Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-12-03
ouR TEXAS CORRESPONDENCE.
TARRANr Co., Texas,
q, Nov. 10th, 1874.

Dear Herald, ia.
For some time.I have
intended to write to yon.., So here goes.
We are having fine rain to-day. the
second since the 1st fMay, but,i rains
all over, when it does rain-the wet sea.
son on Crusoe's Island is nothing. The
farmers have finished seeding a much
larger crop than was ever sown in Tex
as. 1t is the only paying crop, as it is
secured before the drouth begins or the
grasshoppers make their appearance.
Speaking OF grasshoppers, never saw
such sight From August to October
they came in swarms and fairly darken>
ed the sun. When they would alight
it looked like snow storm. Nothing
but wire fences and mule shoes escaped
their rayages. l have seen . swarm de-
stroy the foliage and years production of
a peach tree, and kill the tree in,. q few
minutes, If Johnnie Irwin wants to
see large grassboppers, let him CONG to
Texas, but he need not make chicken
pie, for they will eat the hat off of his
head :..,
There is not third of a crop of any,
thing except babies, but in that respect,
it can beat Woodstock: A great many
immigrants are coming in and going out,
principally from Tennessee and Arksn-
sas. They are induced to come here by
the glorious falsehopds Of the different
county papers which can out lie the at
well John McMann and Fry are
nowhere Listen to what they say !:
Hill County Record says so sing.to our
splendid crops this year, beautiful seen
cry, rich soil, the salubrity of onr eli
mate, splendid water, &c, emigrants are
focking ill.,. They flock out much fas-
ter as they realize tEeir disappointment,
for water and wood has to be hauled
from one to eight miles. The soil is
rich but not as productive as that of
Virginia, and when its wet it sticks
worse than ;: spalding's glue. If you
walk out you will have sticking plas-
ter of about twenty four pounds ofmud
on each foot, which makes dirty, black
stsin upon the floor but fortunately
most of them Have no floors, only few
loose planks, rails or something Of thu,
kind ,... <,
The Fort Worth "Dem ocrat" speaks
e1lravagartly of the city of nights, Tar
liant county, its pretty ladies, scenery,
soil, &c. know something about this
county and its famous ci'y-a town Of
about 1890 inhabitants and with few
exceptions. the houses are not as good as
Buzzard Roost. The dust strangles one
in summer and the mud is knee deep in
winter Bar rooms, billiard saloons,
stores, restaurants, gambling bells and
sinks Of iniqnity are all open on Sunday.
Would any gentleman like to live where
his wife and daughters have to pass such
places on their way to church AS for
their pretty ladies, III stake the Misses
s., c., w. and H. against the whole
county. l have seen but one pretty ma
tive girl, and she was married There
are a few pretty girls in the city, but
they are from the old states. Talk about
only forty days Of cold weather. Ian
ded in Texas on the 5th Of March and
We had to keep a fire until the middle
Of April and had ice and frost which
killed the corn and vegetables on the
18th and 18th Of the latter month. 1t
is an overcoat one day and parasol the
next Money is very scarce, you must
take hen and chickens or bull calf
for anything you do 1t is as bad as
the huckleberry system of Shenandoah.
Beef is very hard and tough at this sea-
son of the year. l noticed that all the
ladies wore tremendous pads or water
falls The reason was explained by
Tennessee lady who says the houses are
small and the families so large that ta'
bles are generally sci in one corner Of
the house, and the beef is So tough that
they take both hands 10 it and when
they succeed in tearing off a piece their
heads strike the walls so hard that these
pads are absolutely necessary as life
preservers am not willing to vouch
for the correctness of the explanation,
but as for the rest can establish the
facts whereof speak.
I've seen several prairie fires, but
none like the one we had on the 18th
of August last, caused by lightning. 1t
struck about quarter of mile from
the house, and before three Of lis could
get to it on swift horses it had gone
one-half mile the whole pleighbor,
hood had turned out. We fought it
from noon until 9 =. Nj. with coats.
saddle blankets &c as there was no
brush. We managed to save the house,
stable &c, but it swept the fences. Il
never worked as hard in my life, got
my moustache singed, Eddie got his
eyes singed. II was grand but at the
the same tine awful sight to see the
flames shoot Up the tall grass, hay
stacks DC, to hear the men shouting,