The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-06-07

ara eaten IN FIorida are imported from
California. The native fruit is bother
ed by scale and the trees are diseased.
During the past few years, frosts have
made the crops light, and many Of the
trees are standing dead In the groves
Port Tampa IL about as busy and
bestllng as Warrenton, Or. About the
only sign Of real life / was able to dis
cover there was several eustom-house
officers trying to earn their salaries by
looking for cigars that passengers
might have brought over from Ha-
vana.
Thirty miles away is the historic old
town Of st. Augustine. From various
things had read about the village, 4
was led to believe that Il was located On
the ocean, but this found TO be an-
other one of those mistakes that are 80
often made regarding things In Florida.
The town Is near the mouth OF Indian
River, near where old Flagler had con-
structed three hotels that attend 70 the
tightening Of the tourists pocket
books.
DEsoLATE FLoRIDA BEACH.
There are three ways by which one
can get down to the Atlantic, and no
matter which route one takes, Il costs
good money. One can hire q launch or
rowboat, and be taken down Indian
River to point where the sea can be
seen; or one can walk across long toll
bridge, then take Q hike OF several
miles through sand almost knee deep,
or one can purchase q seat on the mar
row-gauQe railroad train that runs to
some point along the shore the pas
senger coach on this line being box
car with benches around it's sides. The
beach is the most desolate looking spot
ever visited.
The foliage for which Florida is so
famed in picture Is hard thing TO find
saw a few palms, most Of which had
been planted there by men anxious 70
secure tourist trade. The trees and
brush along the coast are very scrubby
and the everglades don't compare IN
beauty with the Oregon bullrushes.
Poisonous snakes thrive In all sections
Of the state and one has to be ON the
lookout for them all Of the time.
A cLIMPE AT TALLAHASSEE.
During my law practice, have often
had occasion TO quote from the decis-
ions of the Supreme Court OF Florida,
so thought would visit Tallahassee,
the state capital, while down In that
the greatest of the many disap-
pointments met with In that common
wealth. The depot Is q small affair,
nothing Ike as handsome as the one
&C Hood River. was taken uptown
in the villages substitute for q street
car, to-Wit, One-horse cart driven by
a negro. "A two-story wooden hotel
greeted me at the end Of the drive
The town consists Of q few dozen old
houses and several new ones. The
stores along the main business street
are small affairs, mostly all one-story
high. A part Of these establishments
are owned and conducted by negroes;
the best drug store In the town 10 own
ed by q black doctor, and all OF his
clerks are Of the same color.
The capitol Is on q side street, Mt
ting place for such building. II was
begun In 1889 and Is nothing like as
nice as the deserted capitol | saw IN
jackson, Miss, where handsome new
structure has Just been completed. The
courthouse IN Tallahassee Ii much
smaller than the smallest courthouse i
have seen Ia Oregon.
An old church Rraces the main street,
On the entrance Of this house Of
worship is q Tlhnument erected In mem
ory Of family that was drowned on
Cape Hstteras in 1885, while on the
other side Of the door is q marble slab
in honor of another family that was
drowned near the same cape IN 1887.
Should these people ever revisit their
old home town, / do not believe they
would find many changes IN It since the
time they left.
The town site is billy, and covered
with scrubby trees. The houses have
large yards, which are not kept up as
they might be. Once in q while an old
OK team drives through the streets.
This 10 q sign that q few people living
about there have managed by some
hook or crook 70 keep out Of the grave
yard.
TRYING TO FIND A DAILY.
The morning was there, l was anx-
ious to see q paper. i asked several
whites II there was a daily In the place:
They looked at me In wonder, bat did
not attempt 70 answer. ] then went
20 the negro's drug store, where j was
told that ] might find one In . httle
wooden shack that Was pointed out 70
me, I wandered over 20 Il, and found
that Il was the home Of . small cgnn-
try weekly that was 70 issue ~ hrst
copy the next day. The editor told me
that the people living IN the town and
surrounding country had been 20 poor
that they could not afford . paper, bat
he thought times had changed q little
!. "A eS,rf "a suas,A fvo than Nth ma