Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-04-09
A WINTER TRIP.
c 8. Shipman Travels in Vermont and
Florida and Visits Washinutor.


AND NEWS for the last 80 years, thought
perhaps short account of long journey
] have taken the past inter might be OF
interest to its readers.
left my home near Lewistown, Mon, OF
Dec. 10 last and Travelled by stage and raj
to Evanston on the shore of Lake Mich.
gan, north OF Chicago, where / met the
largest part of my family and spent with
them Christmas and New Years, in the
/ time paying visit to cousin and old
friend, w. A. Clarke mot our Montans
senator) 20 miles west of Chicago in the
heart Of the richest Illinois corn region.
| / left Chicago, Jan. 2, via the Grand
| Trunk and Rutland railroad to Leicester
Junction which place | reached at mid
night on the following Saturday. The
next morning / met my cousins, Julius
and Hattie Alden, whom / had not seen
for 10 years, and passed with them and
/ other friends most agreeabl week. Then
by stage / crossed the Green Mountains
and made connection with the White River
/ Valley railroad on which | completed the
journey to Rochester at the rate of 5 to 10
miles per hour without accident. There
and in Hancock and Granville, the latter
being the place where my earliest recol-
lections OF this wicked world began,
spent some two weeks in most agreeable
way, visiting relatives and old friends,
none OF whom i had seen for 10 years and
many not for 20 years or more.
Then the railroad being a little slow
took the stage for Gaysville where l met
and had happy visit with my cousins,
DIR. and Mrs. c. c. Smith, and several ac-
quaintances of long ago. There again
embarked on the railroad for Bethel,
miles away and reached there safely the
same day. There and in Royalton, Ran
dolph and Tunbridge my visiting expert
ences were repeated and met hosts OF old
friends and relatives, whom / was truly
glad to see and they pretended-no, they
appeared-to recIprocate the feeling.
Then from the top of a snow drift in
Ran iolph Center with the mercury at 209
below zero, started on journey TO the
east coast Of Florida, where / landed 227
miles south of Jacksonville in the edge Of
the evening of Feb. p in the midst OF a
shower OF lightning bugs seasoned with a
few mosquitoes, and was met with hearty
grip OF the hand by my old friend, II. Il.
Clifford, whom i had not seen for more
than 20 years, and his son, F. e., whom /
had never seen. Their residence is one
half mile from the East Coast railroad
station on the west and the shore of In
dian River, one mile east. In very short
time the young man introduced me to his
wife, very agreeable young woman, who
has never seen snow or mountain. She
soon had supper for me, consisting in part
OF tropical fruits and delicacies strange to
my taste. ! spent ten days with them and
il was a wonderful experience to me as /
had never been where it was summer in
the winter before. All the tropical scenes
in vegetation have been so.much better de-
scribed by others than | could do il that |
will make no attempt at 1t.
Mr.. Clifford moved there from Royalton,
VT, is years ago and after many trials and
tribulations there and elsewhere sufficient
to discourage any one OF less Herculean
determination and bulldog girl, he is now
well stablished and in good circumstan-
ces, owning several hundred acres of land
and with extensive groves OF orange, grape
fruit aud other trees to sell and to keep,
and with a snug bank account and at least
ten thousand dollars worth OF hard earned
experience to draw from he feels well
equipped to face any future emergency.
All the time was there the mercury rang
ed from S. to 49, night and day. We
went one day 2S miles below to the heart
OF the pineapple region and saw thousands
OF acres covered with that fruit, sight OF
which had never dreamed before.
Another fine day a married daughter,
Mrs Prange, came with her sailboat and
took me to her home on an island near the
east shore of the river two miles away.
She takes Just pride in her seamanshlp
IL
tention to the fine sailing qualities OF her
boat. As | have lived for 20 years IN
country where the Baptist church does
not flourish for lack of water, OF course
could take them all in at glance she
has a beautiful home surrounded - 1--we
oak andi other tropical trees. 5dst then
her husband and all hands were gathering
beans, OF which they have several acres,
and they and others were shipping carloads
OF them to less favored regions. After
dinner she and her little son, who seems
10 be about half duck, walked with me
through their young orange grove TO the
beach OF the broad Atlantic.
On the morning of March 9Th 4 Dade
them all goodbye and that night stayed IN
Jacksonville. On the way down 1 nau
stopped IN st. Augustine, the Oldest town
in the United States. A description OF the
fine old Spanish town and its old fort,
gateway, ETC., and big hotels would make
this too long. In due time i reached
Washington, where had never made any
stop before, and remained several days.
All the wonderful things in and around
that city are best described IN the guloe.
books. / did not see the president but
one evening was one of a small crowd oil
light-colored idiots and colored ladies
and gentlemen waiting to see him come
out OF the theater. IL grew so dark that
/ Thought there would be small chance OF
my being able to distinguish MN from
his fellow -citizens OF either sort so i left
and he may be in there yet for aught
care.
South Of Washington the color line is
plainly drawn in cars, hotels, saloons, etc,
but for the benefit of which party, colored
or white, could not quite make out, but
rather thought for the colored, as they
were much the most in evidence.
Later / stopped several days an Ne"
80 80
and old, but the biggest thing saw there
was New York.
From Philadelphia l crossed to New Jer-
sey and visited Vineland, Newheld AND
vicinity, where our home was Tor several
wears more than 20 years ago and was sur
prised by the recognition and welcome OF
many old friends.
Also have seen Boston and have made
my brother and friends there long visit,
after an absence of 10 years, and IN YER