The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-02-25
CLIMATE

CLIMATE
as that of Texas in which extremes meet,
from hot to cold, from warm to freezing.
So sudden and extreme arc these changes
that the people who are familiar with
such freaks of nature never allow them
selves to be caught unprepared. Starting
on one occasion, in a buggy with q gen
tleman for a point fifteen miles distant,
no suddenly halted and called for his
overcoat. 1t was then midday and tho
sun was uncomfortably warm, so that l
would willingly have dispensed with my
dress coat. On being asked what use he
know, but you will probably see before
we return" We had not gone more thnn
half the distance before
STIFF NoRTHEn
began to blow directly in our face. We
soon drew our coats around lis, turned
up the collars and buttoned them from
top to bottom, and still not comfortable,
we drew ourselves into rs small a COM
pass rs wo could, in which posture We
had to remain shivering till we reached
shelter. The effect Of these Northers is
very damaging to stock as well as per-
sons, and the merciful and prudent al
ways have their blanket. ut hand to COW
er and protect them. The cold Is so in
tense sometimes during the prevalence
of these winds that even this winter of
of unprecedented mildness there were
instances recorded of persons frozen to
death. The effect of these extremes of
temperature IL to produce a moist atmos-
phere, and to induce pulmonary disease
which Is very common. The manner
and
STYLE OF LIVING IN TEXAS )
is Of q very primitive character. The
houses arc, many of them, without shut
tiers to the doors. The inmates content
themselves with hanging a sheet or some
temporary covering over them during the
prevalence Of a cold wind, and when 1t
ceases they don't nced anything. The
houses! have but one room usually, and
the largest of them rarely ever have more
than one story. Even in their cities the
houses arc only two story buildings,
which gives them a half-grown appear
ance. l have often heard it said
SOCIETY In THE WEST
is az good as it is in the South or any
where else, but I confess I could not sec
it in that light. That intelligence and q
degree of refinement exists cannot be do
MED, but there is IN absence of that social
tie which unites the component elements
of society, and to that extent it is disinte-
grated. This is Il popularity Of West
ern society. arising probably from the
fact that it il composed of persons from
every locality and of every character,
driven there by various causes. When a
stranger arrives in Texas the first i'm
pulse is to ask him why he had left his
homo, the suspicion being that he was a
refugee from justice. Such characters
form so large a proportion of the popu-
lation as TO lower the tone of public NOR
ais. There is not that
oDIUM ATTACKED TO CRIME
which attaches elsewhere. A man may
commit an otfense, aid if convicted, he
pays the penalty, the stigma is wiped out
and they give him a new trial" ~ they
call it, without prejudice if he can escape
the vengeance of private parties for the
offence Of
CATTLE STEALING
and forging land titles, two offences q
man had better not commit in Texas.
The murderer has q good chance to es-
cape the penalty of his offence, Mt least so
far as to reduce it to an inferior grade Of
homicide, and suffer al imprisonmentfor
a few years, but the danger to the cattle
and land thief is that they become lost
a significant term in Texas, and
reach the court. The material interests
of the State has suffered so much from
such offences that the people have under
taken to put q speedy termination to such
practice. Notwithstanding this their
criminal courts are crowded with such
cases. l should think it wasa
aooD PLACE FOR LAWYERS.
Court there is O perpetual institution,
never adjourning over u day except
Christmas day and Sunday. So great Is
the amount Of business before the appel
late court, that they have two courts of
appeal tho one their appellate court pro-
per and the other q conrt Of reference
which has equal powers with the appel
late court. One who has been accus-
toned to the dignity and gravity which
characteriZcs our circuit cOurt+ cannot
fail to he amused with the free and easy
style IN which
A TEXAS COURT
is conducted. Their district court cor
responds with our circuit court. Their
indges are elected by the people and hence
they are ever mindful of the popular ia
vor. While ut Austin l attended the trial
of several cases, and found that the Judge
did not coniine himself to tho bench,
cept during the examination of witnesses,
but lights his cigar, or pipe,if moro con-
venient, and doscends among the lawyers
most Of whom are also smoking, and
holds u free chat with them, walks
around the bar, occasionally goes outside
to speak with some acquaintance. This
Is the occupation Of the Judge whilo the
lawyer is addressing the jury. They
have but one jury ~empanncled for q week
Mt a time, and it is never allowed to dis
band after a cause has been commenced,
till it is ended. Whatever be the neces-
sity for 4 juror leaving the jury box, the
whole pnnnel must 20 with him IN charge
of a constable. They Nil cat and sleep TO-
gether.
l met quite q number of
CARoLINIANS IN TEXAS
not one Of whom but would give almost
any consideration to get back to the old
State if he could. They express the
most earnest desire to return, but having
exhausted their means in getting there,
many Of them, and those who had means
cannot dispose Of the investments they
have made and therefore are unable TO re-
turn. I have thought that were l pos
sessed of a fortune, the most grateful dis
position I could make of it would be to
expend it in bringing back to Carolina
her sons, who in all unguardcd moment,
and without due reflection have strayed
off to,inhospitable climes, and are literally
ekeing out a miserable existence, home
sick and detected, like a child from its
mother. l do not believe there is anoth-
er State where the devotion of the native
citizen is so great as that to South Carroll
ma. The
CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MATTER
is that those who can stay here had bet
ter remain. Texas is III no way suited
for any except the wild, rowing adventu-
rer. Neither life nor property is safe. They
have good land and that is all Thai can he
said. You can buy any quantity OF that
for q small consideration now, as every
BODY is anxious to sell in fact l don't
think it would take much to buy out the
whole State.
THE CINCINNATI SOUTHERN.
Guns to be Fired and Flags to be