Falmouth Outlook Friday 22 June 1923 Vol. 17 No. 3 Pg. 3 Col. 4 LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA The following letter is from Louis A. Woolery, formerly of the Outlook Staff, but now of the San Diego (Calif.) Sun. Mr. Woolery went to California last fall, and he had made quite a success there. "Well I got to thinking the other day about whether I answered your letter or not, and couldn't remember doing so, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and write anyway. I wrote very few letters at home and since coming here I have been writing so durned many I forget who I write to and hence get all bawled up on my correspondence. Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m. "Speed", one of the Sun Boys and I left in his ford for Imperial Valley, the city of Mexicali, Mexico, being our objective. We had heard many tales about this wonderful val ley that was reclaimed out of the hottest, most barren desert in California by irrigation from the Colorado River. The whole valley is below sea level, the temperature ranging from 100 to 140 in winter and summer. It is about 110 now. Mexicali is 140 miles from San Diego. All but about forty miles of this is concrete road, and the forty miles is a fairly good dirt road. We made good time all the way there and back, it taking about six hours each way. About 80 miles of the distance is used in crossing the range of mountains which extend on into Mexico and S.A. But the roads are fine and the grades long and gradual so the old Henry walked right through them on high, except when we slacked up on a grade to watch a wild deer. He (or maybe it was she) was about two feet tall and was sure breaking some speed records and all the hurdling records navigating over the tops of the shrubs that covered the mountain side. We also saw about 9,817,354 jack rabbits more or less. Of course, starting out so early it was pretty chilly and we had on our sweaters, mackinaws and heavy coats, etc. until we reached the steep grade that led off the range down into the valley, a drop of over 6,000 feet in about five miles. About half way down we began to feel the warm wind from the desert and before we got down we had shed everything except our shirts and still we were sweating and the air was so hot it was difficult to breathe till we got used to it. In winter you can be sweating in your shirt sleeves down in the valley and in 15 or 20 min utes go out on this range and throw snowballs. The first town of any size in the valley was El Centro, population 15,000. It is pretty classy little burg, and does a world of business, as it is the metropolis of this big valley, which, since the introduction of irrigation, has become a regular gold mine. We looked the town over, taking pictures, one of them being the Hotel Barbara Worth, which was named after the novel of that name, this calling being the location of the incidents pictured in that book. It's as modern and big as the phoenix in Lexington -- also about the same rates. In summer, the guests strip off and lie down on top of the bed, leaving the door open. Along in the morning before daylight a porter goes around and closes all the doors. They have to do this because it is so hot the people can't sleep. Some of the hotels and apartment houses have no side walls at all, just hang big curtains or tarpaulins over the side of the house like a window blind. After dark these are rolled up leaving the sleepers exposed to the night air, the owls and other nocturnal animals. The people never wear coats except on dress occasions, the principal garb being some of those South African soup bowl hats, a thing white shirt and trousers. I wont' attempt to describe what little the girls wear; it's to insignificant a matter to worry over anyhow. You can name every article she wears even if your eyes are half closed to keep out the blinding glare of the sun. After eating dinner here we moved to Calexico-Mexicali. These two cities are really one, but separated by the international border -- a wire fence. Calexico is in the U.S., Mexicali is in Mexico. Nearly every person you meet is either a Mexican or a Jap or Chink. There are any number of saloons, gambling dens and dope houses. A fire recently burned out two or three blocks in the Chink quarter, and you can look down in the basement of the ruins and see heaps of partly burned clothing, bed posts, and could smell the beautiful (?) aroma of delicious roasted Chinks -- about 75 of them. This is beyond doubt the rottenest hole on earth. The town hasn't had the benefit of American-run property like Tijuana, hence the buildings are made of adobe, and are dirty, evil-smelling and about to fall down - typical Mexican and Jap looking. The streets are crowded with dirty, hairy-faced wild-looking Greasers and dopey Chinks, with about 42,538 ignorant-looking kids running around between their legs. We got tired of looking at all this in about an hour, so we decided to go back to Calexico and sit down in our machine until it got cooler and things livened up a bit. It was so hot the people were moping around half dead, the stores were deserted and business in general was taking a siesta with the Mexicans. We soon caught the spirit and were sound asleep, parked right out in the main street of town! We dozed away peacefully for over an hour, then woke up and decided we would give Mexicali another once-over before we left to see is we had missed anything. Our return trip was without any special excitement, and we arrived in San Diego about 11 o'clock, too durned tired to say goodnight. The other night I met Geo. Ross out at the Point Loma golf club house. They have a fine cabaret out there, fine eats and fine music. The dance hall is a little small, especially for my superdrednaughts. George has a five year old son now. He looks a lot thinner that before he married, and I hardly recognized him at first. He didn't recognize me at all until I told him who I was. I recently acquired a valuable accessory -- a Ford coupe. I haven't got it all fixed up with extras yet, but will probably get it Monday. I'm going to start an innovation in auto accessories by having it upholstered with teddy bear fuzz -- like the muscle coats the tiny pebble with pearl. Yours till the bullfrog grows a mustache, LOUIS A. WOOLERY June 1, 1923 Falmouth Outlook Friday 22 June 1923 Vol. 17 No. 3 Pg. 5 Col. 3 PERSONALS Miss Ethel Cummins, of near Morning View, was given a most agreeable surprise Sunday, which was her birthday, by a number of friends who called to help her celebrate the occasion. Among those present were Mr. & Mrs. Ed Jones and five children, Helen, Hazel, Mabel, Leland and Kenzie; Mr. & Mrs. Major Bishop and three children, Ernest,. Chester and Cora Elizabeth; Mr. & Mrs. Clay Cummins and three children, Willena, Elmon and Charles and Harry Cummins of Richmond, IN. She received several nice presents. Falmouth Outlook Friday 22 June 1923 Vol. 17 No. 3 Pg. 5 Col. 4 CONREY NEWS ITEMS Mr. & Mrs. John Price and little son had as guests for dinner Sunday, Mr. & Mrs. Roscoe Price and two children Larkin Price Misses Thelma Worlds, Hester Bonfield, Ruby Bush, Dollie Lyons, Grace McClanahan and Fannie Hill Messrs. Thurman Anderson, Benjamin Swann, John Miller Shawhan, Johnnie Simpson, Forest Simpson and Stanley Roberts. All reported a nice time and an excellent dinner. Refreshments were served of ice cream and cake. All departed at a late hour wishing Mr. & Mrs. Price many more such days. Falmouth Outlook Friday 22 June 1923 Vol. 17 No. 3 Pg. 6 Col. 3 NEIGHBORING COUNTIES HARRISON COUNTY NEWS The aims and objects of the Ku Klux Klan were explained by a speaker on the court house square, Saturday evening, and a large crowd heard the address. Some of the tenets as set forth by the speaker were loudly applauded. The first State meeting of the Ku Klux Klan was held in Lexington Sunday as was largely attended. Forty counties are said to have been represented. Plans were formulated for the organization of Klans in every county of the state. ============================== Items of interest to: Doug Harper Biloxi, MS