The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-08-26
LUN1BERToN, THURSDAY

ICot VI lIlC way W OOIlIlSOIl SiCy,
and in this valley the govern
ment fishery is located. The
ponds of water where the fish
are bred are laid off in squares,
and with the green grass sur
rounding them and the mountains
in the distance, make beautiful
scenery. We are now nearing
Johnson City, where we arrived
about 500 o'clock.
| will tell the reader something
of johnson City. 1t is a city with
about $1,000 inhabitants Il was
told) and is a very pretty place,
| it's beauty being set off by the
sight of the mountains in the dis
tance. Here is located the Gov
ernment Soldiers Home, which is
an exposition in itself. The
grounds are rolling and are well
kept, being covered with lawn
grass, which is kept nicely now
ed, with flower beds scattered
about in various places, thereby
beautifying the grounds consid-
erably: The grounds are laid off
in broad streets, which are mac
adamized, with cement walks
leading up to the various build
ing, numbering in all between
40 or so $50 we were told and had
no ground to doubt, as there
looked to be at least that many,
which are built of specked press
ed bricks, being as fine as we have
ever seen. There are between L.
300 and 1,400 soldiers at this
home, mostly civil war veterans,
Of the Northern armies. The
home has it's own water-works,
electric light plant, dairy. fire de-
partment, hospital, laundry,
churches, opera house and park,
which last has various kinds Of
animals within it. One of the
old soldiers pointed out an elk
and told us some interesting
things concerning that animal.
This elk had horns about three
| feet long and he told us they
were only six months old, and
that the elk sheds it's horns every
year.I had never thought of a
horn growing that fast before.
Right here desire to tell of a
conversation | had with this old
soldier of the North, who fought
against the Southern cause we
! love so we'll. He was an intelli-
gent old man, and seemed highly
; educated. l told him that my
father fought in the Southern
army, and he said he did not
/ know of anything he had rather
: do than meet a Confederate SOL
dier and shake hands and talk tt
him; that they were a higher type
: of soldier than the Northern
7 soldier. and that their cause was
e just and should have won. Fur
< ther, speaking concerning thu
war, the old gentleman said II
: part: "You may think it strange
: to hear me speak as | have, beins
a a Northern soldier, but my friend
+ | did not understand for what
: was fighting; but since that
S have gotten hold of two volumn
e of the Congressional Records O
!, the proceedings of the Congress
/ of 1860, when the North's an
e South's sides were debated, an
:. friend, any man with commo
: reasoning cannot help but sa
If that the civil war was the mos
damnable ever recorded in his
10 tory, gotten up and forced upo
n the South by rotten politicians {
It the North. That's pretty strong
p you may say, but | will take i:
n sue with any man and prove ths
# I am right. -
n After leaving this old soldier
y went through the quarters of TIL
J. home, and found them kept {
ot clean as possible.
e. came near forgetting to mel
le ton that the grounds contai
le around four thousand acres, an
re that the inmates Of the home {
c. their own farming and keep tt
It. grounds in shape; also son
n, Of the finest horses and COWS "
st have ever seen are at this hom
re We left Johnson City at
We O'Clock on the afternoon of Fl
OF day, the Goth, and made a stop
ell Eureka Springs Of a half-hou
al where the crowd quenched the
to thirst, by partaking of the sple
n, did water at this resort, which
ut as round as a dollar, set in a b
he rock. After leaving the spri1
lin the next stop we made was
ch the mountain side, where abo
NJ $50 of the excursionists got
he and took a tramp Of about a gu;
:h- ter of a mile through a valley
full another point on the railroad {
or stuck to the train, as the woo
ice looked too snakey) ,and from t
ter time we left them until the tr:
by stopped to pick them up, we W.
ter through IL tunnels and trave
lce 20 minutes, a distance of ab
Zoe 10 miles. There was a frei,
for following us, and although
the got within three hundred va
riv- of it,it was Is miles behind
pic we seeming to be going in
. 1t direction and the freight
'un- another.
5 it Z. 5. Mckenzl'
.ks. Lumberton, N. C.
i1Sn ;e Governor Brown has sig
ny a recent act of the Georgia LIE
acA, eA, lature which prohibits the
lGea to1ea by negro secret societies of
taAe insignia, ritualistic work, gr