The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-01-27
Salt Signs and Mystery of
the Town Clock Are
Explained.
VISITORS AT THE
STATE CAPITAL
High Hated Gentry Not
Numerous in Quaint
Little City.
GOVERNOR BROW DIS TALL
HEAD COVERING HAS BEEN
oUIETlY LAID AWAY, SUCCEED
Ed BY A TYPICAL SOUTHERN
FELT-SEABOAR AND A. c. L.
FINED BY COMMISSION.
By jefferson Bell.

quite by accident this week upon the
solution of two problems that have
puzzled me ever since ! came to Tai
lahassee more than three years ago
namely: why the town clock has no
face and why one meets big SALT
signs here and there in the most un-
expected places on the uptown
streets. Going around some corner
there was that unexplained word
SALT, and no one could tell me why
1t was necessary to advertise it that
way. | was pursued by all sorts OF
hay underlined thoughts of the very
late and unfortunate Mrs. Lot whose
sad experience just without the gates
of Sodom ought to keep women from
looking backward. But they said IL
had no connection whatever with Mrs.
Lot and so it seems there really wasn't
a woman in the case at all, but that
the merchants will not keep it in the
stores simply because it makes
dampness that causes goods to mould
and hardware to rust. For these
reasons it is kept in separate ware
houses. And was too dense to find
Il out myself. -
The Town Clock.
And the town clock-st first il was
uGcanny to hear the hours. tolled out
and never find the clock. It gave me
the creeps and try as | might, coud
not forget it, for all through the day
and night ii kept calling out the
hours. Then some one told me it was
In the belfray at the Presbyterian
church, an old fashioned stone church
with four big white columns support
ing its portico. Then it was worse,
for Poe's weird haunting lines ran
through my mind for days:
"Hear the tolling of the bells
Iron bells,
What world of solemn thought their
melody compels,
In the silence of the night,
How we shiveT with alright
At the melancholy menace of their
tone.
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their Threats
Is a groan.
And the people-Ah, the PEOPLE
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All alone,
And who rolling, tolling. tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart q stone
They are neither man nor woman.
They are Ghouls.
And their king it is who tolls.
And he rolls. rolls. rolls,
Rolls a paean from the bells,
And his merry bosom swells.
With the paean of the bellsi
And he dances and he yells-
Keeping time. time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme 10 the paean
- of the bells"
Afterward | came to know il as
friend. and when | wake in the solemn
dark hours of the night, when the
loneliness is 50 intense that the whole
world seems asleep. and hear it like
q friendly sentry telling out: Two
O'Clock" my heart supplies land all is
we'll"
Story of the Clock.
I have heard its story. and it is
very sad one. One summer during a
thunder storm lightning struck the
belfrv of the old church, tore away
the face of the clock and seriously
damaged the clock itself When the
belfry and the clock were repaired
the face was never put back. But
the old clock has gone bravely and
conScientiously on tolling out the
hours. Sometimes something goes
wrong and il tolls four when it should
toll seS en-. and people say unkind
things. but considering the fact that
Ii has no face and has been struck
by lightning | think it does its duty
wonderfully well and is in the dear
est old clock in the country
am reduced to the last extremity
this week for material for letter.
There has been absolutely nothing of
general interest done at the capital
and there have been few visitors of
prominence during the week.
CAPITAL Visitors
\ Hon George VI. Robbins OF Titus
title was here to argue a case IN the
Supreme Court Tuesday. Mr. j. &
pavant, Jr., a promising young lawyer
of Brooksville, was admitted TO prac-
tice in the Supreme Court, and argued
a motion for an extension of time for
filing a transcript IN the case of Fred
D. Parsons VS.. ". ]. Ramsey. which
was granted.
Col. c. H. B. Floyd of Apalachicola
called at the Statehouse Wednesday