Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1875-12-11
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM
TEXAS,


TEXAS.
The Eden OF tho SOuth-Nature Law.
ishiug Her wealth ON the Sons
of the Soil-venis0n and
Turkey.
We clip the following from the Car
rollton Journal. The writer and several
persons whom he mentions are well
known to the people of Lafayette:
In our letter from Rock Greek, Chero-
kee Nation, we promised to give you an
account of the remainder Of our trip to
the Eidorado of the South we now full
fill our promise and write to you from
our winter home in Texas.
The distance from Rock Greek to the
Arkansas river is about sixty miles; the
roads are excellent, and the country be-
tween the streams is almost an unbroken
prairie, with now and then a farm, as
they term it here, but in old Missouri it
would only be called little s'patch of
land" Five acres make very respect
able farm in this country. These little
patches produce wonderfully; corn,
luxuriantly; as general thing they are
owned and cultivated by white men. who
have married Indian squaws, and have
located here to trade with emigrants.
At Rock Greek we had the pleasure
of meeting two jolly good citizens of
Lafayette-C. b. kowntree and Jim
Waterhouse; they were returning to
Missouri. Rowntree expresses himself
as highly pleased with Texas, and will
return next spring and commence stock
raising. At Baxter Springs we were
joined by two pleasant families, who
were also vending their way southwark,
Mr.. Irwin and family, from Jasper
county, Mo-, and Robert Jarboe and
family, from Kansas; they were very
clever, sociable people, and proved very
pleasant companions. Irwin is a good
shot and had with him a welltrained
pointer, so together we had some fine
sport, shooting small game. As we ap-
preached within i've or six miles OF
Verdigris river, concluded to pay my
compliment to some of those large deer
that Vleete and Gentry had described to
me in such glowing terms and had not
killed, when they were out here last
fall. So IRWIN and loaded our guns
half full of buck-shot, and employing a
Creek Indian to pilot us OH our hunt, and
assist us in finding our wagons at night
tall Ohey had gone on about twenty
miles toward the Arkansas river), we
started out in quest of game. We had
ridden about five miles over some most
beautiful country, when we discovered
in the distance seven fine deer galloping
over the prairie towards US. We inn
mediately halted, aud were not seen by
the deer until they were within two
hundred yards of us. Oh, how wished
buck-shot! proposed to charge them
and take q running shot, but the Greek
said: mo; listen they are talking OF
charging us. Listen!'' .sWhat?" l re-
piled, do you understand deer language?"
''Yes," he said: 'Do you see that old
buck with big horns? 1 vi i'll interpret
for you what he says: Let us 90 on,
they are only stock hunters, and have no
guns But see that largest one watch
ing US SO closely, he replies: True
they are hunters. but know their old
faces too well they are Thomas Vleete
and Gentry, who were out here last fall,
and used those guns that load in the
back there is nothing to fear from them ;
let US run by them and kick up our heels
and let them waste their ammunition
they can't hurt us. Jim Vleete's powder
burnt me three times last fall, and didn't
a shot touch mem And with this, on
| they came within thirty yards of ns. as
much as to say, Try US again, old
fellows, you can't hurt u.s." But to
their surprise we brought two of them
down, and the rest rushed on. doubtless
saying, "We made mistake, it is old
Squire Maxfield with his muzzle loader,
he can kill us as well where we are not
as where we are" That night as we
endeavored to do justice to stewed ribs,
and the next morning at breakfast as
the juicy yenison steak lay broiling be.
fore us we thought of Vleete, Gentry,
Turner and the Journal editors, and
wondered ifthey could be induced to take
a very small bit. I can see Turner help
ing himself to the tenth piece.
We crossed the Arkansas river al
Williams ferry, between the mouth O
the Verdigris and Grand rivers. Viii
liams is Cherokee by birth, but served
in the Confederate army. He is goot
citizen. and is piling up the money witt
his ferry. Here we found the best corr
we have seen outside of Carroll county
but old Carroll can beat the whele worlt
ON her corn. After we crossed the Ar
kansas river we had to stand guard twt
nights, as several horses had recentl,
been stolen in this nation. We strucl
the M. K. & T. railroad at Muscogee,
station five miles south of the river
We were now in the heart of the Creel
nation. This nation is doing an immens
business in the way of horse and cattl
raising. At their last council they pass
ed an act levying tax of three hun
dred dollars a year upon every whit
man who may now reside in the natiol
or come into it in the future in additio
to this, they allow no white man to ow
more than five cows and calves, fiv
hogs and six work horses. This unjus
and exorbitant tax not only prevent
emigrants from settling here, but vii
drive out many of those who have a
, ready made it their home, as the major
ity of them are farmers. The Greek
and Choctaws are noted for their Yar
J kee tact in the shape of bridges; tn
Greeks have toll bridge across ever
dry branch, and charge emigrants fro1
twenty-five to seventy-five cents pc
wagon. The Greeks cut and cure NOR
hay than any other nation on ou
1 route. At Honey Springs, twenty-tiv
miles south of the Arkansas river W
!, drew up cur wagons; here we met OF
! old friend Col. Rogers; the genial Co
? had corn and hay in abundance, an
they were at our service without none
or prlce. His hospitality conquered OF
eagerness to continue our journey wit
out delay, and we were prevailed upo
S to take days hunt with him. We kille
;. some fine venison aud any number {
:. turkeys, and OF course enjoyed the hui
e hugely. The country around here
= finely adapted to stock raising and a
n farming purposes; timber and waite
n From Muscogee to Atoka, IN tt
), Choctaw Nation we travelled for a gre
0 part Of the way either by the side of, {