The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1907-12-28
THE COOLEST CHRISTMAS
EXPERIENCED IN OCALA

min. the Ocala and Atlanta capitalist.
who, in coming up town with the edi-
tor Christmas day remarked on the
beauties Of the day and said ii re-
minded him by contrast 70 the first
Christmas ne had ever spent in Ocala.
This Christmas was some forty years
ago in the year 1861. Mr.. Benjamin
said: Brother Simon and myself ar
rived in Ocala in February of that
year from Charleston, :. G. Our trip
was up the romantic and picturesque
Oklawaha and the mirrOred waters of
Silver Springs. the passengers reach
ing Ocala by vehicle. We were on
prospecting tour. Ocala appealed to
our young ambition. We saw rows
and rows of wagons surrounding the
public square loaded with cotton and
doing their Saturday trading. which
for the stock of goods then carried by
the few merchants of the city, was
lively The thought occurred TO me
that this would be good point to
start our business venture and make
a competency for old age and to do
the best stock of goods ever offered.
t. the public. Our coming and COM
mercial beginning was an, epoch in the
town--trade came to us and we had
nothing 10 complain of.
THE first Christmas I spent here /
was invited by Mr.. John L. Collins, a
prosperous planter of the town, and
as he had several very pretty daught-
ers and L was heart whole and fancy
free. | gladly accepted the invitation.
L took the trip horseback. The sun
was bright but the air crisp and the
ride out was enjoyed. as was the ex-
cellent Christmas dinner and the So
cial features of the day. The ride
home was a bitter experience, as the
air grew colder and colder until my
flesh was chilled to the very marrow
of my bones and SO intense became
my sufferings in the saddle that as
the shades of night were gathering
and a friendly light cleaned in the
window of Col. Rogers residence,
mile from town, l sought shelter and
warmth under his -hospitable roof and
found it. Re
After being thawed out, nothing
would do but that I must set down and
enjoy supper with them and | gladly
acquisced. 1t was a delightful hour
with those genial people. l reached
home safely, but the experience of that
bitterly cold ride has never left my
memory and every recurring Christ
mas day l love the scenes and exper-
fences again. But they are fraught
with sadness. AS l look around / see
none of the old faces and note the
Garys. Rogers. Howse. General Robert
Bullock-all gone. And then to think
of the other changes that have been
made in the life of Ocaia, how it has
grown and prospered and improved
until l think 1t one of the best and
most delightful places on earth.
II never can forget reconstruction
days and the day of release from the
corrupt rule of the carpetbagger and
scalawag. l can easily recall how the
board of county commissioners only
kept one book of record and that was
the scrip and warrant book. Every
thing was thus paid and the county's
debt mounted higher and higher until
scrip had deprecated so per cent This
memorable release came in the cam
paign Of 1876. when Florida democracy
elected its first governor, Gov. Drew.
and then the political complexion of
the board of county commissioners
changed. | became member Of that
board with many other good men. We
did all we could TO inaugurate system
in our accounts and retrenchments in
expenditures. 1t occurred to me then
that il would be a good stroke of bus
mess policy TO accept county scrip,
even at its big discount for old ac-
counts at their face value, and sell
all merchandise on the same basis. l
consulted with E. w. Agnew. then the
senior member of. the firm of Samuel
Agnew & Son. He thought the plan
a good one. 1t worked like a charm. 1t
not only cancelled many old obliga-
tons. but it seemed to strike the pub
lie fancy and certainly did aid great
Iy i'm causing the advance Of scrip and
in few years the same reached par
We lost nothing by the move and the
county tax payers gained much by the
plan
BY this time the editor and Mr.. Ben
jamin had reached the oak tree stand
ing i'm front of the Corner Drugstore.
a sentinel Of the towns growth, and as
Mr.. Benjamin glanced at ii he said he
hoped in the improvements that were
to be made in paving the streets with
vitrified brick the tree would be SPAR