The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-12-05
CHEAP BEEF FROM TEXAS.
The Story of a Cattle specuIator.

terprise Of his race in his head
Joseph G. Mccoy, the junior part.
ner Of the widely-knowD firm of
Mccoy Brothers, went TO Kansas
to see if he could not find a path
wherein tfe Texan and Indian cat
tle could walk in peace to the
East. He passed up the limo ofthc
railroad, prospecting" as they
say out here. He carried a map
OF the United States, whcrcon.
with his finger nail, he had traced
alr-lines from the cattle ranges OF
the Southwest TO the track OF the
Union Pacific. The distances, the
grass, the richness Of the land, the
heigbborhood of timber, the peace
tuIness of the Indian tribes through
which the trails would run, indi
Gated Abilena, q water station on the
road, as the place, where God viii:
ling, he would establish the biggest
mart in America for receiving and
shipping cattle. The point was
we'll selected. 1t was 1G5 miles
west OF Kansas City, on the Mis-
souri,, less than 375 miles from
Northern Texas, IS from the
mouth of the Little Arkansas
set within q rim Of stratifed limo.
stone, in the lovclicst and richest
OF valleys, well wooded and well
watered, with which the Connect.
cut River bottom, or the Mohawk
flats, would not dare to invite com.
parison. The trail to it was
straight and level, crossing the Red
River at Bolen's, and running past
Chrism S Rancho, Fort Arbuckle,
and the mouth Of the Little Ar
kansas, with abundant water all
the way, and superabundant 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.ciyilizcd Indian tribes
contented themselves each with
lame steer or two for meat for the
day, as sufficient pay tor traversing
their lands.
After driving his stake down at
Abilena, 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 be had a stock
and shipping yard built that would
hold sou head OF cattle and load q
train of forty cars in two hours
had q .en.ton Fairbanks scale in
position that would weigh car.
load at time, and had Texas and
all the southwest placarded with
handbills, in which he invited dro.
vers TO come to Abilcna and Offer
cd to pay cash for all tho cattle
they would drive there, and gave
them guarantees of innumerable
banks and railroads that he was
responsible and an honest man,
and of Governors of States, and
well-known politicians, that gen.
tlemon from Texas would not be
molested nor made afraid on ac-
count of their little participation
in the rebellion, either on their ar
rival at their destination or on
their way there. Then guests were
invited from Illinois and Missouri,
as well as kansas-beef packers,
cattle dealers, railroad officials and
their wives and daughters---to see
the first shipment Of becves over
the Union Pacific railway. They
came at the appointed day and saw
a trainfull weighed, loaded and
started to the East, and then, in
great tent, they celebrated the i'm,
portant event with feast.
That was on the 9TH of Septem-
ber. To-day is the oath of Sop
tembcr, and the tont is gone, aud
in its place is a handsome three
story hotel, painted a delicate wood
color, with green Venetian blinds
TO the windows, and hard finished
plaster on the walls, and handsome
Accommodations for eighty guests
at bed and board, and possibility
of feeding at well spread tables
three times that number. Opposite
the hotel is a banking house (the
McCoys are bankers as well as
buyers of cattle on a thousand
hiils), and behind the hotel is a
vast Ivory stable for the horses Of
the drovers, to recruit those kept
for The return trip, and to "get up"
those sold when tho droves are
sold. And near the hotel will soon
60 up a large store, in which eve.
ry thing a Texan man or woman
can neod, from bacon and flour to
revolvers, shawls, and bonnets will
be sold. And here are the drovers,
the identical chaps l first saw at
Fair Oaks and last saw at Gettys.
burg. Every man Of them un.
questionably was in the rebel army:
Some Of them have not yet worn
out all of their distinctive gray
clothing-kecn looking men, lull
Of reserved force, shaggy with hair,
undoubtedly terrible in a fight,
yet poaceably great at cattle,driv-
ing, and not demonstrative in
their style of wearing six shooters
Some OF them are paying slight
nirg prices" for ready y-made cloth
ing TO Two Jews, who have extern
porizcd storo out Of an empty
corn bin, and are selling the goods
they are receiving from $50 to 200
per cent. profit, almost as fast al
they can take them from the box
es, These rebels are getting recon