El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-07-10

we call old st. Louis. such as
where Lafayette stopped. Gene
Fields birthplace. etc, Gen.
Grants nome 'hardscrabble' lust
outside the city. for instance"
me old southern hotel is one OF the
great testimonials OF the day 10 the
progress we are making and the waste
10 entails. Modern desire Tor the new
has caused the old Southern 10 be
scrapped- A ten story building. Gov
ering the better portion OF block. il
stands today uuOccupied and disused
with the exception Of q display OF
chamber OF commerce products in
what was once the most famous lob
by on the American continent. The
massive solid marble pillars stand 30
the great almost empty lobby, silent
sentnels Of the worlds march OF pro-
Eress- The great, broad white marble
srairWays, up which have cripped the
famous beauties Of the south TO the
ballroom on the second floor. echo to-
day like a cave TO the weight OF hu-
man steps The life size bronze stat
ues OF saint Louis. upon each side Of
the stairway, seem lonely and neg
lected in this dearhlike silence. senti-
uels over the tomb Of the distant past.
There is an open rOtunda on every
floor. where the bellies Of the south
used 10 sit and look down upon the
busy men In the lobby as they talked
cotton and steamboats, and politics.
great ball room on the second floor.
with its mirrors and its marble and It's
silt, would be called tawdry today.
but IL was once the finest thing west
OF Chicago Today it echoes its pro-
test at your tread
Next door. closed as tightly as the
famous old hotel. IS the building that
once housed Tony Faust and all thar
the name meant 10 Americans who
liked good things TO eat. Tony Faust's
place ranked with Delmonico's in
those days and not a man or woman
unless he or she had dined at Tony's
Across the street is the famous old
Olympic rheater. now as dusty and
as rusty and as silent as its compan-
Ion places Of mirth and merriment Of
long ago. All died with the birth Of
ern. Booth. Barrett and sarah Bern
hardr have played there many a night
and autographed photos from all OF
these and other actors rs noted once
graced the lobby. Today they are
said 70 be covered in dust in the base
men-, their owner dead without any
living descendants.
The elite Of old st. Louis and Of
the south gathered ut the south
ern and the Olympic and at Tony
Fuust'H for their revelries and Ia
f. said that when the Yelled
ANEAEA = naAAA was ANNEM AMmMLaAN
In the ballroom Of the Southern,
wine actually flowed In the gut
tiers outside. These places were
Institutions and negroes who en-
tered the service Of the Southern
a. bell boys grew gray haired in
its service rs walters and por-
tiers.
They knew men and women from ali
parts Of the south and could call them
by name from year 10 year when they
came here for their annual visit
Harry Norman tells me that many
gray haired negro cried when the old
Southern was finally forced 10 give
way 20 modern progress and serve Its
last meal Many pioneer st. Louisian
ate in silence and gave his order with
a perceptive CULVER OF the voice 10
negro who accepted IL with tears in
his eyes.
No attempt has been made 20 utilize
the space where these old buildings
stand and they are merely gathering
dust and affording taxi drivers and
automobile men an opportunity 90 get
few extra fares from tourists TO
view them There is now talk OF do
ing something with the old Southern
but what. nobody seems to know. Ii
was recently desecrated with an au-
tomoble show.
The famous old courthouse is still
in use Its great dome, PCS feet from
the floor to the top inside, is decorated
inside with some extremely nice look
ing paintings and IS not exactly like
anything else in the United States
that 7 can recall In one corner Of
the yard is a tablet which states that
the old Boone trail passed this point
II was on this corner that slaves were
sold in the days before the civil war
The building, although built Of
gray stone Is now almost black
from the soot Of nEes. ST. Loula