The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-07-10
On the CalOOsahatchee-The Cattle
Herders Of Florida.


THE Caloosahatchee at this point
(Fort Myers is deep and wide stream,
affording easy navigation for ocean
craft. From here eastward the river
narrows, and drains an open prairie, or
savanna country. This region is vast
cattle range, and inhabited only by
herders and the remnants of the Sem
inoles. Some of these cattle raisers are
wealthy, and pride themselves on their
acquisitions. Cuba affords them mar
ket, and their available wealth is mostly
In Spanish doubloons, though great
deal of it is in Mexican dollars. The
silver money is kept in sacks represent
ing $50, 800, or 5000, and never I'M
tied-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 of any bank. It
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 flight were possible.
Hemmed in by swamps and ocean there
is no safety for him who would rob his
neighbor, for he could not get away or
make use at home of what was anoth-
er's. If theft were attempted swift pun
ishment would follow the offense. No
useless Judge OF superhuous jury would
consume time in determining the mag
nitude of the crime. The offender
would die with his boots on, and there
would be no numbering of court record
with the transaction.
The people of this region are hoaest
from desire to be so. Every body's
house is open. The merchant, who is
always his own clerk, leaves Enclosed
the door of his store when he goes to
dinner. If q customer should come in
during his absence and want plug of
tobacco, he would take the tobacco and
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 known as cheating on the
part of merchant. He couldn't keep
store if he was known to cheat, and he
never attempts it. There is unlimited
mutual confidence on the part of buyer
and seller.
As an illustration of the strict integ-
rity of these people will relate an in
cident. A gentleman travelling with me
lost pocketbook containing several
hundred dollars in paper and gold. The
finder could have kept it and the loser
been none the wiser, but he did not do
so. He left it at a store for the owner,
whoever he might be, and it was re-
turned to its rightful possessor next day.
One of these seattle kings as the
herders designate each other, is a miser,
and lives in miserable hut, with no
company but dogs. He had boxes of
doubloons in untold number secreted
about his premises, has no visitors, and
no neighbors, for, in addition to being a
miser, he is a hermit. Perhaps fancy
has credited him with more wealth than
he actually possesses, but he is reputed
the richest man in Florida, and marvel
Gus stories are told of the gold and silver
he has buried. AS poorly as this miser
cattle 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 climate
and soil that would produce fruits and
vegetables the year round, they have
nothing of the kind except what is gath
cred in wild state. One or two fami-
lies at Fort Myers have done something
in the way of producing fruits, but else
where about here no efforts are made in
this direction. Incidence marks all the
movements of the people, and while
they have few of the comforts of life
they appear to have all they desire, and
are as contented and happy as it is pos
sible for people to be. The women are
not excited about changes in fashion,
and the men don't worry over fluctua-
tions in stocks. Why disturb them in
their bliss by leading them into new
modes of life?
East of Fort Washington are the re-
mains of ancient fortifcations-works
of the mound building age in all prob
ability. The imagination of some has
discovered the bed of q ship canal in
these works, but there is nothing to
warrant the conclusion that the excava-
lions were make for the purposes of nav
igation. The works appear to be the
lines of defense for contending forces,
or else the two forts were parts of chain
of Notifications designed to hold the
country against an advancing enemy.
The excavations are very old, rs live
oaks and other trees several hundred
years old now grow where the ground
was changed from its natural conforma-
ton. The archaologist can find a sub
ject for study here as interesting as any
afforded by the artificial mounds of the
Western States.
The Caloosahatchee is a favorite
home of the alligator. Thousands line
its banks, basking in the hot sun of
April. Deer are found in abundance,
and bears and wild cats are too numer-
Gus to make the rearing of hogs or
sheep possible except in enclosures.
Fish of fine quality can be had for the
catching. Birds of gaudy plumage and
ravishing song enliven the forest, and
bush and tree of exquisite flower and
foliage make a picture on which the eye
delights to linger The climate is all
that any one could desire, but when an
moving insects of every conceivable va
riety are encountered by night and by
day, against which there is no protec-
ton, conclude that this part of Flori-
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