News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-03-18
AN INTERESTING LETTER
Descriptive Of Trip to Los Angeles via the
Southern Route

DesIiIPIlVe Oi Tip TO Los Angeles Via Ine
Southern Route
The following letter from Mrs. Nobel
DEMO Dickey of Glendale, No. OAK,
who with her husband, is spending the
winter travelling, will be of interest to
many of our readers as she is well-known
by many in this vicinity. Mrs. Dickey,
who is daug hterof Mrs. May Meacham,
and sister OF Mrs. G. A. Barrows of
Morrisville, as former resident of Hyde
Park, spending her girlhood days there.
She went from that place some 20 years
ago.
Ell PAso, TEXAS. Dec. 20. 1918.
Dear Folks at Home:
THE last time wrote you letter was
on the train and have wondered if you
were ever able to make it out. Well we
had fine time all the way, met so many
nice people; of course we had the bride
and groom-you know there always is
one. The first thing she did was to lose
her diamond ring; then they had not
gone far before the groom discovered he
had forgotten his drafting tools he ex-
pected to go to work with when he ar
rived in California. They were quite
young and seemed to be having quite a
lot of trouble on the start. Then there
was another bride of seven weeks, whose
husband was an aviator in San Francisco.
She told us he was the third best in the
world. She was going there to meet him.
She was lively one; every time theVic-
trola played she would get some one to
dance with her, but guess yon don't
care anything about this.
We had snow all the way till we got
within one hundred miles of Ell Paso.
We passed through the queerest country
in New Mexico you could imagine. it is
very sparsley settled. 1t is just great
stretch of rock, kiud of soft rock, they
cut in blocks and use for all their build
ings, fences and everything. There is no
grass to be seen. | don't think it will
grow on that soil, it is covered with a
scrub cedar. As you go fdI ther south
We get out of the cedar and find the
Yucca or soap plant. They are ever
green's, some of them grow three or four
feet high and they look something like a
PLAN, the leaves are long needles. This
is all the vegetation you can see. don't
see what people can do there to live, there
is no farming. Mining is the chief oc-
cupation. The Mexicans make soap Of
tuis yucca plant, and the core of it they
will eat, but stock will not touch it. We
did not pass through towns of any size
except Santa Rosa, then Alamosardo-
here is government sahatorium for sol
dlers and sailors with tuberculosis. This
is way up in the mountains. All the
mountains we have seen are bare rocks,
with no vegetation on them.
We arrived in Ell Paso at 4:30 Saturday
afternoon. 1t is quite a wonderful city
Of 45 600 population and you wonder how
1t could ever have grown to such size
right in the sand; there isn't a bit of
grass anywhere, only where it is grown
The buildings are nearly all
brick. stone or cement, both business
houses and residences, They claim it il
a great health resort on account of the
high altitude. They have 10000 floating
population and man told us today two
thirds of the population had consump-
ton. think it was quite refreshing for
them to look at us, for every one we talked
with would say How do you like FL
Paso? You certainly did not come here
for your health"
There are number of interesting
sights here, and we took them all in.
First we went out on the Plaza. This is
a little green spot in the center of the city,
clover for the lawn, some trees and big
fountain in the center. Then, we went
out t. Washington Park and to the Smell
.er. This ride took us along the bank of
he Rio Grand river, which is a great
vide river bed with just little m1ddy
water in it in places. They told us it was
Ivy three mouths of the year. This was
great surprise to me, as l had always |
bought of the Rio Grand as a grand |
liver. Then we went oyer into Mexico, |
o Juarez. This is town across the |
ridge in Mexico, where they have a big |
ace track, said to be the fastest track in |
he world the races were very exciting
here was Mexican battle fought az |
uarez last September and we saw build |
ngs allshot to pieces and others standing, |
ut full OF bullet holes. We were advised |
OF to 60 over into Mexico. but we could
OF resist and got back without any
rouble. They stopped the car on the
ridge and the U. S. soldiers came
hrough aud asked if we were taking any
hing out of Mexico. On the Mexican
de there were lot of Mexican soldiers
nd they are an ugly looking lot. surley
nd treacherous. The carry their ammu-
ition all on the outside. They don't
,ok much like Uncle Sans soldiers sta
oned ON the other side-they are a
.raight manly looking lot.
This morning we went out to Fort
liss where 5000 U. S. soldiers have their
TIE last thing of interest