The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-10

ATTACK UPON PARTY OF DEsPBRADoEs-
INSECURITY OF LIFE AND PRoPERrY-A sUsPI-
CIoUs yIsIToR-vIsIT TO GERMAN FARMER
AGRICULTURE OF TExAs-soNErHING OF SAN
ANTONIO AND ITS cuRIosITIEs.
Special Correspondence of the New Orleans orescentl
In CAMP, rs MILES ABOVE YORKTOWN. l
t,erss na,9 Wednesday, Oct IS, 1865.
Left our camp at yorktown this morning at
halfpsst 5, and stopped again for the night about
balf-past p. N. The country through which we
have travelled to day was about equally composed
of open prairie, rolling lands and q fat country,
supporting tolerably thick growth of scrub
oaks. Upon some distant green hills these oaks
again sprang into limitations of apple orchards,
suggesting the vainy looked-for mansion and
cluster Of farm buildings found where orchards
most abound. Few habitstions of men, or
inclosed fields, met our view, and very few wagons
were seen upon the road. The few scattered
houses were roughly constructed. and most of
them consisted of two small buildings united by
common roof, leaving shelter open at the sides
between them. About these houses were now
and then q hrsuit. forlorn looking man or two and
few tow headed children with their mothers. At
one lonely point on the road was heater looking
house than is ordinarily seen hereabout. with
large sign which read Boarding" There are,
probably not hall. dozen houses within ten miles
Of the place. A few rods this side the "boarding"
house we came to picturesque well, where We
filed our water-cask and canteens with clear
water. On the opposite side Of the road was
house known az the headquarters of Q gang of
desperadoes, headed by Buck Taylor. One satur-
nine looking man appeared to be in solitary pos
session. A saddled horse stood at the gate. Not
knowing at the moment the character OF the
place, your correspondent entered into CONVEX
sation with the proprietor, and asked him if Buck
Taylor'e party was still upon the rampage {; in
formed him that we had heard bad reports at
Yorktown concerning the safety of the route, etc.
=" Buck Taylor's party-hell!" was th, reply.
Buck Taylor will trouble nobody who don't
trouble him. A party Of soldiers came down here
aboutten days ago, surrounded q house on a rancho
about ten miles from here, and thinking it occu-
pied by some of Taylor's men, fred into It and
killed two men In bed. Some resistance was Of
fered by others of the party and the soldiers re.
treated, leaving horse behind them" We told
him that the Yorktown version Of the affair was
that two soldiers were killed. Those Dutch in
Yorktown he returned, shave q great many
cock and bulsstories."
q Al year ago Msjor Thompson, Of the 4th
cavalry was killed near Fort Mason by soma
members of the party In question, and the late
affair occurred in an attempt to arrest the perpe.
The supposed insecurity of life in this region is
illustrated by the fact that the men employed in
the mills and workshops at Yorktown work with
their revolvers and knives bucked to their sides.
Within two or three weeks two robberies and
one murder are reported to have taken place on
the road. within few miles of our present stop
ping place. In view Of these reports we shall
double eur guard tonight, and keep our powder
dry.
The sportsman of the party this morning bagged
six fine quail at one shot and a duck.
In CAMP, TWENTY MILES BELOW SAN ANTONIO,
October 20, 1868. (
Early last evening our camp Of yesterday was
visited by well mounted man with blanket and
overcoat strapped 10 his saddle. He represented
tb at he was.in rearch of horse and called to in.
quire if We had seen q white one hob 5led.
Being informed that we had seen no such animal,
he soon departed. As we were upon the imme-
date stamping ground Of the Taylor party, we
entertained little doubt that our visitor was on
reconnaissance in the interests OF those heroes.
Our suspicious were strengthened by the refiec.
ton that man out in search of hobbled horse
was not likely to be provided with blanket,
oyereoat and other conveniences for making
night of it.
Before retiring for the night, and while discuss.
ing the temptations for al attack presented by
the contents Of the iron safe of an army paymss-
ter, and the probabilities and probable circum-
stances of that cheerful event, some facts about
the Taylor gang, new to me, were ELECTED. Buck
Taylor was the father of five sons, (chips of the
old block,) until few months ago, when one of
them was caught and summarily disposed Of.
Their friends and followers are said to consist OF
about fifty kindred desperadoes, scattered over
the State. Buck, who occasionally comes into
the village. is well known, and EFFORTS q certain
kind Of respect for his determined qualities. No
body cares to excite the resentment of himself or
party by interfering with him. He ia said to be
rather chivalrous freebooter, and will not kill
man unless it be absolutely necessary to the sue
Of his robbng and horse stealing enterprises.
Many outrages are unjustly attributed to him.
The man with whom we yesterday conversed
about Buck proves to be one Kelley, connected
by marriage with the Taylor family.
II the suspicious visitor to our camp last even
ing was a spy, he evidently satisfied himself that
we were in inconveniently strong force, as we
were not disturbed. We passed over sketch of
sandy country to-day, but saw a few respectable
farms and some indications Of thrift. Ten miles
back is Sulphur Springs village, little hamlet
among the oaks on pleasant hill Several of the
houses along the road are constructed OF stone.
are all the chimnies. A few miles back we passed
a large stone school house. Wagons and saddles
at the door indicated that the pupils within had
been gathered from long distances.
This evening we strolled few rods from our
camp and called at the house of a sturdy German
farmer named Hermann Bower. We found him
surrounded by all those signs of thrift char scter
istic OF the Teutonic character. He opened his
gate and invited US into his garden. The grass
hoppers had made sad work with his vegetables
and lettuce, but the hedges and the front yard
connecting with the garden by a gate were
blooming with autumn flowers. A piazza in front
OF the house was covered with vines which run
over and embowered she'd at one end, beneath
which the tidy women folks of the house were
busy with the work of dairy, etc. We were
invited to seats on the piazza, and treated to
home made wine Of the mustang grape. We
found it so toothsome that we purchased some
and supplied our oanteens herewith. Our Ger
man friend has farm Of 400 acres, with 20 in
cultivation. His position upon the great line of
transportation between the coast and the military
posts affords him good market for corn. His
garden truck is disposed Of 10 San Antonio, 20
miles distant. he has lived in Texas twenty five
years; was Texas ranger, and fought in the
Mexican war. During the late civil war being
opposed to separation, he crossed the frontier
and remained in Mexico until its close. The civil
conmotion cost him $4,000. He Is in raptures
with the agricultural resources of Texas, and
fairly glowed with enthusiasm in speaking Of its
pork and corn. He said that within q radius Of
ten miles from bis house zoo, 600 bushels of corn
had been raised this season.
San ANTONIO, Oct. 30, 1865.
Arrived here to-day about ii A. NJ. Approach.
ing from Indianoa the first view of the town is not
obtained until You find yourself almost within.
The view, however, Is striking and picturesque.
II seems Q pretty and thriving city, set like q
jewel In boundless wilderness Of oaks and chap.
psrels. As We enter the town We find most Of
the houses and stores to be but one story In
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