The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-05-15
SEEING THE SIGHTS OF A GREAL CITY.
Mr.. Hicks Gives An Interesting Ac-
count of His Visit to New York.

On May l, 1912, at p. NJ, boar,i-
ed the fast train at Henderson for
New York City. At Norlina 1 was
joined by H. A. Boyd, Esq. of War
renton- The object of our trip was to
take dispositions for use in certain
actions BY the Ridgeway fruit growers
against the railroad company for de-
lay in the shipment OF berries in June
and July, 1901. My grandfather had
a lawsuit in Hillsboro just 100 years
ago; and it took him longer to get
there go miles) than it did me to get
TO New York, about 10 times as far.
/ was gone ust six days, during
which time saw SO many folks and
things and ways different from ours
that | thought it might amuse Vance
| county people to read some of them.
New York City is about half as wide
and two thirds as long, rs Vance
county, while for every person in
Vance county there are $50 in New
York; which is enough to cover the
| whole ground five or six deep; hence
with only small part of the people
on the street one could walk all over
the city on their. heads, stepping from
one head to another. Often while
waiting in the jam at street crossing
for chance to squeeze across, did |
say in q speech when | was boy, as
to why he turned Radical. He said
he fought bravely through the war
and came home without being whip
ped or giving up in his feelings, but
that the first time he went to New
York after the war and saw the
crowds on Broadway he knew they
had enough men to whip us before
breakfast and that we had Just as
well give up and do as they said.
| When one sets out to count the street
cars that pass given point on Broad
way in 10 minutes(all crowded)as my
Brother Boyd did, land breaks down in
5 minutes with So, or to the minute,
and remem bers that for every twenty
five people in the United States and
it's colonial possessions-one of those
25 lives in New York-some idea can
be obtained as to the number of car
loads of black berries, or stra wberries,
or onions, or potatoes, or radishes, or
carrots, or rhubarb, or asparagus,
or beef, or bread, required to give
them all meal. 1t seems to me |
saw enough asparagus to make pile
as big at Watkins store in two or
three short walks in the produce
commission section. From Philadel-
phia to New York, 81 miles, the
country every bit of the way is lined
with advertisements. There was
enough lumber used in making the
signs advertising ''Mennen's Toilet
Powder" "Omega Oill'' and "Wilson's
Whiskey" on both sides the road be-
tween those two places to build a
town.
The street cars and elevated rail-
roads and sidewalks are all practical
ly full of people all the time. These
cars, surface and elevated. run day
and night, and almost wherever the
eye rests, one sees this notice: I'll
you spit here you will have to pay a
fine of $500 or be imprisoned six
months" And l don't remem Der
seeing but 8 cuspidores while l was
gone. Even the middle of the streets
looked too clean to spit on. Men
everywhere all the time cleaning,
sweeping, washing; rubbing the bras,
to make it shine. On the way to my
room in a narrow hall stories from
the ground. I saw large and hand.
some man rubbing the brass hoop OF
bucket placed there full of water fol-
use in case of fire, and every few feet
were notices and pointers to show the
way to the fire escapes. The drays
and horse hoofs and elevated ears
made some noise but the people none
On the streets there was perpetual
motion, but no talking except when
some one would ask question
Silence rsigned supreme. We, with
1898 others attended Buffalo Bill'.
Wild West Show in Madison Square
Garden at $3.50 apiece. He paid
ST. 900 day rent for the house anC
kept it for. weeks, two performance:
day and crowded all the time. Th.
performance was intensely exciting
and thrilling throughout, but tho the
$4,000 were kssnly apprsciative, the
only signs made were attention and
clapping of hands. / wondered il
they remained quiet when Tamman,
assembled there to hear Bryan.
couldn't help choking and sobbing {
. little when the battle of San Juan Hill
was fought right before my eyes ano
when Buffalo Bills force attacked anG
with much shooting drove away tn,
, Indians who were robbing the Dead
wood stage coach and when the life
saving service shot the rope acros!
the sinking ship and rescued tn,
crew from the top of the house 2Ot
yards away before our very eyes
But my Brother Boyd and the other:
viewed it all with complete composur,
or seemed to. I'd heard of Buffal,
, Bills shooting, but the half had no
been told me. 1t was marvellous fo
accuracy and rapidity.
| reckon there's more value il
goods in the show windows of New
York than all the property in Nortl
Carolina is worth, including the rail
. roads at Judge Clark's valuations.
went in Wanamaker's formerly A. T
Stewart's) store. There was an arm,
Of clerks and the customers twent,
times as many-sverywhere full ant
| WSul Ill Ills UOOh PAL
! ment both in New York and Philadel
E phia. Its no use 10 try to tell how
many there were. | went in severa
other book stores, notably Brentano's
o! So many and such beautiful book
and so cheap. More books in Bren
tano's retail book store suppose thai
: in all Vance county. Twas RICH
funny to see us learn to get on stree
cars. We'd walk out to the track an.
make sign. Here 'twould come an
there 'twould 60 and leave us stan d
ing as before. Wed be chagrined
but people were too rushv to notice IL
| e-<1-szss y.l.
| Poor -