The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-11-22

peacefuluess of the Indian tribes through
which the trails would run, indicated
Abilene, water station on the road, as the
place where, God willing, he would establish
the biggest mart in America for receiving
and shipping cattle. The point was well
selected. It was lG5 miles west of Kan
sas City, on the Missouri, less than 3I5
miles from northern Texas, IS from the
mouth Of the Arkansas-set within rim
of stratifed limestone, in the loveliest and
richest of valleys, we'll wooded and we'll
watercd, with which the Connecticut river
bottom or the Mohawk fats would not dare
to invite comparison. The trail to 1t was
straight and level, crossing the Red river
at Bolen's, and running past Chism's
Ranch, Fort Arbuckle, and the mouth of
the Little Arkansas, with abundant water
all the way, and superintendent blue-stem
and bunch grass in the wide valleys, and
bunch and buffalo grass on the uplands,
and sufficient wood for camping purposes.
There were no organized bushwhackers
and mustered-out rebel soldiers on the
road to exact toll in coin. The semi-civl-
lized Indian tribes contented themselves,
each, with lame steer or two for meat
for the day, as sufficient pay for traversiDg
their lands.
After driving down his stake at Abilene,
Mccoy set his house in order at the East,
and returned to Kansas and his enterprise
in the last week Of July. On the first day
of September he had stock and shipping
yard built that would hold 500 head Of
cattle and load train of forty cars in two
hours; had ten-ton Fairbanks's scale
in position that would weigh carload at
time; and had Texas and all the South
west placarded with handbills, in which
he invited drovers to come to Abilene,
and offered to pay cash for all the cattle
they would drive there, and gave them
guarantees of innumeraDle bank and rail
! road presidents that ne was responsible
| and honest man, and of Governors Of
States and well-known politicians that
gentlemen from Texas would not be mo-
| Tested nor made afraid on account Of their
little participation in the rebellion, either
on their arrival at their destination or on
their way there. Then guests were invited
! from Illinois and Missouri as we'll as
Kansas-becfpacke cattle-dealers, rail-
road officials, and their wives and daugh-
| ters-to see the first shipment of beeves
over the Union Pacific railway. They
came at the appointed day, and saw
trainful weighed, loaded, and started to
the East and then, in great tent, they
| celebrated the important event with a
, feast.
That was on the 5th Of September. To-
day is the 24th of September, and the tent
is gone, and in its place is handsome
three story hotel, painted delicate wood
color, with green venetian blinds to the
windows, hard finished plaster on the walls,
and handsome accommodations for eighty
guests at bed and board, and possibility of
feeding at Widespread tables three times
that number. Opposite the hotel is a
clearinghouse the McCoys are bankers
as well as buyers Of cattle On thousand
hills), and behind the hotel is a vast livery
stable for the horses of the drovers, to re-
| cruit those kept for the return trip, and to
"get up" those sold when the droves are
: sold. And near the hotel will soon go UP
large store, in which everything Texan
man or woman can need, from bacon and
-four to revolvers, shawls, and bonliers, will
be sold. And here are the droverS, the
identical chaps first saw at Fair Oaks,
and last saw at Gettysburg.
Every man Of them unquestionably was
in the, rebel army. Some Of them have
not vet worn out all Of their distinctive
gray clothiDg-keen-looking men, full of
reserved force, shaggy with hair, undoubt-
cdly terrible in fight, yet peaceably great
at cattle-drring, and not demonstrative in
their style Of wearing siX-shOoters. Some
of them are paying "ightning prices" for
rcady-made clothing to two Jews, who
have extemporiZcd a store out of an empty
corn bin, and are selling the goods they
receive from Fort Leavenworth at from
$50 to 200 per cent. profit almost as fast as
they take them from the boxes. These
rebels are getting reconstructed fast.
The cattle they drove here are grazing
all over this magnificent valley under the
care of herders. The droverS usually herd,
after arrival, from thirty to sixty days, to
recruit the animals before selling. And
such pasturage The steer that would
not fat here vsibly would have starved to
death in the garden of Eden. But Just
look at them as they wade in the grass, and
see their Fulton-markct roundncss and
glossiness. With difficulty | credit the
statement that there are $4,000 head here
uON3 "olliD6 ohlBlAOhls w hIIS ihSy
are, and 10000 more are known to be on
the way here, and full 1000 will have ar
rived by the close of the season. Four
times as many would have been driven
here as have been if the stockmen of the
Southwest had known that there was a
safe and sure way ont Of the lookup,
which the war first and the tol-demand-
ing rutlans afterwards established. So
say the most intelligent Of the Texan
drovers, and they say that 100000 head Of
beeves will surely be here next year for
sale and shipment. Now mark. These
animals, " beeves," can be bought by thou
sands in Texas at from SIS to $40 per head
in gold, or $l2 to $l4 in currency. They
can be driven to Abilene at an additional
cost of not over two dollars head in from
five to eight weeks time. They can be
shipped from here to St. Louis at 500
carload, and to Chicago for $3.50 a car.
Joseph Mccoy tells me they can be af-
forded in Chicago at four cents. gross,
with satisfactory margin to drovers, ship
pers, or railroads. Surely the butchers of
more than one city or State have got to
come down, and surely there was grateful
reason in the toast to the Kansas Pacific
railway as the cheapener of beef to the
people Of the United States.