Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 February 1885 — Florida Letter. [ARTICLE]

Florida Letter.

The Inaugiration of Preiri'ivnt -Cleveland and Vine President Hen dricks will occur next Wednesday. In the United State? Senate, a few days since Senator Ben}. Harrison voted to kill ’he RR land forfeiture bill. MrJVoorheeg voted for the reversion of theJland|totbcGenersi|Gov'-ri ment. »*r. Harrison voted In the interest of monopoly ; Mr. Voorhees, as usual, voted in the interest of the people. The “wicked wags" continue their imposit i on the “kid” of the Republican. Durins' ’he past week they have been employed in expl nlne to him the hieroglyphics or. express packages. “C. O. D.” on the Sbntinii. package, they i form’d i.im, stood for “Crusty Old Democrat. - , etc., end he forthwith gives hi» renders the benedtjef his newly acquired information. One of the boys told him hat it meant he'*? ‘Kid 1 ws' a ‘‘Cantankerous Old ‘Daniplx’"'"" ’’’ “Kid.” in nn inaudible whisper, retorted ”1 are a meaner Democrat ban old McEwen." nd the "Kid -- slid. Should Let Hnt Ai.ome. . .Tho»e‘wicked wags' could find oet cr cm; I'vi: rnt than that of condemning his paper. Their last emetic, judging from the contents of this week s Republican, caused the ‘Kid to heaveup an appalling amount of ‘bile’ and ‘gall ’ An examination prove " however, that the dose had not penetrated snftl C eutly low to pro uce a discharge of bran... The‘wicked wags’should let him alone. lie is doing Lis best. Our sympathy is with lite ‘Kid ’

Bmidentown, Fla.- Dear MackThe following descripltion of the Manatee river and improvements ou it may bo of interest to your readers. This river, which is an arm [of the sea is as fine a, body of water as I ever saw- Some of the and is very fertile. I was shown an o’anrre tree off of •which ten thousand oranges were gathered lust year. All well. Yours Truly.

R. S. DWIC GINS.

The Mauft’ee River is conceded bv all t« be one of t.t., most beautiful bodies of water in Florida. Navigable for many miles for iarue i-teameis and sailing vessels, it is one. o‘ th” b”st harbor-' on the coast. Like a silve-y thre.irtit winds fcr naiits through -what is sometimes culled the ‘ garden spot i-f Florula.” Rich in ;<‘gci d and snug, 'L'j lair Mana'ec <>fl rs attractions to trie poet and novelist On eithci side ot the rivirare pretty Utile villages ju-i, growing nto towns. As one enV rs th ■■ ’ th ■ lirst is Palma Sola founded, in isso by .S. Warner, of Palma Sula, nn ' Mr. Beach, of Terre Haute. Ir . Ar f ' r . there .was but a sawmill.: >tet;u i> it 1 ndittg, ami a few scattering bouses tried bv the employees of the firm. T-.’-d:ty Pallia Sola is alive with ’.raffle A large hotel has bee ' errY.tr-d on ’he bluff, an I numerous otta.es dot I'a: liver i ful s..

Jv-xt w pis- F-' .-'.riyvilli- the home of “H-me.-t J >na F.trg -.i tv,’ wlm wtih his two enterpi'sing Lro h r-, '.Vdlb.m and Tolc, were the founders <>f this settlement. This is one of th” prettiest little towns on the riiver- ami Imre we find tbe chip yard and dry decks, so well known to our seafaring tiiends. Here als > lives ‘Madam .!< e' Atzn-ih, who. e fam as flic lady, wi>o rais’d ti-e fust cobee ever brought to perte-edon in the United States, is w.-tin wide A store Which besides iufni.-hiir.-, the i-oi'. ..1..n----hood with nil liie rcees .ties >t iiii mid many <>r its luxuries, is well filLd with ship stores, is at th docks. A tiny Cbajel, erected by tbe sflorls of tbr ladies in that vicinity is half seen through the tree”. This i-. .d.-o u-ed lor school pun uses. 11-rc is -me of th homes of lueshite J . A Duck tier better known to the literary Aorld as‘Truth-, ful James.”

As we speed along we catch a glimpse of Willemsenburg founded by John !’. Vt illeijisen, who for over twenty years has been the presiding genius of that place. Here on an elevated spot com' mandmg a be uttful view, stands the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Among the beautiful homes here are those of Mr- IP., himself, Ji nss Smith, Esq .- late of d ■ Jno- Hodler, Merrill and George Col L s, Samuel Liehflchl. and imny others. Nestling on t, e north bams of e river lies Puli.-tto which is a mo lt t little place, but back of it lies a coun r_. almost unrivaled for beauty and fertility Almost opposite Piametto lies Braid entown built on a high bluff looking like a quern o;i her throne. A large steamboat wi.arf and warehouse, extends iar out into the river. Imre stands the old Turner mam ion. now the. Duck wall House, under the management of Mr. Duckwa I, late of Indiana, who is also the propi'ieior of a large grocery house directly across the way. Further on is another buifdin?, the lovjer part of which is occupied by L mis Duck wal,who keeps a fine sleek of d. v goods and uoaous, 'die <<; j.di sio yis used a P i : ’ti:y-->O' e , -, c ■■ •, . 8 -t, o - * t., ■, - worht the O'df ’ 1 ' !'<■<>/■ •. , Ifcavitig Briaueu.owu be; ind we th... c. r; 11» c, vCo *4. -v. > Vv .■■ e < .-.. e-1 .o w.* o.i th'.- river and here are mos of the ’mriug groves, of this region. There are many characters in the place but the strangest one is ol<l I’wnL-e who almost forty years ago cur.e to Florida to die- Since that time he has buried two wives and is n-w living with a third He In-s seen his clnl hen die; has lived through all ihc vic situles of the bemi nole war and the war »<1 the Rebellion and to day seems as hale as the whiuge,; man on the river A few miles above Manatee on the north bank of the river is Ellentowu once the old Gamble plantation- Here atone time, a thousrud acres of land were nt der cultivaii n. and hundreds of slaves shrank Horn the whip of the overseer. Now nothing of that . eru/tfns save a lew deseited negro ciibiiis and the ruins of the sugar mill, left standing as relics of those old day,- Major Halter* to ■ is t- ■ . ' tJI .jier the war h->s uu« it in buim ,'otb :i->d { -petty Iwu - JU ' ■ and theiu. Twenty miles above the mouth .of the river is Mitchelville- Here also is a large store which supplies the wants ot the Deeple for many miles around It is a thriving little soitlemem-