The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-02-08
WHOLE NO. 173.

Northcrs all through December, hardly a
warm day intervening. This having the
thermometer fall from So down to Is in less
than an hour don't suit my constitution at
all and heartily wish myself back again to
your bluffs.
went to church last Sunday and had
the pleasure of hearing the English language
and the good old psalm tunes murdered al
ternately; without intending to be wicked l
wished each ones mouth plugd with a corn
cob and liberal supply Of cockleburrs just
where the scat would make 'cm fit close
with nary rag intervening. I fell into
"reverie" at 2dly and fancied myself in
Christian land Of pancakes, keeping Christ
mas, happy as negro with 4 bits and
nothing to do. The basso profundo ''a-a-a-
men," and falsetto "bress de Lord, reused
me to present realities and the fact that I'd
got to ride home in the rain, with lazy,
hard trotting horse, over heavy sand road,
and no stuffed turkey to reward free ap-
plication of 'long oats. We did have one
novelty for dinner, and it was great treat
butter. There are so ,few cattle in this
country that ones glad enough to get milk
for coffee-our regular dinners are hoe-cake,
sausage and spare-rib.
SO you feel very "hosgish" by the power
Of association, we've got right smart of hogs
in Western Texas which run wild and fat
ten on 'mast" When a cool day comes
all hands 60 out for hog hunt. Two or
three niggers take the wagon and three or
four yoke of oxen while the rest are on
horseback followed by the dogs. The dogs
run them out and the trusty rifle brings
them down; when load is secured they
hurry home and clean and salt the lot
The brains are served up like scrambled
eggs, the backbone is cut out lengthways,
chopped up in chunks and served up boil
ed, as also the head Gin halvcs.) Sometimes
in catching hogs they arc lassoed, but it is
difficult feat, unless the moose is small
they jump right through it, occasionally
they show fight and make the foot pad: take
to tree, for the big tusks make an ugly
cash.
came across, the other day, a curious
table of the weather in Texas for the last
1875 years. enclose compendium for
what it is worth. This compendium is ar
rived at by examining the sections or rings
Of three post oak trees, cut in isolated posi-
tons allowing dry ye2r for thin ring and
a wet year for thick rng-counting back
and allowing one year to each ring, we COM
mencc at 1925 and find there has been six
years very good, eighteen years average
good, eight years wet, sixty years very wet,
nineteen years dry, twelve years very dry,
and twelve years cxtrmely dry.
Western Texas is rather too near Mexico
for slave property, they ''emigrate" occasion
ally without asking for a"pass' and singu.
lar as it may seem they forget to come back,
probably they get lost After the Rangers
get through with Cortinas they talk of car
rying the war into Africa viz making a
descent upon Santa Rosa, a niger town in
Mexico and bring back runaways enough to
make it a good speculation.
Poor old Osawattomie has so frightened
us here that though he was hung stone dead
more than month since, yet the people
fairly tremble lest something might happen
they know not what. They have magni-
fled Old Browns ,aid into declaration of
war by the whole North, every Northerner
is looked upon with suspicion. IfI could
only look on as an uninteresting observer
it would be fun alive for me to listen to
some Of the harangues have heard from
excited men.
| cannot divest myself of the thought,
what will be the end of this matter if two
sections of the Union shall continue to teach
themselves and their children, that each is
the sworn enemy of the other, and that a
cordial hatred of all born on the other side
Of a certain parallel, is virtue to be cult
waited. know that the great majority of
the North is opposed to aggression and l
think that large majority of the South is
heartily opposed to the strong disunion SER
timents Of the political leaders, but just think
what terrible change there has been in
twenty years. don't like living in Slave
state, any how, want to live in free state
where the inhabitants ale ahead, instead of
being twenty five or fifty years behind the
age in almost every thing.
Just before Christmas bill was intro
duccd into our Legislature to establish
system of"Mexican Peonage,' or to call it
by its right name "aohite slarery," it was
defeated by a vote Of 80 to AZ, only 10 ma
jority against it. This month so far has
been warm and balmy as May, the mosqui-
toes are buzzing around my ears and sue
cession ol warm showers is bringing out the
grass, it is greatly needed for no hay is put
up here for winter, we trust to having the
stock pick up their living. Barns and sta
bles Except for stallions) are unknown
Quails, Robins, Wild Geese Duck and Tur-
keys are plenty here and serve with veni.
son to make an occasional variety for the
table. Adios TIMOTHY.
P.S.-"Mexican Peonage" is a law where
by persons can be held to service for debt
until it is paid. The law is so framed and
carried out that the poor "Peon" is general
ly held for life, the master always keeping
him indebted for supplies.
Jones, wag about town, stepped into
fashionable saloon in the city, the other day,
and called for a glass Of ''real old rye,," OF
which he inbbed goodly quantity Jones
prides himself on being good Judge Of liquor,