The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-05

sThe mud was so frightful in Com. merce Street in those days if mer- chant wanted to haul a barrel of sugar from the river he would have to hitch four mules to wagon and then the wagon would often get stuck Tn the mud. All the business was done ny steamboat then and five and six steam boats a day would sometimes come to the wharf.
 'sThe first court house was standing on Court Sauare, where the fountain 1 is now. Tho Planters Exchange stooa right where the old Exchange stood. and where the new hotel IS now peNs built. There were few stores aronna Court Square, most of them wooden I buildings and a few more UP DeAtef l Avenue near the Square.
 | Some Early Scenes.
 | ..afr Sayre was the principal business n,an don't remember his frst name but he was very popuiaf and did the lbusiness of the town. Bell Brothers and Phillips & Farrior were pig mer- chants and did a grocery business.
 aThe main residence portion of the | tnxvn was just west of the Square on I Lee, Church and Montgomery streets. :. iThtre were two or three shanties ana counle of blacksmiths' shops between the postoffice and the Capitol Around I Perry street there were q few smaii fhouses. All about here was nothing but woods. A little shanty ssooa on inc corner of Dexter Avenue and soush | McDonounh Street, where Judge ]. H- Casfon now resides. pr. Cox. who ran I inc first doctor shop in Montgomery houeht this land and built hfmseif
 .srhe country around here was very thi1ly settled. Most of the pig farm- CTS lived around Mt Meiss, wnic1 was just as big and influential 2 .oms .ss ss Montgomery in those days. une of m tne planters. Mr. Cowies. built q house near the river at cost of sloo,ooo. He put d mirror in one Of the rooms that cost him $500.
 awhen | first came here Judge Mays was Mayor.~ The town was not dis- orderly place, although there were sev' enty-fvs gamblers here .,a wno ,,ss, ssn sn, sn; as honest as their profession would al SI low them 10 be.
 Burning of the Capitol.
 q remember when the first Capito was burned. The fire started about tn middle of the day. l remember wei the time they brought the Indians fron | up the country between Talladesa an' Taflapoosa Counties. There were apou
 400 of them and they were moving then out West. The Indians were put T | G,lmer's warehouse, on CommeTe
 street. about where the Western Uniol
 Telegraph ofice Is now. On the othe side of the street, where the lmperia Hotel is now stood Murphy's ware
 house. The Government had apo ou twenty men, who were taking the m dians out West I was offered one inc places and 1t paid $1oo a month. 1 wanted to go and would have gone
 it had not been for my wife.
 But Andrew Dexter did more fo l Montgomery than any other man An hut he was a fine man. He gave n
 Capitol Square for the Capitol. Il
 gave ground for the Court House an l iail and other public buildings. Mont romery owes him a whole lot"
 saTo what do you owe your long TIT land your health and strength?' he wa
 asked.
 "Well,s I have lived outside of th thouse a great deal. have been bus and active but regular in my haDiIi have used whiskey and tobacco when
 ever I got ready.
 The funeral of Mir. Bohlae will tax
 nlace at 10 o'clock Tuesday mornin
 from his late residence. Rev ueore
 W, Patterson, D. D., pastor of the Firs Presbyterian church will conduct n services.