Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-03-21
A Letter from Mississippi.
Biloxi, Miss.
Mar. IL, 1906
DEAR FRIENDS:

DEAR FRIENDs:-
The winter slowly wears away
down here, and suppose that March
is giving you all sorts of weather,
one day spring like and the next
giving you blizzard. Old winter
has to finish his work this month
for the next belongs to spring even
in the north.
1t is warm here and would be
fine if it did not rain so much. Most
of the time we have a little fire.
Yesterday we walked to Bach Bay,
about mile from here. Some of
the peach trees are in full bloom,
and the early pear trees white
as snow. Little beds Ii e e
and there are blue with violets, and
| saw strawberries turning red.
Broods Of chicks chirp cheerfuuy in
the dry grass as if finding good
living.
The first of the week severalof us
were invited to go, in sail boat, to
Ocean Springs, four miles across the
bay 1t was delightful little trip,
and while there, we passed a garden
where we saw pansies and hyacinths
and red and white japonicas and
pinks in bloom. But this is not a
Land Of pure delight" and I often
wonder what an Iowa farmer would
do here to make a living. Most Of
the land that have seen seems tc
be bed of sand, and many lots un.
desirable, water standing on them
too long after rain. They draw
the earth up into ridges before
planting it, and dig deep bitches fol
the water but often there is no out,
let for it. They have to fertilize
literally, but they must get good re.
turns for their investment for there
are many vegetables on the market
There is tree here called the
Japanese Magnolia. 1t is in bloom
now, large red and white blossoms
but not leaf on the tree.
This is the shrimp season here
Monday we went to see them unloae
q boat which brought i'll forty
barrels Of shrimp. They are queer
looking things T., cat Tuesday the
wind blew so The slril.lprrs could
not work, and next day it rained al
day. SO their profits are uncertain
They say that Biloxi's oyster
business will be greatly injured b,
the boundary decision in favor O
Louisiana which deprive the Mis-
sipians Of immense oyster beds
which they have worked heretofore
| We hear that some Biloxi canuei!
are building factories in Louisian;
already.
| wish you could hear the children
across the hall. Their good MANN;
gave them their bath and put then
in their little beds to sleep lik,
good children" while she went GU
to do some shopping. Sleepindeed
Why should think they were hav
ing pillow fights, and bear fights
aud trying which could sit dow
tue hardest, and having races ane
everything but quiet time, ant
now they are finishing their froli,
as older folks often do by having
bawl. The oldest boy just came il
to say, I'VE boys are going to have /;
| fight. The niggers came out of tn
alley and attacked us, and we ar;
going to give it to them" l advise,
him to come in but he rushed off in
to the night, and l wonder if hi
mother knows he is out with hi,
little gun. Since | saw the DO,
killed with the gun that was "no
loaded" | feel more than ever afraie
Of firearms.
One lonely day, 1ourof us went u
Beauvoir which you all know, ha.
been given for a Soldiers Home. 1
is a beautiful place on the shore o
the Gulf, or rather of Mississippi
Sound. The Superintendent show.
ed us the buildings and rooms anc
told us about their uses in the older
times, before the war brought ruiz
to the old plantations. 1t mus
have been beautiful home. Now
it shelters sixty-eight old confederate
soldiers. Some are sick and some
are lame, and some are not quite
satisfied. One old fellow got up
and shut his door as if sick and tired
ofhearing the superintendent's story,
or of seeing SO many northerners
Some Of the visitors coveted one Of
the old andirons for souvenoir, but
they were rather too large to carry
off so they had to be content with
shells from the beach and moss from
the trees. The beautiful marble
mantle Of the parlor had been taken
down for it had become loossned
and was liza lie to fall AMI be broken
| hope the relic hunters Lad nothing
to do with that.
We saw one building where live
eight soldiers and their wives, and
there was a hospital in which the
sick are cared for, and they command
the services OF the best physicians
on the coast, as well as trained nurses
when they need them Ii an opera
ton is necessary they are brought
to the Sanitarium at Biloxi for treat
ment.
The immense pile of dinner dish +
es in the kitchen to be washed made
s ome of us SILVER, but there was a
colored man to do them. The great
pan Of dough rising for the hot rolls
for supper" and the good johnny