, 1872-12-20


to speak it. Rio Grande City, or Ringgold
Barracks. is 60 miles further up stream, has $50
population, composed OF few Yankees who
have married Mexican women owning large land
claims, and few Jews and Me1icans. Opposite
this town, but five miles back from the river, is
the Mexican city OF Camargo. The road through
this country passea alternately through forests OF
:stunted mesquit, thickets Of prick1y chaparal,
and1ong stretches Of plate cactus, which grows 70
feet high. For the entire distance from Browns
vile to Roma, 1865 miles, he met but one Ameri-
can family, and these Were mulattoes from North
Carolina. Ali others we're the descendants OF the
old Me1icans. The people live in condition OF
filth and poverty. Their houses are the mud-plas-
tered jackets. Their agricultural implements,
food, and dress are thus described:
Their plows forked tree, with Of the prongs
cut Short and pointed with piece Of iron, the other
prong serving beam or tongue this Is drawn by
oxen who are yoked together By laying straight stick
the heads Of the animals directly behind the horus
and lashng 1t to them with rawhide thongs. In this
way all the oxen In that country compelled to do
service, the common Yankee OF yoke being unknown.
Their means OF transportation are carts drawn by
from hix to twelve oxen yoked as We have described
the wheels Of these have ponderous hubs huge spokes
and feloes four five inches thick, usually wound
firmly with green raw-hide, which appears to answer
the purpose quite as well as iron tires.
The diet Of these people IL cheap and frugal; beef
they have plenty Of this is preserved by saugbterng
the animal and cutting the deshy parts into long, thin
atrips strings; these 1ooped poles and hung
in the open air. where, in the hot weather, It
dries. It ia thing for meat In this climate to b.
hafrr Ia {ad 4a{ In
use these strips cut into pieces and boiled some-
tdmes with beans, but generally alone.
The climate being very warm, but little clothing il
required. The home dress Of the ranchero is amp1e
We engaged about their huts at work. dressed
in costume follows: Sandals to protect their
feet; panta Of msterial strapped
about their whist; naked from the waist up, and
the head protected by huge sombrero with brtua
twelve to fourteen inchea wide. The women were
dressed in but little better taste barefooted chsmise
Of cotton cloth butoned about the throat and
skirt Of gay high-colored calico fastened about the
wais constitute their apparel 1t not unusual to
see children Of both sexes, from to 10 years Of age
running about nude.
If away from home OF travelling on journeyB, the
men wear boota or shoes, with large spurs attached
shirta OF fantastic and gaudy colors, and coats Of
coarse cloth, and the wind about their heads
and chests long shawls which conceal tho shoulders
chest head, and face with the exception Of the fore
head and eyes.
These are the American citizens who have, ac-
cording to the Commissioners, been robbed Of
twenty-seven aad half millions Of dollars by
the Me1icans.
Mr. Enoch continued his journey to Carizo,
200 miles by land from the mouth OF the river,
and he says: 'We do not find single spring,
rivu1at craak or untar.couroa of any hind arnn.
tying into the Rio Grande for the whole dis
tance the country was dry, arid and unproductive,
and Ia acking that very necessary element to suc-
cessful stock-raising, water"
The water used by tho inhabitants Was carted
in barrels from the river into the interior. He
then extinguishes the whole theory Of the Com
missioners' report by stating that, on the urea
between the Rio Grande and the Nueces Rivers,
whence these cattle are said to have been stolen,
there are no herds OF cattle. On this point Mr.
Enoch states:
This dry, uuwatered country extends from the Rio
Grande eastward until you strike the waters Of the
Nuecee River, q distance OF rs miles to 125
miles, where the great stock regions Of Texas are first
found In passing eas These people raise few sheep,
goats cattle, horses, and mu1es but failed to find
hero the immense herds that one usually associates
with Te1as stock ranches.
He estimates that if Ill the property in the
five counties including the City Of Brownsville
and all the other cities and townB we're taken, it
would not equal in value the sum reported by
the Commissioners as due to small number OF
the claimants, and he thinks the report looks
like t'studied effort to humbug and deceive
the pab1ic." We should think 80.