Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-21
Ms Impressions Of the State in General
and Of Currie in Particular.
DalIas Cor. EImirn tN. b aa1ette.l

Dallas Cor. Elmira IN. " Gnzette.l
A Sunday in the city of Dallas will
convert a man quicker than seventeen
sermons on hell fire. There is a fine
of$lOO for carrying revolver in some
parts of the State, but in a crowd of a
hundred men you'll find ninety-nine
reyolvers, and the other fellow will
y g either have a knife in his boot or a
shotgun on his shoulder. [ don't
wonder that Northern farmers return
disguised with the prospect Of living
in such communities as are found
here. A farmer in New York State
comes to town in a respectable rig he
has a team of horses, a j Jackson wagon,
q leather harness. He makes his
purchases, goes home to a comfortable
house, eats a nutritious supper, and
sleeps on a clean bed. A Texas farmer
straddles a half-starved mule and rides
forty miles before reaching a place
big enough to buy a porous plaster
and a wooden t%oothpick. They are a
hungry looking set, They live because
they have to, not because they want
to particularly and when they die no
one misses them except their creditors.
Marshall is about a hundred miles
directly east from Dallas, on the Texas
and Pacific road. 1t is frontier town
.r, of about two thousand inhabitants.
and presents all the outward appear
ances of other Texas towns Of about
this size. Currie, the cut throat, is
confined there, but his council posi-
lively refuse to allow anybody to inter
view him. However, through the
kindness OF one of the officials, | took
a peep at the Texan bully nyw con-
fined there awaiting trial for a most
cowardly assault even for this part of
the country. Currie looks capable of
committing Just such an act as he is
now under arrest for. He is a power
fully built fellow. about FIVE feet ten,
broad shouldered, andy-complexion-
ed and a repulsive looking man as seen
behind the bars. The feeling through
qe out Texas among the better class of
citizens is that Currie ought to hang,
but a fear that he will not seems to
possess the minds Of most Of them.
At one time they did muster up
enough courage to threaten to Lynch
him, but their enthusiasm soon died
out and the excitement caused by the
cold-blooded murder has about sub
sided. If Judge Lynch ever had a
good excuse for exercising his power
this Currie was a good subject to
commence on. He is a fugitive
from justice, having killed several
men on the Kansas Pacific while
running as an engineer on that
road. Several other Old-blooded
murders are laid at his door, and he
was looked upon as a dangerous man
by all the other employees on the line.
AT the time of the murder of Porter
he was employed as a detective on
the Texas and Pacific road. This
Office was merely nominal affair ar
ranged for Currie's benefit by one of
the officers of the company who I'M
fortunately was in Currie's power. At
Marshall he is looked upon as a bully
and a coward. A man who never yet
was known to face a fellow in a fair
fight, buteyerrea to stab a man in the
back or attack an armed one in an I'M
fair contest. Such is Currie's record
where he is best known. He was
looked upon as a cowardly, but dan
gerous sort Of a man and always sure
to get the drop on a fellow if there
is any danger of his showing fight. 1t
is wen claimed that ii Porter had adj
mitted he was armed and showed fight,
Currie would not in all probability
have attacked him. In conversation
with people upon the subject they
don't seem to manifest much interest
in the affair. They take it for granted
that he will escape through legal tech
nicalities and powerful influence.