Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-03-09
NO. 10

promptly reported at the Office.
JEFF DAVIS & CO., Proprietors..
Card-The proprietors of the justly
celebrated Hotel de Vicksburg,
having enlarged and refitted the
same, are now prepared to ac-
commodate all who may favor
them with a call. Parties arriv-
ing by the river, or by Grants in
land route, will fiad Grape, Can
mister & Co.'S carriages at the
landing or any depot on the line
of intrenchments. Buck. Ball &c
Co. take charge Of all baggage.
No effort will be spared to make
the visit of all as interesting as
possible.
After the banquet some time was
spent in viewing the city, which has
about 10000 people, and contains
many interesting sights. We great
ly enjoyed being shown through an
immense cotton mill, where the cot
ton is pressed and baled for ship
ment to all parts of the world. This
is one of the principal cotton mar
markets of the south, and here buy
ers are stationed who purchase the
cotton from the plantations and ship
it in all directions.
At six O'Clock We again boarded
our train and made the run to
Natchez, arriving at 9:15. Here
we were surprised to find that nearly
the whole city had turned out to
our reception. Immense crowds of
people lined the streets, and along
the line of march blaze of red
fire illuminated the city, and fire.
works signalized our welcome. At
the station the mayor, company of
militia and a company of rough
riders, as we'll as company of
juvenile infantry and fine band
received us, and escorted us through
the city to Institute Hall which was
appropriately decorated and where
stirring speeches were made by citi-
zens and editors. Then we were es-
corted to the beautiful Elks Club
House, where an elaborate luncheon
was served, followed by a ball. All
the clubs of the city, Elks, Prentiss.
Knights of Columbus, Beavers and
Standard, kept open house, and the
editor who did not feel his oats"
that night ought never to have visit
ed Natckez.
The next morning we were taken
in autos abol?t the city, to the head
quarters of General Grant during
the war, The Briers, where Jefferson
Davis was married, Concord Ruins.
home of the first Spanish Governor,
Ruins of Fort Rosalie. famous for
Indian massacre. Monmouth, Mon
taign, and Arlington, the homes of
Generals Quitman, Martin and Boyd,
respectively, and the mansion of ~
noted Confederate, slave holder
owning 5000 slaves before the war.
These and many other interesting
sights, including cotton mills, occu-
pied our time until eleven o'clock,
when our train departed for Baton
Rouge, the capitol city of Louisiana.
This run was made mostly through
thickly wooded country, where
many large saw mills and lumber
camps were passed, as we'll as cot
ton fields in the clearings.
Arriving at Baton Rouge at 400
p. m, we were here given an auto
ride about the city. Baton Rouge has
about $4,000 people, and there are
about three negroes to one white
person. The large mansions of the
white folks are to be found between
rows of negro huts where squalor
and poverty is everywhere in evil
dence. Visits to the quaint state
capitol, the state university grounds,
the sight of the old fort, and many
ether interesting points were made.
The gentleman who drove our auto
also took us fora pleasant run into
the country, TO see the immense
SuSoi piaHldlloHS, DIS we were tnCn,
down in the sugar country Ct the
south. Sugar cane is grown here
on large scale, and many sugar
factories are to be found. whore the
cane is crushed and the raw sugar
extracted, and then sent to the re-
hneries. An explanation Of the
methods of planting and raising
sugar was greatly enjoyed. Return
ing to the city. the party was met
at the Istrouma Hotel and escorted
to the beautiful Elks Club, where a
delicious luncheon was given, and at
$500 p. m. our train left for New
orleans, arriving there at mid
night.
We slept on the train that night.
and in the morning transferred our
baggage to the magnificent new
Grrnewald hotel, where we made
our home during the next three
days. while we attended the various
sessions of the silver anniversary
meeting of the association and be-
tween sessions embraced the oppor-
tunity to see as much as possible OF