The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1907-08-15
DEACON HICKS
TELLS OF TRIP
On Way East Takes Swing Across
Mason and Dixie's Line.

Writes an Interesting Letter to His Lonesome
Friend, Ed. StitzeI-and Of Course
Both interested in Girls.
Batavia, N. Y, Aug. 5, 1907.
Dear Brother Stitz: knowing that
you are like myself-far away from
your better half and might be as
lonesome as am sometimes-I thought
would take little of your valuable
time and perhaps drive away the blues
in trying to decipher few hierogly-
phics of my making in giving you
little description of my trip.
left st. Paul Friday evening, July
9Th, arriving at Chicago the next
morning, Immediately leaving by one
of the Pennsylvania lines for Louis
vile, KY, reaching there in the
early evening passing through Log
ansport, Kokomo, indianapolis and
many beautiful towns in Indiana. The
country, while it is very level looks
prosperous, crops good, wheat mostly
in shock. Crossing the Ohio in the
deepening twilight, it looked like a very
rapid, shallow stream, with an artificial
channel along the Louisville side for
the craft plying up and down the
river. Leaving Louisville early the
next morning, I did not have time to
see the better part of the city. Pas
sing out of the city I was very much
disappointed in the country, having
heard so much about the beautiful blue
grass country of Kentucky. The
country all the way to Knoxville is
hilly and even mountainous. The scenery
is beautiful. We pass through many
old and aristocratic towns, many
places where the armies operated
during the war. The distance from
Louisville to Knoxville is 315 miles.
There are twenty tunnels on this line.
Crossing the Cumberland and Clineh
rivers, running for miles along the base
Of the Waldons ridge, which was the
hiding out place for many Of the per-
secuted Unionists Of East Tennessee
during the war.
Knoxville is very pretty city and !
very busy one for 4 southern city.
Leaving Knoxville in early morning we
ride along the valley Of the Halston
river, beautiful country. Corn in
places as high as your head; tobacco
10 to Is inches. All through this
country the colored population is very
much in evidence from the pickaninny
to aged and INDECENT Uncle Ned. At
high twelve we are high up in the
Cumberland mountains. They are
wooded to their very tops. Many
scene that would delight the heart of
Fred and make him wish for his brush
and pallet. We rest and refresh our
selves on the high places of Ashevilie,
N. c., which you know is celebrated
summer resort, 5000 feet above the
sea-, Here in order to avoid some trans
fers, l take Pullman and find in the
seat opposite me the federal Judge,
Pritchard, whose name has been in the
papers SO much in connection with the
North Carolina rate cases. A fine looking
man and good ttalker. We pass Bitt-
more a summer residence Of the
Vauderbilts. Cannot see the house as
it is hid by trees. The station grounds
are well laid out with graveled walks
and drives. Now we are passing
through and down the Smoky Noun
tains and along the French Broad
river, celebrated in song and story-a
paradise for the lover of the beautiful
immature. Some of the curves are SO
sharp and the grades so steep that from
the rear of a train of seven cars you can
almost look down into the smoke stack
Of the locomotive. Passing all this we
next arrive at the foothills and into the
cotton country. The cotton l think
looks well, about one foot high. Ar
rived at Salisbury, N. c., at dusk.
Here I wanted to stop as this was
where one Of the. rebel prisons was
located, but could not and reached des-
tination within limit Of ticket, so / go
on to Danville, Va.
Danville is beautifully situated on
hills looking out over large range Of
country, undulating and mostly wooded,
the dark green Of the pines giving a
very pretty contrast to the light Of the
oak and poplar. Here are many of the
old colonial mansions Of the old slavery
regime; the old hotel with its bare
oak floor polished like mirror; the
dining room set with small tables, with
q colored boy for each one and most
always one for each guest, always
looking for tip, but seldom getting
one from this doggoned Yank. I often
long for pretty Yankee dining room
girl, with her white bare arms passing
me soup over my shoulder. Leaving
Danville we run along down the Dam
eV0 q RR 20 -