The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-02-29
Inverness EXON[RhI[D
George MaeKay Says 1t In All to the
Good, and Anthiny He Says
Goes
ocaIa, Fla, Feb. Is, 1912.

Ocala, Fla, Feb. ZS, 1917
Editor Star: In your issue Of the
2eth inst I note a clear. concise and
detailed account of "Hackman's Sale
of Whisky" on the streets of Ocala, at
La price of seventy-five cents per pint
Is It possible that this has anything
to do with a certain statement on the
editorial page of the same issue in the
account Of your trip on the Sunny
Jim" to Lakeland last Sunday, where
In you state that Inverness in Florida
Is named after a bleak, ugly Scotch
town.
1 would imagine that this "Hackman
Whisky might make at times the
beautiful bleak and ugly" but at all
events you are in error.
| Inverness in Scotland is beautifully
situated on the banks of the River
Ness, and is really one OF the prettiest
cities OF the Old World, having a fine
harbor. where thousands of vessels
enter annually Fine scenery and
suburbs of unusual beauty and inter
lest to tourists; handsome. wide and
modern streets.
| Several fine bridges span the River
Ness and connect the town on both
sides Of the river.
| Inverness Is the northern terminus
of the Caledonian Canal which gives
1T on the west coast connections with
iGlasgow, Liverpool and Ireland, and on
the east coast. water transportation
with Lefth, London and other large
cities.
| Having lived there for several years,
you will pardon my desire to see that
t'hackman" convicted ON the suspicion
tof being the cause of such an erron-
Ieous statement against Inverness, the
Icapital Of the Highlands.
Yours truly.
/ George MacKay.
II Mr.. MacKay says Inverness is
beautiful. it is beautiful. and that is
all there is to 1t. We never disagree
with a man OF his size in anything.
Our idea OF Inverness was incu1cated
by a passage from Macaulay's History
, of England. It referred to the condi-
ltion of that city in 1889. and it GER
tainly has had time to improve. Mr..
. Macaulay having been some three
, thousand miles nearer to Inverness
than we have ever been, We thought it
. safe to agree with him. Mr.. MacKay,
, being some thee thousand miles nearer
, to us than Macaulay ever has been, we
| II YET SAFER 10 agree With MI.
. MacKay. Mr.. Macaulay also said OF
, the clan Of MacKay, that 1t was one OF
, the smallest in Scotland We suppose
he referred to the number Of men in 1t
Certainly. II George MacKay is a fair
sample, there wasn't room for many.
II In fact, when we wrote the para
3 graph regarding the bleakness and
Iugliness of the Scotch Inverness, we
| had curiosity to know what 1t was
I really like, and had sneaking notion
; that the said remark might draw the
: required information from Mr.. Mac
Kay. AS will be seen by his forego-
/ ing patriotic protest, coupled witt
! much valuable information, he bit, like
the whale making a strike at Jonah.
1 AS for<Mr. MacKay's a1lusion to the
i hackman's whisky. we have no testi
t mony to give against the offender. 81
r far from having to pay Is cents a pin
8 for blind tiger booze, one OF our trou
t bles is to keep from being soused OF
z the strictly legitimate whisky Offered
I us by our friends when we make oul
n nocturnal circuit of the business cen
: ter every night. Notwithstanding al
G our temptations, we have been able tt
1 take ourself home unaided except OF
v one occasion. That was when. after
( imbfbing normal number of high.
: balls, half dozen or so, concoctet
with American joywater, we rashly
( tackled a drink of something tina
e tasted like turpentine stirred with red
a hot lightning rods. They told US aft
n erwards it was Scotch whisky. Will,
: under its influence, we wandered into
8 a vaudeville show, where a person per
: formed on an instrument that looked
n like a bunch of golf sticks partly tiet
l. up in a shawl We were afterwart
8 told by people in their normal condi
e tion that the instrument was a bag
: pipe. used by all famous Scotch war
v riors to scare their enemies to death
: and that it's noise would brighten
a choir OF American tomcats into silence
t We thought that 1t made beautiful
music. We also thought that the rain
bow colored snakes, pink camels and
blue monkeys we saw until that 1iba
= ton of usquebaugh had evaporated
were beautiful, tho somewhat embar
rassing in their attentions. However
; iusquebaugh does not impair tn,
!. faculties of a Scotchman. who Il
: brought up on It; therefore, we unre
!. lservedly accept Mr.. MacKays exonera
I ton of Inverness, and thank him fol
broadening our geographical horizon.
Er1r1c E0p cUvrTTNf1