The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-07-04
THE TEXAS FEVER.
Written by One Who Had it Bad.
DIXON, KY, April, 1873.

as fever" from whose Intoxicating eff
fects, I am happy to say, 1 have fully
recovered.
1 contracted the disease at this place,
about ten weeks ago, from railroad
newspaper puffs, letters, etc, from ''the
land of cotton and wine" I felt that ]
was urgently solicited, and WIS com
PEELED to go. So with Messrs. J. & B.,
of this county, on the 18th of February
last, 1 started, bidding as I supposed a
long farewell to Kentucky, resolved
to be pleased, and never return until I
should have accumulated amply sufi-
cient of the worlds goods to make me
Independent and comfortable in my old
days, which / have always intended to
spend in my native State.
Before leaving Kentucky, we were in
formed that we could purchase through
tickets without change of cars from st.
Louis to Denison, for fifteen dollars,
cash. We paid forty dollars and eighty
cents each. Taking the 10 P. M. train,
on the Missouri Pacific railroad, we ar
rived at Sedalia next morning Changed
cars for the NJ, K. & T. railroad We
passed through Kansas and the nation
of Cherokee, Creek and Chickasaw In
dians. They occupy, in our opinion,
the finest natural section of country in
the United States. We saw but few of
them, however, but plenty of deer, tur-
keys, and prairie chickens. Sporting
apparently so gently and carefully on
those vast and beautiful prairies, one
would think them unmolested save by
the whistle, rush and snort of the iron
horse.
Thirty-six hours ride from st. Louis
| brought us to Red river and Denison
the great commercial and railroad CEN
ter and metropolis of North Texas, the
infant wonder of the world ! Three
| hours is longer than I will ever stay
there again. It is a modern London. A
mushroom village, five months old, and
in five years will be forgotten. The
soil on which it stands, and for four or
| six miles around, is too poor to sprout
Indian physic or blackeyed peas. Walk
ing about the place saw posted in large
! type, "Keno at between the hours of
= and" Other games are also ad-
vertised with impunity. Board 50 per
day, $21 per week. When I left Ken
| lucky, / expected to locate at this point.
But I changed my notion, took the
stage for Sherman, ten miles south
west. This is a fourishing little city
with a population of about five thou
sand, one-half of which has been added
| during the past twelve months. The
| H., 7. & @. road crosses the Trans.
| Central road at this point. The former
is now completed, and the cars are run
| ming to Denison. The track is being
| laid on the latter. This is truly the
railrord center and metropolis of north
ern Texas, and will, ere many years, be
the metropolis of the State.
Il. Il. Il L
rich, fertile, and adapted to the rank
growth of cotton, all kinds of grain and |
vegetables. It is a mistaken idea we
have heard, that wheat and potatoes |
would not grow there. The old settlers, |
it seems have thought so, but new ones
are raising both with good success. No
tobacco raiseds-. Land within circle of |
six or seven miles from Sherman, sells |
for from twenty to one hundred dollars |
per acre. Farther west it sells for from |
one to two and one-half dollars per acre. |
During the six weeks I staid in Sher- |
man there was a daily arrival there of |
one hundred and fifty or more emi-
grants. HOtel-keepers, physicians and |
druggists and state and county officials |
make the money. First-class boarding |
and lodging is $21 per week =; office rent
$50 per month, some pay $50. There |
are about twelve physicians there, and |
they realize from their practice an aver
age each of from seven to ten thousand |
dollars per year.
The druggist say there is more qui- |
nine consumed in that state than in |
any four others in the Union Men die |
there for the want of medical attention. |
The doctors are so busy that they are
compelled to neglect some of their pa |
tients. Men are there from all quar-
ters of the Unit, d States, for the sole |
purpose of making money, strangers to
each other, and care not to be acquain- |
ted these constitute by far the greater |
portion of the population. Sherman
supports two weekly newspapers, the |
Courier, which is democratic, and re-
publican sheet, the name of which l |
have forgotten. One fine M. E. church, |
two good schools, about fifty bar
rooms, as many gambling hells, and at
least $50 professional gamblers. The
good people of the town are making an
effort to improve the morals of the |
place by rigid enforcement of laws, |
and preaching. It is to be hoped that
they will succeed. Night assaults and
robberies are of frequent occurrence. |
Street-walkers are numerous, and, !
in order to protect ladies from insult |
on their way to and from church, church |
sociables, etc, the city has passed an |
ordinance directing the police to arrest |
any female they may find on the street
without an escort after dark, and take |
her to prison until morning.
Malarial pOisOns, arising from the de- |
| cay of rank vegetation and the sudden |
transitions in the weather, make it very |
unhealthy. Cerebro-spinal menengitis
has been raging there as an epidemic
for several weeks past, with 80 per |
cent. fatality.
Hundreds of men who have sold their
happy homes in Kentucky Mississippi, |
Georgia, Florida, and other states, and |
gone to Texas, are out of money, desti-
tute of friends, and are trying with their |
families to get back. Some start afoot,
slip on the trains at the water tanks
and wood-yards, and ride until discov-
cred and put off by the conductors.
There are avenues to money open to
spectators with money, but none to
poor men, unless they are farmers and |
want to grow up with the country, or a
physician. In the latter case 1 advise
them to stop in Sherman. In the form
er, / say "youn9 man, go west" and
within few years, unless you should
unfortunately enjoy the high pleasure
of losing your scalp, you will reap your
reward, for Texas land will be in time
valuable AS for me, am cured of the
Texas fever, and don't want to help
build up any wild country, but am con-
tent to try and grow up in Kentucky,
and let those who are fond of frontier
life, go west, civilize and build it up,
and when q all is quiet on the Poto-
mac" and healthy, if they will extend
me cordial invitation, I Will pay them
a visit and drink their wine NJ. r. H.
Louisville Ledger.
-'.Arrah, Pat, and why did I marry
ye? Jist tell me that; for it's meself
that's had to maintain ye iver since the
blessed day that Father O'Flanigan sint
me hum to yer house." ''Swate jewel,
replied Pat, not relishing the charge,
"an' it's meself that hopes I may live to
see the day you're a widow waping over
the cowld sod that kivers me-thin, by
st. Patrick, I'll see how you get along
without me- honey