St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-12-13
Cheap Beef from. Terds.
THE STORY OF CATTLE sPDCUL.1oI


Junior partner of the widely known firm
of Mccoy Brothers, went TO Kansas 10
see if hc could not find path wherein
the Texan and Indian cattle could walk
in peace to the east. He passed up the
the line Of the railroad, prospecting" as
they say out here He carried map OF
the United State, whereon, with his
finger nail, he had traced air lines from
the cattle ranges Of the southwest TO the
track of the Union Pacific. The dis
tances. the grass, the richness of the
land, the neighbOrhOOd of timber, the
peaeefulness of the Indian tribes through
which the trails would run, indicated
Anilene, 4 water station on the road. a.
the place where. God willing. he would
establish the biggest mart in America for
receiving and shipping cattle Th. point
was well selected. 1t was l65 miles
west of Kansas CITY, on the Missouri.
less than 5T5 miles from northern Texas,
seyeniy-five IRON the mouth Of the Ar
kansas-set within = rim of stratifiei
limestone, in the loveliest and richest OF
valleys. well wooded and well watered.
with which the Connecticut river boi-
tom, or the Mohawk fats, would not
dare 10 invite comparison The trail TO
it was straig ght and level, crossing the
Red River Al BOlen's and running past
Chism's Rancho. Fort Arbuckle, and the
mouth of Little Arkansas, with abund-
ant water all the wav. and superabund-
ant blue-stem and bunch grass in the
wide valleys, and bunch and buffalo
grass on the uplands, and sufficient wood
tor camping purposes There were no
organized bushwhackers and mustered
out rebel soldiers on the road TO exact
toll in coin. The semi-civilized Indian
tribes contenied themselves. each. with
lame steer or two for meat for the dav,
As sufficient pay for trassrsing their lands.
Alter driving his stake down al Ali
lene, Mccoy set his house in order al the
cast, and returned 10 Kansas and his ell
ierprise IN the last week OF July. On
the first day of September he had a
stock and shipping ward built that would
hold 500 head of cattle and load a train
OF forty cars in two hours: had ten-tun
Fairbanks scale in position that would
weigh 4 car load al a time and had Tex
A. and all the southwest placar,led with
handbills. in which he invited drovers 10
come TO Abilene, and offered TO paw cash
tor all the cattle they would drive there.
and gave them guarantees Of innumerable
hank and railroad presidents that lac was
a responsible ai.o an honest man. and of
governors vi states and well known pol
iIicians thai gentlemen from Texas would
not be molesied nO- made Siraid ON &C
count OF their little participation IA .Le
rebellion, either on their arrival Al their
destination or on their WAY there Then
guests were invited from Illinois and
Missouri. IS well as Kansas -beef-pack-
erS. cattle dealers, railroad officials and
their wives and daugiters-to see the
first shipment OF boeves over the Union
Pacific railway They came At the ap-
pointed day and saw trainful weighed.
loaded and starred 10 the east. and then.
in great tent, they celebrated the I'M
lpcriant event with roast
That was on the 9TH Of September
To-day Is the 24ih of September. and tht
tent is gone, and IN It's place Is a hand,
some three story hotel, painted a delicate
wood color, with green venetian blinds Il
the windows. and hard finished plaster
on the walls, and handsome accommoda.
lions for eighty guests al bed and board
and possibility of feeding at Well slrreaJ
tables three times that number. Oppo.
site the hotel Is banking house, tih,
McCoy's are hankers as well a. buTers q
cattle on n thousand hills). and behint
the hotel l. a livery stable for the hor-
IS of the droyers, 10 recruit those KEEP,
for the Return trip, and 10 get up ihos,
sold when the droyes are sold AM
near the hotel viii soon 60 up a larr,
store, in which everything Texan maj
or woman can need, from bacon an,
flour 10 reyolyers. shawls and bonnelS
will be sold. And here are the droyers
The identical chaps | first saw Al Fai
Oaks and last saw at Gettysburg Ever
man of them unquesiiOnably was in III
rebel army Some of them have not We
worn out all their distinctive gray cloth
ing-keen looking men, full of reserve,
force, shaggy with hair, undoubtedly ter
rible in fight, Vet peaceably great a
caiile-driving, and not demonsiraiire il
. their style OF wearing SIX shooters. som
of them are paying lightning prices
; for ready made clothing 10 two Jews
who have eNtemporized a store out vi al
empty corn-bin, and are selling the good
they receive from Fort Leavenworih, a
from 100 10 200 per cent profit, almos
as fast as they take them from the boxe,
These rebels are getting reconstructe
fast
Ihe cattle they drove here are grain
all over this magnificent valley under III
care OF herlers- The drovers usual
: herd after arrival from thirty 10 ski
u DAYS TO recruit The animals before selling
e And such pasturage, The steer tbs
q would not tat here visibly, would hay
Il starved 10 death in the garden Of Eder
: But just look at them as they wade
q the grass, and see their Fulton markt
roundness and elossiness. With difficult
. | credit the statement that there are %
900 mead here now, waiting shipmen
Yet here they are, and 10000 more Al
known TO be on the way here, and fu
y 90. 900 viii have arrived ere the close
the season. Four times as many won
have been driven here as have been,
the stock men OF the southwest hs
known that there was q safe way out
the lookup. which the war first, and ii
IN toll demanding rIfians afterwards estsl
d lished. So say the most intelligent
these Texan dro.ers, and they also IS
that POO, 900 head of beeres will sure