Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-04-23
LETTER FROM TEXAS.
From our own Corre-poneent.l
------DAII,As- Texas a nril IA 1874

u AAS.
From our own (orrerponeent.
DALLAS, Texas, April lS, 1874.
The varying ph,momenl of winter
in the lap of Spring." have
neluted many 'nOrthers' IT Gently in
Dur weather memoranda, although the
major part WI re gentle, and the luXu-
RANT growth of vegetation has not
been perceptibly started.
The 'northers' of Texas are peculiar
ly interesting to the immigrant both
in character and attendant phenomena.
Generally a steady breeze from the
north vest is termed 'nOrther;' but
there are some peculiar wind and rain
storms to which the term is particular
~ applicable.
Tie blue nurther' is a grand dis
play of natures power, possessing Pc
culiar characteristics. a violent tenn
pest of wind from the northwest, in
tensely charged with the electric fluid,
binding flashes of lightning and the
deep continuous muttering5 of thun-
der, usher in this grand exhibition.
Vast masses of clouds of distorted
shapes and rugged outlines are driven
before the angry blast, until the heav-
ems are overshadowed with a pail OF
midnight ness-shrouding the
earth in gloom. Sometimes these
storms are accompanied with hail, and
the windows of heavens are opened,
and the descending deluge sweeps
along ith terrific force, flooding the
country with water, and destroying
vegetation throughout its course. A
dead calm usually precedes blue
norther;' the temperature ranging from
60o to 75o. In few moments the
temperature drops to 25o or 800 and
almost without warning the tempest is
raging with demoniacal fury. The
people here claim to smell the sulphu-
Gus fumes of the frddilioaai lake in
PlutO's domains, but tile oior of elec-
tricity is mistaken for the foul odOrs'
of that place below. Texas is consid-
cred by some to lie contiguous to the
internal regions, yet the testimony
upon this point is not concurrent or
conclusive. There is a buoyancy of
spirit, sort Of atmospheric intoxica-
tion that invariably follows a blue
norther,' causing the individual to for
get past woes in the pleasurable sensa-
tions of the present. All northers are
considered healthful, and are seldom
destructive to life or property.
Life here is under somewhat differ
ent conditions than elsewhere, and the
tenure of Life in some localities hangs
as by a gossamer thread. In general,
however, Texas affords as sure protec-
tion to life and property as any other
State would under the same conditions,
and surrounded by the same circum-
stances. On the frontier there is more
or less lawleSness and wholesale con-
tempt for law generally; yet an open
handed hospitality and a genuine love
of justice-sometimes privately admin
isterei-are redeeming traits of no
meal order. Desperadoes naturally
seek the frontier; there is an irresisti-
BILE fascination attracting them thither
based upon violated law
but mainlyin the ease with Which
their nefariOus schemes can be carried
into effect.
Horse thieving is here one of the ex-
act sciences. The organization is so
complete, and the connections between
the thief and his confederates so sure,
that the thief is seldom caught, altho'
constantly operating. Every man is
his own detective, and if, perchance,
an Individual is apprehended, whose
ideas on the rights of property are not
clearly defined, more Southern justice
is administered, and the wicked cease
from troubling
The facilities for stock-stealing are
first-class, aud many there are who
travel in this broad highway. Sooner
or later all thieves meet their just des-
erts; but an exchange of leaden COM
pliments is usually preliminary to the
final decision-death, or surrender
and death afterward.
RAILROAD.
1t requires no prophetic skill to fore
see that Texas will be the great field
for railroad enterprise in the near fu-
ture. Already there are about a dozen
lines completed to commercial points,
and many more are being pushed rap
idly forward. The Houston and Texas
Central Railway traverses the State
from southeast to northwest, connect
ing with the Missouri, Kansas and Tex
AS, at DannisOn, near the north State
line, and with the Galveston, Houston
& HENDERSON near the borders of the
Gulf; at Houston connecting with the
Great Northern for Marshal and
via. Texas & Pacific; at
Hearn with the International for the
same points; at Dallas with the Texas
and Pacific for all points east or north;
and at Sherman with the Trans-Contl-
mental, branch of the Texas d Pacl-
fic.
'The great future highway of the ma
tion,' as the projectors of the Texas d
Pacific christen it, is certainly the great
railroad enterprise of the country. Ira
versing country south of the snow
line, it will not be subject to the Oppo-
sing forces that cripple and retard the
operations of the Union Pacific. Its
eastern terminus is at TeXarcana, the
natural gateway to Texas; its western
terminus is at Dallas at present. Tex
arcana is a curious photographed
of one syllable, from three
different States-Tex., from Texas; arc,
from Arkansas; and ana, from Loutsi-
ana. 1t is situated in the southwest
ern part of Arkansas, near the State
lines cf Texas and Louisiana, at the
juncture of the Cairo and Fulton with
the Texas & Pacific. Lawrence is the
'mercurial city of the gods is to be,
like Mercury, springing full-hedged
from the brain of Jupiter; Lawrence
exists as a model city-with its church
steeples pointing heavenward, and its
busy masts of trade, ,flarked by beautiful
upon the placid bosom OF
the Trinity-npon paper. 1t has no
existence in fact; the enterprise Of some
Chicago speculators, who are thirsting
for the fiesh-pots of Egypt have de-
veloped the future great city upon a
barren plain surrounded with one OF
the best sections for starvation within
the knowledge of the oldest inhabi-
tant.'
1t is simply sham to delude poor
immigrants, and good, deserving,
though simple-minded people, who
are already investing some of the hard