The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-02-28
SOUTHERN LETTER
Mr.. CheuvrOnt Continues His In
teresting Description of His
Travels.
To the Editor of The Republican.

tary promise, some Of which | some
times keep, will again write you from
this semi-tropical region, beginning
where lett off.
We went from Monroe to Vicksburg,
a distance of some so miles over the A.
& v. the same road we had gone in
over. When we arrived at the MISSES
ippi river we were delayed some time
on account of an engine being off the
track at the ferry boat landing, conse-
quentlY arriving IN Vicksburg too late
for the southbouni valley division of
the Illinois Central. We got Pullman
for Baton Rouge about midnight and
arrived in the capital of Louisiana early
next morning.
Baton Rouge is a typical southern
city, and for many years the principal
industries were of the cotton, cane and
tobacco variety, but recently the Stan
dard Oil Co., has built extensive oil re-
ineres and the city is now quite an oil
refining center. They claim to have a
population of 25, 600 people.
From Baton Rouge we went by rail
down the Mississippi to Burnside, thence
miles up the river and across to Don
aldsonYiIle and from there to Napoleon
vile. Arriving there too late to make
connection, We stayed all day in Ma
pOleonviile and went by auto to Thib-
odauX, distance Of some 20 miles.
Here we stopped for the night IN one Of
those typical French Southern towns,
twenty miles north of Houma, the OBJ
jective point of this trip.
When | told the hotel clerk to call me
at six, he looked up and said: coffee"
with question mark and not knowing
just what "coffee?" meant | said,
ives" Coffee" means they will
serve YOU a small cup Of coffee. as black
as the ace of spades and almost as
strong as the double extract of wild
indian turnip, n.your room Just before
or just after you get up. | tried it
once for the novelty of it, but was
afraid to get the habit knowing that
when | get back home there would be
discussion and demurring on that kind
Of coffee delivery, SO each morning at 6
O'Clock when they call coffee say no.
STAYED all night at the hotel at Trib-
odeauX CIribodo), a parish seat of
about 1000 people. | Was assigned to
room No. p, but ! am certain | slept in
room "a. After being assigned to my
room was shown to it by a small
negro boy. There was a coat and some
other things in the room indicating it
was inhabited by some one else, but as
there was no number on the door | for
got about all that, closed the shutters,
the door being fastened back, and Law
down on hard bed to pleasant dreams,
sometime IN the nigh | was awakened
by some one breaking through the shut
tiers and in the language of the little
bear IN the fairy story demanded. u.s.
ing some words that | don't think the
bear used; who's sleeping in my bed ."
told him that it was |, that | had
been shown into that room and my in
tentions were to stay there all night.
He said, did that little niger bring
you UP here?" When | told him he
had, he said they are all crazy. This
is my room; am regular boarder,
am the doctor " We'll, | said, you
can't blame me, if all you say is true.
am sorry for you, but unless | change
my mind or am bodily thrown out my
intention is to stay here until morning,
and if they are really all crazy | would
share my room with you. The doctor
said he would see about it and went
out, but never did see him no more.
| arrived at Houma the next day Just
before noon.
Houma, named for the Houmas In
dams, is the farthest south of any town
of size in Louisina, and is about as far
south as Palatka, Florida, or Houston,
Tex. Houma has population of from
5000 to 5000 people. Chief industry is
oysters, fishing and sea fishing and pre-
pairing them for the market However,
they grow and manufacture sugar and
lumber, this being in the great sugar
cane belt OF LOUISIANA.
There is also plenty of game IN this
section, abundance of wild ducks, snipe
and quail. We have wild duck and
quail served often at the hotel, and
am told that within ten miles of Houma
there is plenty of deer One man told
me.they got seventeen in two trips.
think this is an ideal place to spend
the winter months for one who delights
in these sports. The land is all level,
or almost level, and none of it more
than II feet above sea level, inter
spaced in every few miles with streams
or canals, called bayou (byo). These af-
ford excellent transportation for cane,
sugar, fish and lumber which is brought
in here to ship. These baYous are net
work system so you can go into almost
any part of the country or gulf by boat
and they are of great value to the