Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-01-07
Life on the Rio Grande-Capt Jack Hit
son makes a ''Hit''

| AuS uASAlOdu IOUUSrS nave LOT years naTEaSS
ed and murdered the people, and stolen mi
lions of property from the Texans with i'm
punity the .. S. army being too much eggag
ed 'reconstructing" the South to spare an
troops for the protection Of cur defenceles
Southern border, and, at the same time, pro
hibiting our people from protecting themselves
Tor fear Of war With Mexico. From the follow
ing correspondence, however. we are glad t.
learn that Capt. Jack Hittson has solved 'he
problem and viii, if allowed to complete his
work, soon restore things to their old prosper.
Gus footing on our side of the line.
THE CHAMPION OF THE HERDsMEN.
But necessity is the mother OF Invention. -
" hen mamma tells Willie that she will Wlip
bin il he fights the little black boy, he does
not fight him, bat merely stretches out bis 200:
inadvertently when Pompey is passing by, and
thus knocks MIN over TWO chairs and coal
ecuttle. Somewhat in this roundabout way has
an astuta aud eaergetic Texan got round the
Mexican cattle business, and yet his obedience
to cur laws uouted no feather.
John-or as he Is usually called here, Jack
-Hltsson, OF Paio Pinto CO., Texas, is man
OF ftity-iive or sixty years old, of splendid ply
sique and indomitabio will and endurance
He has been in Texas thirteen years, and has
10 that time made several fortunes, ali o.. v hioh
have been broken up successively by Mexican
raiders, He has lost altogether fifty thousand
heads OF cattle twice had his ranch burned, and
carries eight scars Of arrow wounds received
from kl0was, Apachessand Comanohes, not 20
speak 9; similar remem brancas from Aexlosns.
l suppose he got li.tie tired Of fighting it cut
on that line, so Ike a true Yankee, he devised
. p, -
as we'll as his property Tor the future. He
must not levy al army; Oh, no, but he travels
about and obtains two hundred powers of at
torney from aggrieVed sock owners, empower
Ing MIN 20 take their cattle wherever found
Then, as every thousand head OF cattle requires
certain number Cf droVerS and care-takers,
he collects a hundred aud fifty men in this
capacity (eqpal to two ordinary companies of
soldiers, please OBSERVE and arms thea to the
teeth, Is d:overs have 10 he armed in a new
country. This ll.tie band he furnishes with one
hundred and twenty horses, and tents and
eamp-equlpsge OF every kind.
Here ought, perhaps, TO indicate the sys-
tenn by which any owner Is ablo to recognize
his own cattle. Each owner has a brand, which
is generally reversed with braudiDg-iron if he
sells The cattle TO others, SO taat record OF
legitimate sales IS kept en- the animals owo
back, and is inerasabie even If thief re- brands
it.
ENFORCED JUSTICE.
Jack travels with as little delay IS possible
TO the Mexican border, then seatters his spies
ever the DejghboEing country, hears Of thou
sanos OF cattle With the marks be is seeking,
"drcps upon" their present owners, aud de-
mauds restitution. He does not threaten, of
course-he merely shows his force and says:-
~ ou have got my cattle and those Of my
friends l have como after them, and propose
to take them with me-
II return.d to Denver after his first Journey
Of this kiad with 5000 head Of cattle, collected
in week or two. The recovered stock is
worth $3.50 900. Some resistance Tas offered
aud some blood she'd, bnt entirely in self defence
on the part of Httson's men. Ii the Mexicans
appeal to their courts, Hittson employs the
best counsel. He attends the sittings With his
men, and the Judges eyes are opened SO that
he knows good from evil Immediately, aud ey-
cry animal is toFthcoming Sometimes, when
our neg Hercules appears in neighborhood
the stolen cattle are run eff to the mountains
and slaughtered fer their hides.
ht;son is likely TO recover million dolla7s
worth CT properly within the year of which SUM,
let us hope, he receives handsome part f0y his
own. 1t is considered certain here that these
energetic measures will in tia;e put stop to
the plague of Mexican cattle-stealing entirely,
and Texan rancbmen may at last live in peace.
w hat do yoI. mix your coi0rs With? asked
8 tyro Of SirJ Joshua Reynolds.
brains, sir