eyed dsmsel would
appear and transix you by her Anda'
lusion grace and beauty. Upon these
old balconies, could they but tsll the
It jry, many q Juliet had come 10 meet
her Romeo, under the glimpses Of the
stars in those far of days. Following
the street t. its terminus | turned
down snttler s.rett t TO the left leading
TO the water front, and at the end came
upon what is said to be the Oldest
mouse 10 America, once the bone Of
the holy fst lers OF the Cat lolic church,
and just o0 the opposite eide OF the
,t:ett was an old convent, long since
changed and modernizsd into barracks
for Uncle Sans soldiers.
Upon seeing this very small oldett
house 10 America | could not help
thinking OF the Irishmsn, who, when Of
fered by friend very email drink OF
very old wbisky, said, "Be isbers, IT'S
very small for it3 age" The
next morning l felt none OF that
lsssitude l had expected 10 an
atmosphere so near the tfopics; on the
contrary though tle sun shone brightly
there was keen damp wind blowing
that made an overcoat comfortable and
brisk walk necessary TO keep up n
crculst on. To say was surprised hardly
expresses 1t. l sisjtld through tae
Plaza for the sea wall and n turn
II my lefI followed the wall Ut til il
Drought me abres,t OF the old Spanish
fort, VITA IT. deserted battlements, it,
embrasures ca0oGlsss, it, cssemstes
tsnantless, its most dried up and it,
portcullis gone. The coat OF arms OF
old Spain over the doorway st.ll de6ed
time and tle elements but ID fast be-
coming illeelble. The United Stttss
GoyernmeI keeps it from farther de-
cav and an old veteran OF three wars is
the cart taker aud shows le place. l
was always an antiquarian in my tastes
and these old foitiice ons interet d
me gre. t'S. The guide shows you ne
underground dungeons, where prison
ers we're tortured and broken on the
wheel. II makes you shudder to think OF
men imprisoned 10 hole where tbe
hght OF day never penttrstsd and the