The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-02-04
NEWBERRY FOLK IN FLORIDA
Mr.. Eugene S. Blease Tells The Herald
and News of Visit to Land of Flow
ers-Many NeWberrfans There.

Mr.. Eugene S. Blease returned to
Newberry this week from a visit of two
weeks to Florida, to which state he
went on professional business, and in
cidentally sightseeing. Mr. Blease
says that he enjoyed his trip very
much and that Florida has great flu
ture before it, for there is so much
room and opportunity for development
and the people of the state have the
progressive spirit Two things espe-
cially do the Floridians believe in,
good schools and good roads. Mr..
Blease took and automobile ride from
Jacksonville to st. Augustine, dis
| tance of forty miles, and all but about
five miles of the trip was over a road
paved with brick And strange to say
that one can travel over that road in
several instances for seven and eight
miles without seeing dwelling house.
Around Sanford and Ocala the roads
are just splendid, many of them being
brick paved and others sand and clay
mixture. Sanford, a town just about
the size of Newberry, has at least
three-fourths of it's streets paved with
brick. and is a beautiful little city on
Lake Monroe The city is now having
| a sea wall built on the lake front at a
cost of over 100000.
Taxes seem to be little higher in
Sanford and other Florida towns than
| in Newberry," said Mr. Blease, "but
the people down there don't seem to
mind paying taxes so long as they get
good roads and good schools, and they
say that money spent for these pur-
poses is a mighty good Investment.
The auto drivers and owners say that
they get their money back pretty soon
in the cost of keeping up their cars.
The farmers bring in their produce for
shipment in automobiles, oftentimes
carrying in a load and getting back
home for breakfast"
Mr.. Blease ran across several old
| South Carolinians while in Florida
He was told that a very large pei
centage of the people in Marion coun-
ty, of which Ocala is the county seat
are originally South Carolinians. This
county is one of the best sections OF
Florida and the people there seem tc
be especially prosperous.
At Sanford Mr.. Blease found many
Newberry folks. IMr. Forrest Lake is,
and for some years has been, one OF
the leading citizens of Sanford. Mr..
Lake is now president of prosperous
bank at Sanford. For many years he
was mayor of the city and is now one
of the leading members of the state
legislature. While member of the
legislature, Mr.. Lake secured the pas
sage of bill making new county,
Seminole county, with Sanford the
county seat, and in recognition of his
services the people of Sanford pre-
sented him with beautiful silver
service and reelected him to the legis-
tlature without opposition. Mr.. Lake
keeps up very we'll with NeWberry
people and is always glad to see them.
He has beautiful home, charming
wife and two pretty little girls, and he
is fond of entertaining mis- old New
! berry friends. Mr.. Lake loves to tell
people of Sanford and the opportuni-
ties there and is real live booster for
his state, county and city. Around
Jacksonville and other places, as we'll
as in Sanford, Mr.. Blease heard Mr..
Lake spoken Of as one of the big men
of Florida, and his name has often
! been mentioned in connection with the
Office of governor and congressman.
Mr.. Blease also saw Mrs. G. D.
Bishop, formerly Miss Bessie Schum-
pert of Newberry, and her husband
and Mrs. Bishops sister, Mrs. Chas. E.
Bell of Atlanta, who was on visit to
Mrs. Bishop. These charming ladies
| are popular in the society life of San
ford. Mr.. Bishop is one of the lead
ing business men of Sanford, being the
manager of large paper concern, and
he is recognized by all wno know him
as a young gentleman of great busl-
ness ability and sterling worth.
One of the leading farmers OF the
Sanford section is Mr.. Henry H. Chap
pell, an old Fairfield boy, and related