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pebreary XS. 19419.
A. O. liertritgO,
lawyers
211 Rilderbranit Bldg.
Jacksonville,
florida.
Mee Shopherd,Writerl
LIN HISTORY
OP
A. G. (SUS) MATHIAS, JAOKSONVILIS WM.
Hr. Hartridge seems very well preserved for his age. He is
a rather large man, weighs SOS pounds, mud is a little over six
feet tall. He will reach his "three-seere and ten" in x ey of this
year, mad since he retired two years age from the aotive prastise
of his profession, bus been engaged in taking oars of the rental
service of the six -story Hilderbranit Building, where his *Moe
is located en the second floors We had a SOW sPramtmeat, gki
al I stepped off the elevator, he wme there to greet no and conduit
us to his office down the hall.
There were no loose papers on the desk where he seated himself,
inviting ma to take a chair on the opposite site, All around, was
neatness, cleanliness and order. Only a 1959 calendar, with lidgit
block figures, and no illustratiens hung en the well; .there were
no pictures or mirrors. A typewriter desk was to his loft in the
corner by the window in the western wall, the machine)wlieh he him-
self uses to make out contracts and oendunt any correspondenoe noses
eery in his position, was covered; the files were closet, and he had
evidently completed his work for the day, and was ready to talk: with-
out interruption.
on addressing him, I noticed he was slightly Leaf in his left
ear, but by raising my voice a little he was able to understand per
26028
A. G. Rartridge 8.
featly and rarely asked for a question to be repealed.
"My family wore Anglish," Mr. Bertram, said,. "My father
came to Jacksonville from Madison County, Florida in 1853. I was
born May 27, 1869. I was educated in the Jacksonville schools and
later attended the Citadel Military Aoadomy„ in Oharlostom.„ South
Carolina from which I was graduated.
"Our femily home was' en the corner of Liberty and Yeavitztt4
Streets, which was a popular residence sootiest in the early days.
The house was destroyed with all of our papers and nest of our be-
longings in the great fire of 1901.
"My mother, Mrs. IMIMIMari. Martridge, with Mrs. Aristides
Doggett, and Mrs. Alexander Mitchell, started at. Luke's Hospital
in Jacksonville. The first building was *rooted on the corner of
Church and Market Streets, but was burned to the ground, just be-
fore it woe completed. The cause of the fire was never determined..
The building was insured, and with this coverage, they built another
St. Luke's in the early 1870's in fleet Duval Street near ths end
of the present viaduct on that thoroughfare,
"316, Luke's Respite]. 4n those days was run by Dr. j. Mitchell,
Mrs. Doggett and my mother, mrs.,
"Mrs. Alexander Mitchell, a very wealthy and ataritmbly 1*"
dined lady cume to Jacksonville from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about
this time, and built a beautiful country home 'Villa Alexandria'
on the St. Johns River on the south side. She, too, helped with
the organisation add administration of the hospital &Valve.
"Her home was a large, two-story, frame building **thing
elaborate, but most handeoMely furnished with expensive dire)ortes,
rugs, furniture, paintings and brioabrae from the 1our corners of
A. G. Vert:lige
5.
the world, ter she was a great trwveler.
"Once a year Mrs. Mitchell gaze a lawn party and fete for the
benefit of the hospital. This was the outstanding social event for
the citisens of Jacksonville. Meats wore chartered and people car-
ried down there for the afternoon and evening. The grounds were
illuminated by thousands of Japanese lanterns. A small sdadtssion
was ohuried at the landing, 25 cents, and all kinds of articles for
sale in booths around the lawn fancy work, beautifully dressed
dolls, pastries, candies, etc. The hone* was also open, for those
who wished to view the inside of the residence.
"There Iva,* no electric _lights at that time, so the Japanese
lanterns were the only means of lighting the Tround., and of course
there were no hot togs or ice-cream cones like we are used to new.
"Several thousand dollars were realized, which waa quite a
!sum for that plried, and :onzlalering the population of Jaokson*ille
as compared with the present time.
"These three women, .1446 Mitchell, Mts. Meggett and Mrs. Hart
ridge finally found the burden too much for them to handle, and
St. Luke's Hospital Association was formed, and the active management
turned over to that bodir.
"There were no trained nurses in those days thig hat only
practical nurses and volunteers, but almost any woman, it seems,
made a capable nurse in her own family and others also, when emargeney
required. The doctors of jucksonville gave their services free to the
poor. Avon the Hospital Atesoeiti,ion foiald it ruther h;ali going
net that there was any opposition, people Just were net interested
and could not sense. the used of a hospital.
