The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-01-21
TRAVELLING
About Through Texas And The
Southern States
Mr. R. H. BebOUt Of Knox Co.
Writes The Banner
Telling Of Some Of The Points
Of Interest
Which He Has Visited On
His Journey
Thinks Texas Is A WOndGi,
full State

san Antonio, TeXa9, Jan. IL,
Editor Of the Banner:-
AS | have been travelling some, !
thought it might interest the read
ers CT the Banner to give an account
of what | have seen.
left Gambi on December 10th.
1903, at noon, and Cincinnati at six
o'clock, the same day. by the Louis
Vile G Nashville Railroad; arrived
at Montgomery Alabama, the next
day, nth. at noon.
Montgomery Is a very interesting
city being the first confederate capt.
tai and the capital OF the state.
Among the relics at the state house
is JEFF. Davis's big arm chair, Slip
pers and gown. The city Is In the
best cotton producing section in the
South; there is but little else raised
in Central Alabama. 1t Is very
level country. went TO Troy, the
county seat of Pike county, So miles
southeast Of Montgomery. on the
'22nd, and went TO Ozark. the county
seat Of Dale county, on the 23rd, and
came back to Troy the same day.
Ozark is 81 miles from Montgom,
cry and In very poor country. Pike
county is claimed TO be the best
cotton country in tho south | saw
let's of cotton and lots OF negroes
and mules. | saw, the day before
Christmas i think. 500 mules come
into Troy, and not over ten or twelve
horses. There were more oxen than
horses, and more automobiles than
either. Troy has a population OF s.
600, and ! saw more automobiles
than / ever saw in town of lts
size 1t is a very wealthy town. Sew
eral milllonalre8. One of the bank
presidents told nc the banks OF the
town had fifteen million dollars on
deposit.
! left Troy on January Ath, 1910.
and went to Montgomery and from
there to New Orleans. a distance OF
31S miles. The country from Mont
gomery to New Orleans j2 very level
and sandy, and poor. Not one-third
Of what is in sight of the railroad Is
cleared, no good timber; Bcrubby oak
and pine; from Mobile to Now Or
leans II Is very swampy. Arrived at
New Orleans at 8 pm, and left at
noon, the 5th, aud that afternoon
we passed through the levelest and
richest country ever saw. It Is way
ahead of anything ever saw in the
west. That IL the sugar cane coun-
try A sugar refinery OH every plan
tatlon. The land Is owned In large
plantations, and several hundred
negroes are worked on every planta-
tion. counted so mules hitched to
different kinds Of machinery plant
ing cane in one field, and about AS
many negroes as mules. There Is
about 200 miles OF the cane land.
then comes the rice country. 1t be-
came dark soon after We struck the
rice land. and ! saw but little of It,
We struck Norther at Houston.
Texas, at midnight 1t had been rain
ing and turned cold and froze. 1t
was clear by daylight. hut still cold
about 20 above; at daylight we came
into the brush aud hills, but not
large hills The cleared land was
mostly cultivated in cotton. Passed
through some very nice level country
after daylight. before we arrived at
San Antonio, which was at . O'Clock
A. NJ. Jan ary 9Th.
San Antonio Is q peach" More
hustle and push than any place |
ever saw. They claim a population
OF 10000. an increase OF sixty thou
sand in FIVE years More automobiles
than | ever saw anywhere. ! had
heard the city was fun of Mexlcans
aud negroes. They are no thicker
here than negroes are at Columbus.
There are plenty of real estate men.
and plenty OF northern men looking
for an investment There are some
from every state. but Oklahoma
sends the most I suppose the cause
for that. Sam Bebout and Hunts
burger sent so many there that there
wasn't room and they boiled over
into Texas. There 10 surely great
rush for TesaS.
San Anto ho certainly has some