Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-02-09
Communicated
Notes by the Way.

y
something about Brownsville.
, | WAS surprised to find it so large
, place, 1. e., of so much business and
containing SO many good private res
licences; many of which are surround
ed by beautiful gardens filled with
shrubuery and flowers which are in
bloom even now.
Before and during the war, Browns.
vile was exceedingly prosperous,
being point for the shipment Of
specie to the Northern States of
Mexico, the weekly shipments aver
aging eight hundred thousand dol
lars. Bue;ness is now comparative
" dull, aid people are hoping the
anticipated acquisition Of Mexico will
be the something to bring them bet.
ter days Government has now exs
tensive works, and is improving them,
and also building more. 1t is now
employing some seventy~fve cars
ponte.s, and nearly as many brick
layers. It is also building hospital
which will accommodate q thousand
patients. The Custom House af,
fords employment for large num-
Der, and contributes largely to the In
ternal Revenue The Steamboat
Company also furnishes a source OF
income. So with all these, Browns
vile is quite thriving place.
Gen. McCook, the commander Of
this garrison and Col Reandall have
called upon us. Gen. McCook is
brother of the McCook who was as
sassinated in an ambulance, at the
commencement of the Rebellion
The Gen. was five years among the
! Indians Of Arizona, and established
all the frontier posts on the Rio
Grande. He was associated with the
noued Kit Carson, and it is exceed
ingly interesting to hear aim relate
| their adventures.
! The people are having their Christ
mas Fair continuing three days, Of
which | will tell you in my next and
of the PASTORS" gwen by the Mexi
cans, to which Gen. McCook is TO
take us.
We are having to-day cold "nor-
Their" and the weather is in decided
contrast TO that of several days past,
when it was almost uncomfortable
in the sun. The weather is about
like May, or perhaps June at the
North
January 9th 1869.
In my last gave you some secu>
lar items respecting this city, but
now | am able to contribute some in
formation from different stand
point. This being the "week Of
prayer" services are held every even~
ing, which are quite as well attended
as prayer meetings in more favored
portions of our land. This is in
deed strange place, containing all
grades, from the terribly wicked to
the most devoted christians. Judge
Dye, for several years mayor of the
city, gave this evening an exceeding
~ interesting account of the early
religious history of this place. In his
long experience on this dis ant 'front.'
Ter he has seen many strange occur
rences He is christian, and per-
feet gentleman in his manners, yet
he is fearless in danger, and not
person to be trifed with by cut-
throats or desperadoes. As proof
of the statement, let me refer to an
anecdote of him published not long
since in Harper'S Weekly: Gle was
walking in the street one day, and
his little dog of which he thought
great deal, was following him, when
a noted bully and gambler, who was
behind them, gave the dog kick,
hurting him badly, whereupon the
Judge, who is a nervous impulsive
man, turned round and gave the
bully severe thrashing. A Meth>
odist minister who was here at the
time, and is something of an oddity,
coming along and witnessing the
performance, remarked to the bully
that Judge Dye unrestrained by the
grace of God would whip any man on
this frontier
Another active christian, and prom
inent man in the church, is Mai.
Powell, formerly from Western Vir.
ginia He was in Mobile at the
breaking out of the Rebellion, and
was strong union man, and in try
ing to rescue another union man
from mob, was himself pounced
upon, thrown into prison aud chains
ed to post for eight days, and then
by sacrificing his property, nearly a
hundred and thirty thousand dollars,
be managed to escape and walked all
the way to Cairo, where he reported
to Gen. Logan, who sent him on to
Washington. During the war he
served as a spy. He is now employ
ed as chief of the mounted police in
the Custom House Department.
Your fears with regard to sending
me Northern papers were groundless,
for a person is Just as free to talk
think and act here, as in Wisconsin.
Some Of best men in town are fearless,
out-spoken republicans, and take the
| n. 7. independent and that class of
papers. There are are several re-,
publican papers published in the State;
one in the capitol Mr.. Downey who
has just returned from New York,
inquired of one Of the editors of the
Tribu"e, "Why they.Apnblished such
strange things about Texas" and he
replied, "There is going to be hard
fight and these Texas stories help
wonderfully" There is no more
; danger from living in Texas than in
Wisconsin, unless a person makes
himself unnecessarily offensive still
Isuspect if | should hold forth" as
some Of my friends in Patch Grove
were won't, l might become unpopu-
lar, and in some portions of the
: State be molested. Mr. Downey has
favorite dog who once saved his
} life, who is known all over town as
: ''Old Abe" A Mexican "Greaser'
one dark night, was on the point OF
t stabbing Mr.. Downey, when "Old
t Abe" sprang upon the rascal and
frustrated his designs. Persons