The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-06-12

DALLAS, FORT WORTH AND SAN AN
TONIO-HE DESCRIBES A NOR
Their AND ADVISES THE BOYS
OF MISSISSIPPI TO
STAY AT HOME
SAN ANTONIO, Texas

DAN lEAAos{
May IA, 1874. :
Editor Vicksburg Herald;
left Mississippi about a month ago.
hoping to better my fortunes, Like
many others before me, | had formed
exaggerated ideas Of the success that
was awaiting me here, which / regret to
say were 0 0 .dispelled. | trust that
my experience may not be lost on others
who are casting longing looks towards
this, so-called, land of promise. Leav-.
ing New Orleans by rail to Brashear
City, the good steamer Josephine sOOn
bore me to Galveston, where | remained
q few hours only. | was struck with
but one thing here that seemed peculiar,
and that was the constant and persis-
tent Instructions, on the sidewalks, or
rather where the sidewalks should be.
My next point was Dallas, and on the
route | passed through q great many
insignificant little places, but saw moth
ing of interest. Dallas is Il town Of
mushroom growth, and is claimed. to be
the second i'll population in Texas. 1t
is now the western terminus OF the Tex
as Pacific railroad. There is a large
business done in Dallas, but a stranger
is not greatly impressed with it ut first
sight, for the reason that it is conducted
in % manner so different from what one
sees in the Eastern States. Stock men
and planters come i'll with long wagon
trains, and one man Will buy for a whole
neighbOrhood, load up his train and re-
turn with less noise than one of your
Mississippi darkies would make in sell
ing one bale of cotton. Ballast is crowd
ed with gamblers, thieves, p~ickpOckets,
roughs and Adventures of every des-
Ecription. T~hree-fourths of the popula-
ton are transient people-some mere
fortune seeking adventures, some are
in search OF employment, while others
are engaged in speculations III land,
stock, etc.
Fort Worth, a short distance from
Dallas, a place | heard a great dealabout
before / left home, is a town of no note
just now !; it was th0ughtat one time that
it would be the resting point of the Tex
as Pacific Railroad, consequently specu-
lators and fOrtune-seekers foated to it,
commenced building AID opening out
in anticipation, but the road made a
halt at Dallas to the disappointment of
said adventures, and now those men
who were in such a hurry to go out
there are moving back to Dallas. The
prevailing opinion now, is, that the road
will never pass tllrO' Fort Worth at all.
One week in Dallas satisfied me that
could do nothing there, for / found
too many in my OWn condition. | con-
| cluded I would try San Antonio, and so
[ retIaced my steps and arrived in this
place about the goth of April. This is
the Oldest town in the State, laid out in
fthe old European style, that is il it was
laid out at all, which / doubt. 1t looks
as if it was dropped down here promis-
cuously by some extraordinary freak of
nature, and has no order i'll the arrange
ment of its streets. Every style of arch
i~tecture seems to have been brought in
to requisition in the construction of the
buildings. Stone being plentiful and
lumber scarce, they built with stone and
mortar. The town is well watered by
the San Antonio river, which winds
back and forth through the city SC often
tfatlt would not be Inappropriate to
i call it the Venice of America. 1ats-
Flowers of every description and hue,
and of every degree of fragrance are to
be found here in abundance.
The population is composed of Ger
mans, Mexicans, Polanders, Maylays,
Americans, French, and few negroes.
The German element predoininates. 81
A more hospitable, generous, whole
souled people, / have never before met
with. | have been here only a short
time, Yeti feel as ii / had passed half of
my days here. / feel that every man [
meet istmy own particular friend. Af-
ter remaining & week in San Antonio I
purchased q horse, and saddle and start
ed west, hunting for employment and
explored the country lying between this
point and the Rio Grande. Twas badly
/ disappointed. Il expected to find, from
what had heard q fat, level prairie,
covered with nothing but grass, but I
found the whole country for 1876 miles,
covered with nothing but serubby mus
qitit bushes, interspersed with a few
dwarf live oak the eoHntryIhroken and
hlllF, OF mountainous, lis they call it
here. / found it impossible to get en-
ployment of any kind, the people are
OveTst0cked with hands who are old and
experienced, and they wouldn't giveyou
work for your board even. Young men
of the East, stay where you are, never.
come to Texas unless you want to starve!
1 speak from experience dearly bought.
PDorsmen like myself, without money,
and without friends, would be better off
in Purgatory than in tllislG od-forAsaken
country. Take my word for it, andstay
where you are! aA 3t i s HaIr
The people, that is. the Western men.
stock ~raisers, are rough, ~uncoubEl, UNI
polished, yet some of them are generous
land hospitable. They did not Charge
me but fifty cents per meal. The coun-
try is sparselg inhabited; sometimes I
would travel whole days without find
ing Il rancho Or meeting a single person.
And when / did ride up TO a rancho, the
owner would grufly feline to dismount
and stake my pony out and let him
craze. When supper was ready would
be invited to q seat; the food was in
Fapiably corn bread and beans the bread
looked as lit cinders had been sifted
through ft,it was so dark, and the beef
in chunks, cut out about three inches
square, and cooked until it was black as
tar Coffee they use without sugar or
milk. They have plenty of cows, but
are too lazy to milk them. After supper.
I was shown to- a hay stack in lieu OF q
couch, as the houses were too full of
fofis Tor any auIflan to pep0sef IN them
comfortably Such is a5Grue description
of the reception ] met with in more than
a dozen ranches / visited. Generally /
slept on the ground, without any COW
ering but the conopy OF Heaven. I saw
] plenty OF game, such as deer, turkaY,
! iaek-gabbits, etc but they were too
Wild For me to ges IN shooting distance
OF them. Ilnet with no Indians. nor did
I hear of any thisside of the Rio Grande.
Gem Mckenzie has protected the bor-
ders so well this spring that the Indians
have not dared torenfiire this side OF
the Rio Grandes
i had only One companion with me,
and I felt perfectly safe. I would not
be afraid 10 travel alone without arms,
and sleep on the ground anywhere with
in Gnr44v n4iIes of tho Rio ltpanda