The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-08-16

city. The light was dim, but Butler
recognized the old employe of the
Comet, and greeted him with glad
"Howdy do, Mr.. Ross?"
l had relatives in the town who got
too poor to leave it, and lived along
with its Auctuating fortunes, and to see
these was the object of my visit. I
boarded the Car with my family, and
the first man to doff his hat in the pres
ence of the ladies of the party was this
same Loaf Jones. He was riding over
the line to zee how things were work
ing, and before the slow newspaper
man from Memphis could get the fare
from his pocket the smiling supertend.
ent had handed the conductor some
thing that made him pass on with an
abruptness that almost caused offense.
AS the car moved along Main street
many imprc could be noted.
On the busiest corner was seen Chief
Campbell, swinging his rosewood
truncheon thOughtfully. His quiet de-
meanOr would not suggest to the casu-
al observer that this East Tennessee
giant was the big sergeant alarms of
the recent democratic convention at
Nashville, who did such good work for
Patterson, but such is the case. Cy
Lyle and Geo Campbell, two Of Pat
terson's strongest and most effective
workers, live in Johnson City.
Johnson City is popularly supposed
to have been named for President An
drew johnson, but it was not. Itwas
named for Henry johnson, the man
who put up the first store in the place.
He was a merchant when the village
was known as Jobes Tank.
The place has a bright future and
will be one of the best cities in that
section soon. The South and Western
Railway Company has bought the old
Three C's railroad and intends to ex-
tend it to the coal fields Of Virginia.
This was the dream Of the old timers,
many of whom died expecting work tc
begin on this line the next week.
The furnace that was half completed
when the boom collapsed in 1893 has
been completed, and is now in full
blast. 1t is making iron from the
Cranberry mines in North Carolina,
which are said to be second in quality
to the magnetic ores of Lake Superior
The Watauga tannery is still adding tC
its plant, and number of other facto
ries and woodworking plants have 10
Gated in recent years. These with the
Soldiers Home will insure the future
of Cy Lyle's town.
Johnson City has always been in 6
position to get the best and the worst
of it, and of course was one of the frs
towns in the state to be affected by thu
operations of the Adams law, which
prohibits the saloon in towns of tina
size. One citizen told me that the cit
zens OF johnson City we're not opposed
to liquor but we're against the saloon
He cited AS an incident of proof tha
every express from Bristol, on tn,
border. brought q dozen or more Jug
of whisky and that from five to twent,
passengers left on every evening trail
to Bristol, Va, twenty-five miles away
and were bent on getting few cole
bottles of beer. After drinking to mid
night they would return to the ari'
town of johnson City and proceed t.
give the chief Of police some work t
J do that night.
An amusing story is told by travel
ing man of the effect that the Adam
law has ON time and space. This trav
cling man was not very we'll acquainte
with the city and community and bein
desirous to Indulge his appetite for al
dent spirits, asked the porters as to th
location of the nearest saloon, as he wa
unable to find bar in the hotel-a fac
that appeared strange to him.
"De nearest saloon" said the negr
porter for the hotel where the thirst
guest was stopping, ''am ct Bristol, bu
: / kin get you a drink from dat plac
/ right away.
"All right" said the guest, ''brin
me quart of good whisky"
He handed the negro the money an
in two minutes he slipped the bottle
: whisky into the room of the guest. B'
ing puzzled, the guest asked the negl
- how far it was to Bristol.
d Twenty i've miles, sar, was the r.
! ply,
"You don't mean to tell me that yC
+ have walked twenty five miles and baC
: since ! gave you the money for th
r bottle?"
il "Yes, sab, was the reply.
s "That is impossible; you couldr
8 even fly there and back in this time. y
The negro smiled and seemed puzzl,
!, that the guest took ihis trip to Brist
y so seriously.
. ''It may seem stfange, boss, but
9 tell yo dis Adams law sho'ly has got
70 move on de niggers Of dis country"
-
a Deafness Can Not be Cured
{. by local applications as they cam