The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-09-21
RIDING OVER SUMTER
COUNTY'S FINE ROADS
CONTINUED from Yesterday

At this point began the thoroughly
enjoyable experience of riding rapidly
in fine car over a thoroly good
road, than which there is no more
pleasant way of travelling, except in
an airplane at lease a thousand feet
up. and even that has drawback If
you take time to think about coming
down too suddenly.
AS said in a previous article, this
road has no superior. 1t is wide, firm
and elastic, and is laid out in straight
lines and wide curves, so it is as near
ly foolproof as a road can be made.
Oxford is the first town we came
to-a pleasant and prosperous place;
noted for many years for being the
center of one of the states finest
farming sections. 1t has Incorporate
ed recently and built wide, paved
street thru the business center Of the
town. Even in few months, the new
road has made a difference to Oxford.
Five miles further, we came to
Wildwood, Sumter county's railroad
town, and one closely connected with
Ocala. AS the car rolled with only
two slight bumps across the railroad
crossing the scribe remembered how
at the same point about nine months
before he had to get out of an auto to
help pull the car out of the deep sand,
and about a year ago two lives had
been lost there because a Ford couldn't
scramble thru in time to escape a
train. It's a good crossing now.
Wildwood is a live town, but the rail-
road is rather disrespectful to it.
Another five miles and we came to
Coleman, famed for its fertility be-
fore good roads in Florida were
thought of, but happier now because
one runs thru it. The first noticeable
thing in Coleman, beside some pretty
residences, was the handsome school
house, out of which crowd of bright
faced young folk was pouring, it be-
ing the end of the school day. Cole
man is a pretty town, with a live
business center and many handsome
homes. Everybody knew Mr.. Mayo
and many said "Hello, Nathan" as
the big car rolled slowly along. AL
most in the middle of the town we
found a person in rough working
clothes, darkened with sweat, and
when at Mr.. Mayo's call he lifted the
wide brim of his fioppy hat he reveal
ed the features of our next state SEN
ator, Hon. N. J. Wicker. He tried to
keep the editor over night, to take him
fishing, but we knew if we stopped
we wouldn't get back to Ocala in a
week, so put the coveted experience
off until We get time. Coleman is
right by the famous Warm Spring
Hammock, the fertility of which
makes Egypt look sterile. 1t would
take a page to only index what that
soil can do.
From Coleman we rolled on to Sum-
terville, long time the picturesque
county seat, and where some vita
Florida history has been made It is
prettily situated little place, and al
its glories didn't 60 away with the
courthouse Another seven miles, anG
we came in sight of the new county
seat-Bushnell-on of the Invest
places of its size in Florida. We haC
to criticise a too brief turn in the
road at the outskirts of the town anC
note that the cemetery was conven.
iently near. Seen long way off was
Sumter's new and handsome court
house. A short distance away from
it was good-looking brick house
which we understand a Marion county
lady, seeing it on her first visit. want
ed to buy for residence Alas, il
was the Sumter county Jail.
The car stopped in front of the
courthouse, and we went into a simply
built little one-story house, which was