French Broad hustler., 1919-07-31
HUSTLER LEAVES
But WILL BE
REMEMBERED

some Oh them. Newspapers ole ana
! are f0r5otten-some of them. The
/. French Broad Hustler is about to die,
for it has been sold. These are its
last words, for even its name will be
changed, but it will not be forgotten.
This paper was born in the noun
tains and came to Hendersonville
many, many years ago. 1t came to
lHendersonVille quite different from
the Hendersonville of today-a quiet,
a beautiful village with a row of
great trees down it's always calm
Main street, disturbed not by the dis
cordant honking of many motor cars.
A quaint and very small street car,
drawn by pair of sedate brown
mules, ran from it's owners home on
Main street to the station. The fare
was five cents, which you deposited
| in a box at the front end of the car,
where it was under the drivers eye
Jim" Hickman was a leading mer-
chant and "Old Jim" Waldrop sold
real estate His office was in a little
brown building where they are now
excavating for a new bank and the
sign over the door read Smith and
jWaldrop.'' Captain Toms was the
village capitalist and the old Virginia
House stood where now the million
dollar bank has it's home. Colonel S.
V. Pickens was a familiar figure on
streets less crowded than today.
streets less crowded than today anG
Dr. Few practiced his profession.
A crushed stone walk, not the cas-
lest to travel, ran the length of Main
street and when.the town came to i'm !
prove this with a twenty-foot concrete
pavement, long and serious was the
discussion of the startling innova-
ton The school system-well, the
school system was somewhat different
from what it is today. and the board
OF trade, father of the present eff
! cient organization, was working hard
for the good of the town. The meet
! ings were held in the commissioners
room in the court house, and some
times the lights would go out, and
sometimes there would be but a very
small handful of the faithful present,
ibut always were there present "Jim''
lWaldrop and one other-W. A. Smith
land it seems that while Time has
| worked many changes here, has sent
some on a journey and is responsible
for many queer things, it seems that
Time has touched "Bill' Smith most
lightly of all. In those days there
was the same vehemence. the same
optimism, the same determination in
this builder of Hendersonville that
there is today Some CT those toard
of trade meetings were mighty IA
teresting.
It was at one of these gatherings
that the decision was reached to- ad-
1vertise Hendersonvilic. The work on
the first town bookiiet was all done in
the Hustler Office and ali of the boys
were proud of that cork. On the
cover of the little booklet we're two
gates open. This was printed in gold
1t suggested, it is needless to say,
that the gates to Hendersonville, the
gates to opportunity, were wide open.
Yes, that was sure some nifty piece
of Job printing, not at al in the same
class with the new town booklets 5f
many colors and wonderful pictures.
Well. it would be possible to go on
and talk forever about that Hustler
lof1ce of those days and that most
beautiful village Of those days.
But ever since then, and before then
for that matter, the Hustler has all
ways been telling everyone Just how
fine town its home town was ard
just how proud It was 70 live in such
a town. Editorially and locally ir.
has printed many miles of words CT
the good things to be found here, and
OF the other things it has printed hut
very few words, indeed. I'm this re-.
spect it is like Judge Pace may his.
shadow never grow less and Taay he.
Econtinue to preside - clerk Of thsa