Martridge
"There were three great yellow fever opidomios one in UM,
another in MA, and the last one in 1888. I heard a groat deal.
about then, espsoially the last one, although wore not in the
city at the time. ResidentsP% knowing of course, that yellow
fever was propagated by certain types of mosquitoes, thought the
weather had someth'Lng to do with the contagion, and those who
oould afford it, absented themselves during the hot weather and
ulitiaR"trz the first frost, which killing the Mosquitoes, naturally
made it safe to return.
"Recreation in the early days was °alined to dancing, riding
and picnicking. The Florida Ts") Club was established in 1898.
Dances were held regularly every two *asks in the winter 'time;. elee
there were informal dances each saturday evening at the St. James
Hotel, now the Cohen Store building.
"One enjoyable feature was the moonlight beat -rides on the
$t. Johns. There were no railroads running up the river, so these
boat excursions terminated at Green Cove Springs, Middlebar, and
Arlington. These were also favorite pionio spots.
"In horseback riding, we used to go out some distance on %he
old plank road towards Lake City, and again en the 10 -mile drive
around by Migrant Avenue along the River and back.
"The bpringfieli section from the time of my early "boyhood
was know* as the Jones Plantation. Mr, 'Jones was the grandfather
of the late Mr. William Bestwiok.
"At Arlington was the Sammie Plantation. Mr. Sammie' wile
was an African Princess.
"On the 6outh side of the River were the Rainall Plantation,
Phillips' Plantation Red Banks the Rendrioke's Negarths', 641
the Bigelow's at Strawberry Creek.
A. O. Martridge 6.
"Mandarin, wbial I first knew of it, was a series of wall-kopt
estatos owned by Inglish people the Bowden*, Bardins, the James
family, and ethers, and was beautifully developed in bouring eras.
groves. The big fries* of 1864 or 1886 killed the trees and ruined
the orange oulture, whioh had grown to be quit. an industry in that
"motion.
"What do I think of Jacksonville? I have always thought it the
most wonderul pluoe in the world to live, filled with wonderful peo-
ple. of (scares, I believe it has a most promising future, its
geographioal location on the river, and so alone to the ocean, makes
it valuable for reoeivina, for shipping, for manufacturing, for
travel. In my opinion, it it the most solid place financially ask
000nemioully in Florida.
"I am in favor of Mr. Roosevelt's policies and pregrams.
*smatter him tilt, most wonderful man alive today.
"I practiced law in Jacksonville for six years, was 8tate's
Attorney for sixteen yours, and for six years afterwards was Judas
of the CriLinal Court of Pala Beach County. I retired from active
practice of law two yeaeo ago, but still conduct my office in the
rental department here.
"What was my most intirosting ease? That of the 8tate vv.
Addis Pitsler, charmed with the killing of Maria is (tattoo a beau-
tiful Cuban girl. The murder was committed one evening in 1896 on
16th Street, which was then not in the corporate limits of the sity
of Jacksonville. The girl was a native of Jacksonville, the daugh-
de Do
ter of 1./Gatte who owned and operated/Gatte's Cigar Factory hero.
The boy and girl were sweethearts and the oblionce„ all (Aroma-
stantial, indioated a violent lover's quarrel induced by Jealousy
A. G. Hartridge
6.
en the part of the young man. The girl had been deliberately shot.
There was no question but that Pitsler was guilty of the crime with
which he was charged, but he was freed in perjured testimony a
woman testified he was at hr hems when the crime was committed, mad
we were unahle to shake her testimony.
"The late 3onator Iletoher was aesociated with me in the
prosecution, also Col. A. W. Cookrell.
"Piteler's lueyers were Col. Alexander St. Clair Abrams,
Prank Pope, aud Dan Ommpbell,
"The trial lasted for three weeks and oreated intense excite-
ment. Moen brought their lunch, so they would not lose their seats
at the noon -time intermission. The bey was good looking, and was
the recipient of flowers aud other tokens of admiration from the
ladies. They considered me a heartless, inbnak prosecutor, and
I remember," he said chuckling softly to/himself." two of these
Jacksonville women who were constant attendants,M,t,the trial, did
not speak to me for two years afterward.'"
"Beth, the Piteler and Degatte families left Jacksonville im-
mediately after the case was closed."
Asked about laws, Ur. Hartridge said: "We have too away
laws, fur too many. A good nosy of them should be repealed entirely,
and others amended. 'I
As to hobbies, "I like hunting," he maid. "but lam also a
devotee of fishing deep-sea fishing off the Florida coast, the beet
sport in the world.
Mr. Hartridge remarked that his family had accumulated
great (iota of hietorioal matter, papers, etc., but all of these were
lost in the fire of 1901. The only things of ilaportance saved were
a silver service of aonsiderable value, and the family portraits of
his father. mother and grandmother.