Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-11-22
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
TERMs OF ADyERTISING:
CHEAP BEEF FROM Ten AS.
!, The story ola Cattle Specnlator.

i, Last June y young catt!e- dealer, With Scotch
hood in his VEINS and the shrewdness, cour-
are, and enterprise Of his race in his head,
Joseph G.. Mccoy, the junior partner Of the
widely known firm Of Mccoy Brothers, went to
Kansas to see il he could not find a path where
in the Texan and Indian cattle could walk
in peace to the East. He. passed up the line
ofthe railroad, prospecting as they say out
here He carried map Of the United States,
whereon, with his finger-nsil, he had traced air
lines from the cattle ranges of the southwest
track of the Union Pacific The distances, the
grass the richness of the land, the neighbor-
hood of timber, the peacetulness Of the Indian
tribes, through which the trails would run, in
dicated Abilene, a water station on the road,
as the place where, God willing. he would es-
tablish the biggest mart in America for receiv
ing and shipping cattle. The point was we'll
selected. II. was l65 miles west of Kansas
City, on the Missouri, less than 375 miles from
Northern Texas IS from the mouth of the Ar
kansas-set within rim Of stratifed limestone,
in the lovehest and richest of valleys, well
wooded and we'll watered, with which the Con
necticut river bottom or the Mohawk flats
would not dare to invite comparison. The
trail to it was strait and level, crossing the Red
river at Bolen's, and running past Chism' S
Raoch, Fort Arbuckle, and the mouth Of Little
Arkansas, with abundant water all the way, and
'supcrabundant 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 bush
whackers and mustered out rebel soldiers on
the road to exact toll IN coin. The semi-clvll-
lied tribes contented themselves, each, with a
lame steer or two for meat tor the day, as suf-
fc:ent pay for, traversing 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
Der he had stock and shipping yard built
that would hold 800 head of cattle and load a
train OF forty cars in two hours; had ten-ton
Fairbanks scale in position that would weigh
carload at time, and had Texas and all the
Southwest placarded with haudbills, in which
he invited drovers to come to Abilene, and Of
tered to pay cash for all the cattle they would
drive there and gave them guarantees OF in.
Vulnerable bank and railroad Presidents that
he was responsible and an 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 lit
tie participation ln~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-beef-
packers, cattle dealers, railroad officials and
their wives and daughters-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 a great tent, they
celebrated the important event with feast.
That was on the 5th Of September. To-day
is the oath of September, and the tent is gone
and in its place is q handsome three-story hotel,
painted delicate wood color, with green Ven
etian blinds to the windows. and d-fnished
plaster on the walls, and handsome accommo-
dations for eighty guests at bed and board, and
possibility of feeding at Widespread tables three
times that number Oppsite the hotel is a
banking. house(th McCoys are bankers as we'll
as buyers of cattle on thousand hills), and be-
hind the hotel is,a vast liyesg stable for the
horses Of the drovers, to recrHft those kept for
the return trip, and to get up those sold
when the 6roves are sold. And near the ho-
tel will soon go up a large store, in which every
thing a Texan man or woman can need, from
bacon and -four to revolvers, shaWls and bon
nets, will be sold And here are the drovers
'athe identical chaps first saw at Fair Oaks,
aud last saw at Gettysburg. Every man OF
them unquestionably was in the Rebel army.
Some Of them have not yet worn out all OF their
distinctive clothing-keen looking men, full OF
reserved force, shaggy with hair, undoubtedly
terrible in fight. yet peaceably great at cattle:
driving, and not demonstrative in their style OF
wearing six-shooters. Some of them are pay
Ing lightning prices" for ready made clothing
to two Jews, who have extemporized 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
I'D that would not fat here visibly, 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 market roundness and
elossiness. With difficulty credit the state
ment that there are $4,000 head here now,
waiting shipment, Y ct here they are, and
10000 more are known to be on the way, here,
and full $4,000 will have arrived at the close OF
,ne season. Four times as many would nave
Oeen driven here as have been, it the stockmen
ol the Southwest had known that there was !;
safe and sure way out of the lookup, which u
The war first and the oll-demanding ruttlans !,
afterwards established So say the most intel,
ase asent Of the Texan drovarss and they say tna'
$4,000 head Of beeves VII, surely be here En- mex
yeartor sale and shipment Nowmark; ines
animals, ''bceves," can be bought by THOUSANDS
10 Texas, at from So to SO per head 10 60 ID,
of sl2 to $l4 in currency. They can be driver
Abilene at an additional cost of not over tW'
t;olars .;ars a head, in from five to eight,WeeeIk1ss
qIme. They can be shipped from here to st
assa aaoals at $l0O o car load, and to Chicago TO
$l5() a no To,onb MnH Hov tn Ia m thew caI