, 1880-05-08
TEXAS
How the prairies Of That State Differ
from the Illinois Article.
II. w,1a Town Of Fors orltlu, add HILLARY
Pursuit 0! Horse.Thleyas.
1yp,ls u, nalhem md his Fsrn-1ha Ysterans
Of (ht Ione.Siaf State.

estimated over quito scope Of country, a
.,,,aago rccompenso for which would glad
aon ti,a heart of a frontier Sheriff. Our
nartv comprised two lawyers, ono merchant,
= ncnnty United States Marshal. and an
nri1qt WHO, long weary Of confinement, had
an1In,,slv awaited the coming OF propftious
Weather to 20 on m excursion OF hunting,
nshlnp, and pleasure. Monday morning,
Anil %, found US leaving Weatherf0rd, tie
connty.seat Of Parker County and tho pres
snt terminus Of tin Toxas Il Pacific Railroad;
snd we SOON passed west to tho summit OF
,yhot il known as the Salt Creek Mountain,
where looking to tho east, We took n parting
v,ew Of the lovely little Gem City, so radiant
md pretty, in the valley below. a few miles
farther on we turned north. around and on
the west side Of Stono-Gnp Mountain, from
wherc few hours' drive brought US on the
ycrRe OF a magnificent prairie country,
,sNicl, extends north to Red River and west
to the Staked rlalns. .
THE pnA1R1Es OF TEXAS
differ materially from those Of the North
western States; and tile most obvious differ
euce Is tic fact that there nre In Texas no
suc)l vast extents Of pr0lrles without any
visible timber. In the coast counties there
arc SOME few stretches Of prairie, between
tho rivers, Of from ten to twenty miles be-
fore reaching tile ttlnbored bottoms; though
usually the traveller passes many smnll groves
of timber In TINT distance, even OIL the l0rKer
pratrics. But, farther Interior, tho country
ia much moro generally intersporsed
,ylth alternating timber and prafric. No
,y!e1o does tho country present those vnst
nouotonous plafn8, without nit object to re-
deyo tho oye, TINT are seen In Illinois and
,o,Nc States west Of the Mississippi. There
h also much more variety In the soil Of tho
rexas prairie, some having the stiff, b'nck,
iecp soil, resembling that of the Northwest
rn States; but this ilas generally III Its VI
Unity bodies OF lighter soil, Of q sandy
character, and much easier of cultivation.
but less productive. The surface OF tile
country, except Immediately along md within
about fifty miles of the coast, Is much more
reach was. nh. ndu!nttng stretch of rich,
fertile, a.ld friable chocolate OF. mahogany
lands, most genial and pronlotiyo of the
growth OF grasses md nll vegetation,
wsas!t enaow.la%. "S With ete ] and there taadsoe
rrnyes and lines of f0rcst-trceB, presenting
Tic beauties Of the bowers Of Q very Arcadia,
with here and there scattered along Gn .'!s &c
cas!onal farm, to break m most agroeably tAe
Striking tho line of Throckmorton County,
We Travelled soutkwardly through o wild aud
woody colntryto
Fonr GRIFFIN,
one Of the Oldest Government posts, as we'll
rs one Of tl.e Widest towns, on the Texas
s'sali slSahe5 boy tiifsoth ior gore, willis ho oi
older years, hath a graveyard Of hls, own
where hp buryetll his dead dccontly;, q
country where mans ambition to be cn!!c4
vSnn v, Is pEsSaaa o e. ea'a e? to hasq s9e"t kss eol
sesntlon; III la'G,s 0G the biooa na aS " as I've
Or more OF Ills fellow-1ncn. hc. hns
conferred upon lin tho logtce Of G. n;
81 lis entiro circle q aequatntances. Tbs
town, as we entered It, was the scene Of gen
eral excitement. A sqund OF United States
soldiers. mounted, wore seen running at 9
hreak-neek speed up t'irouEsl the mall, streef @
well mounted, who, we were told, were "rlst-
2ers,''-the l0cnl name for horse-tl,leves. On,
on they sped through tho town, toward tho
banks Of The Clear F9rk,Ethe thieves .e wei wei!
ain on the other sids was their only chance
10 escapo., Several dangerous gu1ches had
IL be jumped before the river was reached,
hut desplte tho danger to 10th horse
or onu dept aes tho Su reckless par nrgei s tel
faithful stecds on, and landed safely on the
opposit bank Of tue river, across tho cailon.
lust Us tho purstlera gnlned the summit OF
thu other slde. with many loud curses the
troops wuled the stream. and anon uttered
prolonged bowls MS tlloy came upon the
!racks Of the flying fugitlycs. At last the
tracks were traced TO an old cabin III the
uoNMtainy, where tho thieves were com.
Ssss ssant 3rAs sos Gstse neS tGsqD s WV
while two OF their nuniber-the Captain and
Observation-Disclosures 1t upon themselves to
toust them out; The CAPTAIN, on arriving al
t,I tlle door, called out to know Il any ono was
''rou BET TER LIrEl"
was the abrupt re]oindor, tlint caused the
Gaptaii1 to llayo o queer crawling sensation i!
effects ot, these wicked words, he lneckly re.
We eomep' afnd, n foiiowins the words, twe
mounted and armed men dashed out from
hsllhd the house, firing right and loft WIZ
Winchester carblnes. The Captain, dropping
hs ga 5an bs'nd tn tree t9 csssape 1efn4
Lieutenant sl.ot-untler the house with such
force as to wedge himself, and therefore
could not extrfcate himself in tilnc to ret.lel
valuable assistance 10 Ills comrades. Nov
gaap at "a furious rate, firing rapidly with cal,
Olnes; anil the thirteen guards, being lI!ue'
agitatel Mt the stute Of ntlAlra, saluted tht
mpldly-appproachlng ,cavnlry with q wolfe,
S asx sSsn a Sass Ct aitanSs MatsysS s ya1ht
isvestlashetl through tl,elnds Of the g,.artl
Killing. a horse nild slightly wonndtnB ono o.
ihe soldiers, and MlAdB good tlielr escape
Alter this disastrous conflict the nobl.
altet!l game to the city, somewhat tl!stiguret
6nt stlll III the ring, aud stationed themselves
about thy tall.lo1r, expecting. as sollo on.
remarked, that "thd thloyes would come I!
town and attempt to break into tho JUL.
After staying about for a day Or two, lurlnl
which time 10 one attempted to break Init
thB Ia!l, the baud betQok themselves book t.
the Tort.
After staying several days at Griffin ~
turned nur fnccs hutnuWnrd, down thl
ialEo,,s Clcnr Fork OF the Hrnzas River
Whiell Is rightly. regarded as the most beau
Mil! stream In North or Northwestern
Isxas, aud surely would Oil any 0no's idc!
q lovely river. Its .waters pass. crystal
clear, over q rock and pebble bottom, allt
s,Do!ild with fine fish,. Five miles beloy
utllit', on tllts river, Ia the magnificent 2,000
ae,e homestead Of that wldely-known Rn'
aoole OLD gentleman,
UNCLE JOE MATHEWS.
o Who y there in Texas that hasn't heard 0
.".oid Uncle joe"-one OF tho uldest, II no
NE Oldest aettler III the Statog lle IL
Eehltne, bona-tldo, veteran, .entttled TO nl
me honora that eali be crowded on him, an
Gag!t to receive much targer pension tina
ns u IN the habit OF drawing, to recon-,
peEa1 hin far Ills n9rH4jllbl EErVicGS Il