The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-04-18


al and free boracic acid, which latter
" also powerful aptiseptic.
~ A stage Ride on the Frontier.
IF AT Dodge City, Kansas, we prenare
l. 70 Visit the "Pan Handle" of Texas b
Is stage, that being the only way, as IN
i rali ROAD goes to no nearer point tba
d Dodge. Our load consisted of IN
= United states mail, trunk, sewers
J. poxes and packages, four dogs in
g oox OH the hind end, and four men n
D passengers beside the driver. tn
r stage was rickety old wagon draw,
D oy TWO horses, changed usually once /,
n from twenty to thirty miles. In
i stage coach the passengers usual,
e get pretty well acquainted and lear
eacn others business. 1t is amusing /,
Y see the variety even in a small com
E pany. First young herder going /,
nlre out about twenty-five miles ont q
Do9ge; next an owner of cattle anf
5raoer IN the same. going into the "Par
, nahdie" TO his herd he was intoxicaf,
eu when we started and bought from q
nall pint to pint of wbiskev n,
every station while he was with nc
which he freely drank and naesad
around to those who would drink wifi
MN. The history of this man wonld
NIL volume. He is a powerful man
was born in Tennessee, served dnr;no
rhe rebellion as a bushwhacker undar
torrest, and came on to the frontier ot
Che close OF the war, where be has led
desperate career. Several men have
come to their death by his hand. and be
Is known and feared throughout the
whole country. On our wav down
there was three months old dog thai
ne took fancy to, but the owner. a lit
ue Dntchman, refused his offer oftwen-
ty dollars for him, 80 Just as we ware
ready to start, he whistled to the doc
and called him out into the darknessS
and taking him up in his arms put him
under the seat so quietly that no one
saw him, and we drove off lust As The
owner missed his dog and Commenced
searching and whistling and calling.
purpy, purpy." but it was of no avail
for at the distance of half a mile we
were across the line, out of Kansas and
Whirling through the Indian Territory.
Our third passenger was a Catholic
priest travelling in the interest of his
church. He seemed q fine man but
was so much afraid of displeasing onr
friend OF the bottle, that at his nrpent
invitations partook of the contents ofl
bottle so often that 1t gave him severe
headache, and as he told me privately.
made him sick. Your servant. tbe
writer was the fourth member Of the
load. we drove to Fort Elliot, a dis
lance of one hundred and eigbty.five
miles, in two days and nights. having
1ne weather and passing though q fine
country the first twenty-five or thirty
miles, but the remainder of the wav the |
land is of but little value for farming |
but makes very good grazing land. and |
cattle do well on 1t the year ronnd AZ
there is but little snow fall. There
are no settlers to speak of, except the
the stockmen, do not think we passed
more than half dozen houses In the
whole distance aside from those At
Camp Supply, q military post about |
eiEhty-nve miles from Dodge, and the
stations where the stage horses were
Kept. There is no timber to speak of.
and water is not much in advance OIL
the timber and yet i'm the mornings we
could see little ahead Of us mich oil
the time, what appeared to be fine.
oeautiiul sheets of water with heavy
belts of pine timber Just beyond. The
sight was indeed beautiful in an
pearance, but in reality is rather bar.
rem and monotonous. Appearances in
that as we'll as other things is very de.
ceitful.
NORTHERN TEXAS.
would give short description of
this country for the information of the
many people who are readers of the
Register, and who have urged me to do
so. Inc whole southwestern part of
the state, comprising what is common
ly known as the Pan Handle, is a wild
country, laid out into conn.
ties but not yet organized on the ac-
count Of not having q sufficient num-
Der OF voters. In many places a per-
son travels fifty miles or more without
passing a single house, and when one
Is found 1t is usually that of a stock
owner and not farmer. There Ia but
one civilized settlement worthy the
name In this whole vast region, That
Is at Clarendon, in Donley Co.. near
the central part, two hundred and
thirty miles from the nearest railroad
station on the north, and a little more
than that on the south and east, while
tho west is an unbroken wilderness.
Here is little band of settlers from
the east that have established and are
trying to maintain Christian Temper.
ance Society; it is an attempt second
only to that Of the Pilgrims, who land. |
ed at Plymouth, and should have the
sympathy OF all. 1t is quite pleasantly |
situated at the junction OF Carroll |
Creek with the middle fork of Red
River. There is much good land for
farming purposes around the settle. |
ment, but there Is also a vast amount ofl
sandy land not very we'll adapted to
farming throughout the whole Pan
Handle country. Water is not plenty
but when found is of good ouality.
Rain is said by the old hunters and
stockmen of the county, to fall in suffi-
cient quantities to insure the growth of
crops, but there has been SO little farm
ing done here that 1t is still an experi-
ment. At the present time the ground
seems very dry. There Is already
much more farming done this spring
than ever before in the country. and
yet some have but just begun to plow.
III TINS years crops are a success, the
country will settle rapidly and the only
doubt in my mind Is from lack of rain.
This fear will be very serious draw.
back. As a farming country II may be
a failure but as stock country, as far
as my knowledge extends, 1t beats the
world. There are thousands of acres
OF luxuriant grass with nothing to eat
1t but wild animals that roam over II
at will. A man with one (or more)
thousand dollars can invest 1t in stock
and sit down and see 1t grow, while he
has no care but just two or three times
week ride out and look at It and
count the increase and grow rich and
lazy, CThe sure result). l saw beef
that was taken of the range few days
ego, and had never eaten a pound ofl
hay or grain, that was equal TO the
best stall fed beef of the east, at least
they appeared so to me, and when
cooked proved extremely fat and nice.
Herds OF mixed cattle can be bought
NJ =.