The Ocala banner., 1906-10-19

highest ambition was to carry of
the scalp of pale face as a trophy
lof their savage pride.
Il Such men as Marion county's frs
CO lnty officers, the Tyners. Tanners
RaNls, Edwards. Brooks, Currys
bitches. Sistrunks. Myers, SCOTS
i Quattlebaun s, Manns, Granthams
Pains. Spanns, Provinces, McNeals
Linchs. Rogers, Watermans. MEGA
hagins and others, including that gall
ant soldier of two wars, and states.
man, General Robert Bullock. are
worthy Of having their name In,
scribed upon monument of marble
lin Ineffaceabie letters of gold These
nen and their selfsacrifificing wives
ire entitled 10 the everlasting graft
tude of you, my fellow citizens. and of
generations to come, for their zeal
and well directed activity in estah-
fishing county government, schools
churches, public roads. bridges and
ferries. thereby laying the foundation
for immigration and building up q
great and prosperous county such as
we now enjoy. OF the lone iist 80
names above referred to, all except
Josiad Pain, who was living In Geor-
gia when last heard from, have pass
ed over the river of death, and ae we
trust, are now resting under the
shade of the trees. Inc poet has sung
the following sad requiem:
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their tolls and cares.
Are hurried downward by the food,
And lost in follring years"
l prefer Longfellow's version, who
wrote:
Lives of great men all remind us.
We can make our lives. sublime,
And departing leave behind us.
Footprints on the sands of time"
ask you to go back with me over
fifty years ago and let us briefly re-
view ocala and Marion county as I
then saw them.
In Ocala there was an unpreten-
tious hotel upon the block upon
which the Ocala House now stands,
known as the "Ocala House." con-
Quoted by that great and good man,
Hon. E. J. Harris, and his estimable
wife; another known as the Bullock
House." located about where Gadson's
store Is now. There was In operation
two grocery stores. one saloon, four
stores doing general mercantile bus
mess. one taylor shop. two drug
stores, one small repair or harness
shop, one blacksmith and wheel right
establishment and a postoffice. The
practicing physicians were DR.. A. G
Brown, and Drs. Heard and Rogers.
AS remember Col. s. M. @. Gary,
Col. Samuel st. George Rogers and
Charles Paisley were the only prac-
ticnig attorneys. Spann and Province
having left the county.
The above constituted the business
interests of Ocala. The East Florida
Seminary stood where the Ocala high
school now stands. There were two
mails, south and north, by stage
from Palatka to and from Tampa
Transportation to and from Marion
county was by barges, operated by
poles from Silver Springs to and
from Palatka, and from that point by
steamboat to and from Savannah
and Charleston. In the county there
were four towns, Silver Springs, Or
ange Springs, Pennington and Wa
cahoota, which had respectively from
two to three stores. From 1845 to 1856
large and small slave owners bought
and settled plantations in the most
fertile sections of the county, which
marked a new era in its history
and largely changed the habits and
customs o. the people on lines of
progress and prosperity.
The war between the states follow
ed, the results of which are familiar
to all present. 1t was followed by re-
construction and the direful effects
of carpetbag rule from 1868 to 1876
was borne with a fortitude that
perhaps none would have submitted
to but dispirited and impoverished
people. In 1876 the democrats as
sisted by most Of the decent white
republicans of the state, by their un-
.lyided efforts redeemed the state
from misrule. thereby causing another
era to dawn.
The democratic party Of Florida es-
talished a wise, conservative and hon.
est government, which restored con-
fidence ana caused capital and imni-
grafton to flow into the state. And,
notwithstanding millions Of dollars
was swept away by two bank failures
In Ocala by the freezes of 1S94-95.
81 hoo& 49,