Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-05-20

Southland. Resting over night at
Radford. Va. At next morning
boarded No. Al. the New Orleans Ex-
press, and as it was my first trip
over the old line OF tho N. & W.,
the three hour ride to Bristol was
pleasantly spent viewing the fine
farms, ornate towns, and that which
was still more striking. the hand
some men and beautiful women who
took the train and thronged the sta
lions. After leaving Bristol, that
typically beautiful and thrifty
Virginia city set on the Tennessee
line, | found myself in the boom
busted town of Johnson City, with
its five thousand inhabitants, dwin-
died from fifteen thousand in the
palmy days of its boom. and its ex-
banding area OF six square miles,
which is devoted TO the cultivation
OF onions and tobacco, with a small
dwelling house here and there, and
occasionally an empty store room
kept on hand for the purpose of dec
Grating on excursion days. In pass
ing Jonesboro there was pointed out
TO me the lovely old home where the
Rev. Albert jackson, the first pastor
OF tn Bland street Methodist church.
this city. was born, and spent his
boyhood days. Passing then in rapid
succession these thrifty manufactur-
ing town OF Greenville. sleepy ole
| Morristown in its beautiful valley.
and the overgrown village OF Knox
vile, l next found myself passing
! through the picturesque suburbs of
Chattanooga, with its magnificent
government parks and thorough
fares. its Lookout Mountain and its
historical associations. Here, before
leaving the State OF Tennessee,
paused a moment and bowed my
head with due reverence to the Hon
orable Bob Taylor, once congress
man, thrice governor, now his par
tvs choice for the senate, and always
! Tennessee's most beloved son. AT
ter passing for a hundred miles in
the shadow of Missionary Ridge. |
next reached Birmingham, where
the train made five stops. This city
is noted as having the most up-to-
date business and public buildings
of any city of its size in the South.
1t has under construction a seventeen
story sky-scraper. Passing then
through Meridian at night, l arrived
In New Orleans the next morning.
and registered at he st Charles, the
hotel headquarters OF the Reunion.
one of the largest hotels In the Unit
ed States. 1t accommodated during
the Reunion upwards OF Eve thous-
and guests. The Palm Parlor and
Open Air Terrace Promenade affords
ample room for reception parties OF
two thousand. In this particular il
Is the most commodiuos and delight
full of any on the continent The pa.
rade on the last day was the spec
tacuiar feature. 1t was especially
beautiful as It moved around the
LEE CIRCLE over a thousand chill.
dren were there massed in such a
manner as to form a Confederate
flag But to the writer, who had new.
or seen the returned Confedrate
Tags. the most impressive sight wa,
b the Il. h. Lee, Stonewall and Tonnes
see Camps, bearing the old battle
r. Scared flags which neither lapse o.
q time nor sectional hate have robbed
8 Of their glory. Their meaning is an,
ever will DO fresh 10 the memeor,
i and hearts Of Southern men an,
o women. Around them is woven m,
, fairest history In the worlds stor
y book or fame.
ID The grand ball given I'm bonor d,
d tho veterans was a brilliant socia
n event and was attended by upward
d Of thirty thousand The EIKs Bui
q lesquo Circus closed Sunday evenin
y last, rounding mp the show season a
]. New Orleans for the year 1905. Thei
y mammoth parade reached mils