The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-07-31


and Immediately after dinner the tour
lists gathered on the steps of the
Courthouse to listen to an address of
welcome by Hon. B. w. Hunt. The
audience which greeted the tourists
at Eatonton was one of the largest at
any point along the line of route and
Col. Hunt delivered a magnificent ad-
dress OF welcome, and later took the
party through the famous Hunt dairy
on the outskirts of the city.
At Milledgeville the Mayor and
number of other citizens met the tour
lists FIVE miles out of town and escort
ed them to the campus of the State
Normal and Industrial School where
Prof Park, the head Of the institution,
served the tourists with the coolest
and sweetest watermelon that they
had ever tasted. On account of the
anxiety on the part of many of the
tourists to get to Macon before night
a number of special entertainments
which had been prepared by the Mill
ledgeville citizens were eliminated at
the request of the tourists. But
through the courtesy of the May
or of Milledgeville, the tourists were
escorted through the city and shown
the various historic buildings and al
so were allowed to make an inspection
of the Insane Asylum. In the trip
through the asylum the tourists were
fortunate as they were taken through
wards of the asylum where visitors
are not allowed. In passing through
the kitchen where supper was being
prepared for 1900 inmates of one
building, Secretary Clarke grabbed a
biscuit and large slice of country
bacon and went through the asylum
eating same.
Y ~
ytThe tourists all reached Macon be-
fore night and registered at the La
nier hotel.
After getting good nights sleep
in Macon the tourists left about noon
for home via the Central Route of the
Dixie Highway, stopping at Hawkins
vile for dinner. On their arrival at
Bowen's mill they were met by a
number of Fitzgerald citizens in autos
and escorted triumphantly through
the city and up to the Chamber of
Commerce building where Hon. w.
r. Bowen delivered an address of well
come to the mud-stained but glory
covered tourists. The address of well
come was responded to on behalf OF
the party by Secretary Clarke.
The tour was one full of thrills and
pleasures and in this respect, also, it
differed from the average tour, for
most tours either have all good roads
and fair weather or all bad roads and
bad weather. There was just enough
excitement on the tour to keep the
spirits of the tourists up to the high
est possible pitch and every time they
reached point where the strain was
about to break the morale of the
party, they would wake up the next
morning to find the sun shining and
the roads in splendid condition.
The most attractive country from
an agricultural standpoint through
which the tourists passed was from
Toccoa to Athens, through Martin,
Lavonia, Hartwell. Royston, Elber-
ton and Conner. The crops were good
everywhere but in this particular sec
ton they were simply magnificent.
Among those; who divided honors
on the trip with President Griner was
notably Joe Brewer, Coffee Joe" as
he is affectionately styled by his hun
dreds of friends. At every critical
moment in the conduct of the tour
Coffee Joe" was on the job as when
the pace-maker's Car became disabled