The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-03

t TExAs.-The Houston Telegraph gives the
following historical account of Austin county:
Austin county was laid off by the first con-
gress of the old republic in 1887. The earliest
settlements was made within its limits in 1899,
| by a number of the "tirst 800 families" with
the descendants of others, are yet living here.
Austin county is emphaticalIy historic ground.
Here the first successful American settlement
on Spanish, and afterwards Mexican soil, west
of the Mississippi, was made.
San Felipe de Austin, the capital of Austin's
colony, was laid off by Stephen F. Austin, in
! 1924. AT this place the archives of the first
colony, embracing all the territories between
the San Antonio road, (near the 51st degree
of latitude, and the gulf and San Jacinto and
Lava rivers, were kept. Here the emigrants
halted first, made their application for head
rights, and received from the empressarlo their
titles. Here ustice was dispensed goods sold
and most of the business of the colony trans
acted Here the beauty and the chivalry of
the country assembled; balls were given as early
as 1925, and forty to sixty ladies were often in
attendance, some Of them coming on horseback
more than fifty miles for the purpose. Mere
the first meetings were gotten up against the
| usurpatlons OF Santa Anna and the overthrow
of the constitution Of 1924, and here also the
first resolutions were adopted by the people in
favor of the independence of Texas. The town
was afterwards burnt by captain Moseley Ba-
ker on the approach Of Santa Anna, in 1886,
and to prevent the place from falling into hiS
hands. Captain Baker with single compa
ny, afterwards crossed the Brazos and opposed
and etfectuay resisted the attempt OF the Mex
leans, about 500 strong, to cross at the same
point.
| The Brazos river meanders through the coun-
ty, distance cfabout thirty five miles, with the
usual width Of BOTTOM a good deal of which is
occupied by plantations, some of them among
the largest cotton farms in the State. There is
very little bottom land selling. I have heard
of no sales of exclusively cultivatable bottom
This class may be rated at $40 per acre. On
the east side Of the river there is. a large body
of second rate upland, generally rated at 50 to
SIS per acre, and for;some tracts S O have been
offered aud refused The construction of the
second division Of the Galveston and Red River
railroad to be completed into this portion of
Austin county the coming winter, has given a
considerable impulse to land sales, and several
thousand acres have recently changed hands at
several hundred per cent. advance ON the val
uation Of 1855
Mill Creek is the largest tributary of the Bra.
zos, on the west side, flowing through the coun-
ty; it rises in the western part of Washington
county, and runs souLh-easterly fr 25 miles
through Austin. The county, which bordars it,
is continuation of varied and beautiful scene
ry, undulating with hill and valley, and diver
sihed with prairie and woodland, presenting a
landscape as charming to the eye as any inTexas.
The lands on the upper part of the creek are of
black, stiff soil, and, like those of Washington
county, frequently yield, in good season, bale
of cotton, or thirtv-bve bushels of corn, to the
acre. Some of the prairies about the town of
Travis are sandy, and accounted by the settlers
as equally productive as the black lands. The
prices of uplands on the west side of the river
range from SO to $40 per acre. A populous
settlement, mostly Americans, is found around
Travis There is also another hourishing set
! tlement on the waters of Caney creek, near the
Chappell Hill, Washington county.
There are four large German settlements in
the county. The largest and oldest, at indus
try, contains nearly two hundred families; an
other, at New Ulms, south of Industry, Cat
Springs, on the waters of Mill creek and Buck
horn, about three miles below the mouth of Ca
ney and near the Brazos timber. The number
of German families in all, is between 400 and
500. They poll about $50 votes, to be here
after rapidly increased as naturalization is ac-
complished The German population of this
county are like their countrymen, settled every
where in the State a thrifty and industrious
people, rapidly accumulating property, and ad-
ding to the productive wealth of the country.
These settlements are compact; fences well built,
and farms in good order. Many of them have
acquired slave property, and in all respects arc
valuable citizens.
Bcllyille, named after Thomas Bell one ofthc
original 500, is the county scat, pleasant and
healthy place, containing about 800 inhabitants
1t has an excellent brick court house, one of the
best in the State; also, a good Jail.
San Felipe still fourshes, but has never seach-
cd its former size, nor can it ever rival its an
clent Importance,
The fact has already been mentioned that
Andrew J. Finley, of Martha Washington noto-
riety, was in custody at Albany New ! ork, on
charge Of forgery, bis arrest having been effected
by officer Graham, Of Baltimore, aided by the
New York police. It appears that last spring
the firm names Of the mercantile house Of A.
D. Shepard Il Co. and Monteith Il Baelcy, at
Albany, werC forged to checks--onc for $4,000
and the other S3OO0--and the money paid
upon them by the Bank OF Albany and the Bank
of the Capital. The torgeres, it is said, were
master pieces, and were evidently pcrpetrated
by some finished operator; but no arrest took
place until the 4th uIt., when Finley was seized
on suspicion. He had a partial examination,
and the Albany Argus, after giving the evil
dence of three Of the most important witnesses,
remarks:
Thus far the evidence is not strong enough
to hold him, and one fact strongly in his favor
is that the three important witnesses contradict
each other with regard to his moustache and
whiskcrs. Finlay, of course, asscverates his IN
nocence, and expresses himself confident Of be-
ing able to prove an alib He is one of the
first of his class in this country--is a man of
polished address, gcntemanly appearance, and,
it is evident, is endowed with iron nerves.
Throughout the examination he submitted
to the scrutnisiny gaze of all in the courtroom,
without allowing muscle in his face to be ruff
Ha1 Or his wa tf, faltar itS ctaadinaSS