Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-06-03
Texns-.-The cattle Herds--CrOps---@O0O
Miles on Horseback.
oS THE HEAD WATERS OF THE BtAsco,


Owing to a severe fit of lazlness, supcrinduced
by the exceedingly hot weather, have failed for
month past to write you. Thanks to strong
constitution aud to the breezcs of this land Of
mountains, have SO far recovered ms to be able
to again "sling ink" with my usual vigor and
crudity of expression. have now been in Texas
little less than three months, and have, thus far'
rode on horseback tritlc over two thousand
miles. Travelling by stage coach is not to be
thought of, except during dry portions OF the
year and then fares arc twelve cents per mile In
specie. Should q traveller decide upon wheeled
conveyance as method Of transport during wet
weather, he would soon regret his decision and
fall back upon horse.
A recent ride to the Guadalupe, below Gonzales,
disclosed the fact that the corn is coming on
finely, being at that time Qhe 5th) waist high.
Cotton is backward The entire country from
the Nueccs TO Red river is alive with cattle on the
move to the Northwestern States and territories.
l know of several men who are driving 5000 to
- 600 head each. From 800 to 200 are driven in
each herd II Is estimated that fully 100000 cat
tie will be sent from the State this year 3,0OO,-
600 is supposed to represent The number of cattle
at present within the limits of Texas. From the
extraordinary number of cattle at present being
sent North it is thought they will bring better
prices in the future, and 1t really does seem us
| though ten dollars were small price for fine
| beef steer, worth In Chicago from $50 to 800.
II is u remarkable fact that cattle are sent from
Texas to Illinois, and there iattencd on corn ut 10
cents per bushel, and then shipped to New Or
| leans, 10 be sold at large profit New Orleans
| is almost mt the threshold Of Texas,and yet more
can be realized by shipping cattle to Illinois and
thence to New Orleans, than BY direct shipments
from Texas por's, and this when corn can be
purchased at from twenty-five to fifty ccnts per
bushel almost anywhere between the Colorado
and the Sabine. There is said to he u monopoly
in New Orleans that keeps Texas cattle low in
price, and in fact almost exclude them from the
market unless they have first gone around by
Missouri and Illinois, Why the Texas people do
not break up this monopoly, which is interested
| In keeping down the price OF buci-cattle until
| they have first passed through their hands, Is
something not 10 be accounted for, save by ai
| acknowledgment that the sTeyans are devoid ol
| concert In action. They all pull different ways
| have system in nothing-havc never comflcled q
respectable public work-in fact, have scarcely
attempted one. 1t is 'cvery MN ior himself
and the devil take the hindlnost." Thihk Of
people SLOWING steamship line TO enjoy mo
| nopoly of their carrying trade with New Orlran:
for eighteen years-a monopoly which has Gu
riched the proprietor OF the line to The amount
of millions. Freight and passage from Texas
as great in cost as for similar distances on th,
Atlantic coast. The people growl and swear, bu
do not put On au opposition line nor Will the,
guarantee support to those who oilcr them one
AS a result of the extremely high ireights ant
passenger tariff, Texas pines for emigration Ii
vain.
To travel by public conveyance IN Texas, for
distance OF one thousand miles, will cost S12O il
gold, aud this does not include subsistence.
am now speaking OF interior travcl-by stage
| La North and in ihn Southern SfltrS
the Mississippi, to travel one thousard miles, vii
cost but $40 in currency. Railroads in Tcxa
charge five cents specie per mile for passage
Time here is nothing. year and day are n
the same, and procrastination steals the Time I'm
blushingly. Progress is slow, and improvement
save in the principal cities, Is not 10 be though
: of. The press and schools of Texas arc infiDlt
in number, but their condition is scarcely worth
of comment. The people, ,howevcr,arc hospltabl
and generous; but they are incornginly tdzy, an
this sums up the cause of non Improvement.
As you will note, by the hending of this letter
| am on the Blanco. This Is a beautiful but yer
mountainous country. The air and water ar
| exceedingly pure and springs of surprising vol
ume are found in almost every ravine. In Hay
county saw one called Jacobs Well. The we
Is thirty feet deep but so clear i. the water Thu
the rocks at the bottom are distinctly visible
The water flows away over rocky bed and thre
, miles below, falls over ledge, forming beaut
full cascade. The stream would turn n mill {
, four run Of stone with ease the year arount
D The streams in the mountains are rolcd Tor the
abundance of fish which are of the most delieai
: flavor and easily caught.
5 Yesterday, while roaming about in the mouu
D tains in company with noted scout, Jack Helm
0 we came across moceasin tracks which denote
Z. the presence of the noble red man and brothe
5 Helm decided the Injuns' had not long bee
long gone, and as we had to ride fifteen mill
t among the mountains, you may rest assured "
| | whrc Son the look" all the way. The SETTLE
I mcnts extend some forty miles to the westward
: but are very sparse and the noble red man CONT
in quite often, and them literally steals his wa
9 out again AS he lays violent and felonious han(
: on every horse he finds, il is evident he lcav'
! In very horsesiyie manner.
/ This is great country for ratllesnakes. A fe
8 nights since | stopped at a rancho on Ono
: Creek, and, going To the corn-crib, after dark,
{ to get some corn for my horse, l stirred up
1 ''snaik" in most alarming manner. had ST
q down on the corn to shuck out a dozen ears, an
Q was reaching out for supply when ski-f-frr wei
c q huge sdypenf, right along side of me. can
b near picking him up, but the minute he made
rattle in the crib made rattle out of It, landir
Q on tho back of huge hog who was waiting [,
= a stray ear of corn near the door. am no Je
p but at that particular moment was doUn on b
0 con- and the next was down on the ground, ai
in an attitude that spoke more for my rapidity
e movement than care in my descent. A light W
s procured but the snake had 'shulilcd of his coil
:, and "vamosed' the rancho. / got the col
c which gave my horse in the car, and accept,
|
O fluid state, myself.
it Speaking OF " snaix' reminds me of a joke
C a true one, by the way. Some years since, at
c revival iu Colorado county, an exceedingly wic
" cd r1an-Judgc W-becumc converted. lie w
N TO hc baptscd, and as tho minister was lcadiI
j. him into the sluggish bayou TO perform the Ger
d mony, W saw, to his intense horror, mo
II casin snake wound around a bush. The minlst
/. was leading him directly towards 1t, and w
d gently exclaimed
}, "Parson, don't you sec that thar snake 2"
d Now the parson was n triilc near-sightcd, Al
h "morc a considerable deaf, and he saw nj
le neither did he hear; go he pulled W alon
m no 8oubt attributing his hesitation in moving,
le q desire Of backsliding.n Again w {
ID claimed, in slightly louder tone
A "Parson, don't you see that thar nloccasia
u Sill the parson chung to his arm and endcayt
70 cd TO pull him along, when fully aroused
j. Judge shouted
We II ssy, parson, don't you SEQ that thar d.
er snake 7"
re W was not baptized, and is still oh
in E.wrong road.
Deer and wild turkeys are very plenti