The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-09-02
The Cattle Herders Of Florida.

A letter dated Fort Myers, Florida
says: The Caloosahatchee at this poin
is n deep and wide stream, afording easy
navigation or ocean craft. From here
eastward the river narrows, and drain!
an open prairie, or country
This region is vast cattle range, and in
habited only by herders and the rem
nants of the Seminoles. Some of these
cattle raisers are wealthy, and pride
themselves on their acquisitions. Cubs
affords them q market and their available
wealth is mostly in Spanish doublooDs
though n great deal of it is in Mexican
dollars. The silver money is kept ir
sacks representing $50, s100, or 5000, and
never untied-passing from hand to hand
for the amount marked on the tag
Every man is his own banker, and his
coin is good deal safer under his own
roof than it would be in the custody oil
any bank. 1t would be impossible to
rob one of these cattle men of his money
and get away with it,
The weight of the coin would prevent
rapid flight, and there is no place to fly
to if fight were possible. Hemmed in
by swamps and ocean there is no safety
for him who would rob his neighbor, for
be could not get away or make use at
home of what was another's. If theft
were attempted swift punishment would
follow the offense. No useless judge or
supeeAuous jury would consume time in
determining the magnitude, of the crime.
The offender would die with bis boots
on, and there would be no cumbering of
a court record with the transaction.
The people of this region are honest
from desire to be so. Eyerybody's
house is open. The merchant, who is
always his own clerk, leaves unclosed
the door of his store when he goes to
dinner. If a customer should come in
during his absence and want aplug of
tobacco, be would take the tobacco aud
leave the value of it in coin in its place.
If he couldn't make the exact change at
the time he would mention it afterward
and square the account. There is no
such thing as cheating on the part of
merchant. He couldn't keep store if he
was known to cheat, and he never at-
tempts it. There is unlimited mutual
confidence on the part of buyer and
seller.
One of these 'cattle kings" as the
herders designate each other, is a miser,
and lives in miserable hut, with no
company but dogs. He has boxes Of
doubloons in untold numbers secreted
about his premises, has no visitors and
no neighbors, for, in addition to being q
miser, lie is hermit. Perhaps fancy has
credited him with more wealth than he
actually possesses, but he is reputed the
richest man in Florida, and marvellous
stories are told of the gold and silver he
has buried. AS poorly as this miser cat
tie king lives, there are none of them
who live much better. Bacon is their
staple meat, and with all their cattle,
they have neither milk nor butter, and
fresh beef but seldom. With a climate
and soil that would produce fruits and
the year round, they have
nothing. of the kind, except what is
gathered in wild state. One or two
families at Fort Myers have done some.
thing in the way Of producing fruits, but
elsewhere about here no efforts are made
in this direction.
The Caloosahatchee is favorite home
of the alligator. Thousands line its
banks, basking in the hot sun of April.
Deer are found in abundance, aud bears
and wild cats are too numerous to make
the rearing of hogs or sheep possible ex-
cept in enclosures. Fish of fine quality
can be had for the catching. Birds Of
gaudy plumage and ravishing song en-
liven the forest, and bush and tree of ex-
quisite flower aud foliage make picture
on which the eye delights to liDger.