Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-03-15
For the SPECTATOR.
Letter from Texas.

For the SPECTATOR.
Letter from Texas.
ATHENS, HENDERSON Co., Texas, |
March 1st, 1881. Il
MEssRs. EDITORS Although have
not been solicited by you to write for the
SPECTATOR, yet 1 have been encouraged
" the publication of the letter wrote |
vou from this place some time ago, and |
will embody some of my notes in q |
brief delineation of my county and
Texas in general for the benefit of such |
Of your readers as may propose emigrat
ing to Texas.
Texas having about 200 counties, and
the largest State in the Union, it will be
for me in this short letter to
give all of its advantages and disad-
vantages, and will confine most of my
letter to Henderson county, and ask
those wishing to emigrate from the "Old
to come aud see Texas be-
fore moving elsewhere.
Henderson, county is about 80 miles
long and 40 wide, and well watered,
being bounded on one side by the Trim
ity River and on the other by the Mech
es River. The tributaries of each pass
through our county, fed by fine springs
of never failing water. There Is
quantity of timber in our county. sufh
Gent for all the wants of our country,
and suitable for eve: v purpose for which
timber is required. 1he principal kind
of trees are as follows post oak, water
oak, burr oak, cedar, pecan, hickory,
elm hickory, dogwood, mulberry, cher
~, plum, cottonwood, ash, walnut, syc
amore, black jack, and SPOTTED oak.
Our climate is pleasant and mild dur
ing the summer, which is long and dry.
Our winters are generally short and
rainy. There is cool southern breeze
blowing nearly all the time, and the
nights are always pleasant and cool
The thermometer seldom rises above ~
degrees, Fahrenheit, and as unfrequent-
ly falls below Is degrees above zero.
Our country, and especially this coun-
ty, is healthy. Our doctors, though,
are doing well, but we have noticed the
fact that most of them follow, in con-
nection with their practice, some other
business. Ooe of our physicians holds
the Office of County Judge, one buys
cotton, two carry on drug-stores, and
the others, with but few exceptions, fol-
low their example.
There is some poor land in the county,
and some as rich as any in the State.
There are three characters of soil-san.
dy, black sandy, and black sticky.
Cotton, corn, and oats are the principal
commodities. Many of our farmers
raise bale of cotton to the acre; corn
about 40 bushels to the acre. Our soil is
well adapted for fruits. Peaches do the
best, of which our orchards mostly con-
sist. Pear, plum. cherry, and fig all
grow well. Apples grow well and have
a delicious flavor. But after few years
bearing, the trees, with but few excep-
tions, die.
There is no better country in the
world than this for vegetables, grapes,
and the smaller fruits. Of the former,
two crops can often be raised in a year.
We have about 10000 inhabitants, and
about 800 voters-about 700 more men
than women, and you will find that,
according to statistics, our State has
about u. 900 more males than females,
and, find from the same source, that
your county has about 1.50c more fe-
males than males, and the State of Vir-
GINA about q 600 more of the feminine
than of the masculine gender. Would
1t not be good idea to do some 'swap-
ping ?" What do you say, girls? Oul
boys are willing.
AC dDdiiS vi JUL COuduy oA0 AAesA
aged by County Judge, who is also
Probate Judge, assisted by four county
commissioners, with whom is elected 8
county clerk every two years, who il
county and probate clerk and clerk o.
the record. At the same time is elected
q county attorney. county surveyor
county treasurer, county, assessor, and
sheriff, who is county tax collector. The
county is divided into Justices pre-
cincts, in which are elected one justice
Of the peace and one constable.
Our population is composed of emf
grants from almost every State in The
Union, though mostly from Alabama
Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, Missouri
Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi, the
majority Of whom are industrious, 1n-
telligent. peaceable, and law-abiding
people. AS a county, and as State
we have some vice, crime, and lmmo-
rality but it is far below the estimate
given us by the. older States, and is last
growing less. Manv of the crimes com.
mitted in Texas are by transient parties
Curry came from Irdiana, and so die
Sam. Bass; Rothchiid from Ohio, and
many of the inmates of our penitentia-
ries, of which we have two, and we are
sorry to say both are full, upon inquiry
inform US they had to run away from
some of the older States, and come
here under the impression they could
come to Texas and do anything and &c
convicts within the walls, but remem-
this goes to prove that we are enforcing
our laws. Our fathers are as careful,
our mothers as attentive, our daughters
as fair our sons as brave, as you will
find in any country. Our husbands are
as affectionate, our wives as loving, our
sisters as good, our brothers as kind, as
you will fnd in any Of the older States.
Our ministers are as pious. our lawyers
as able, our doctors as good, our mer-
chants as accommodating, and will COM
pare favorabiy with many of the States
that are older. Our schools are well
conducted, and our churches are well
attended. The people of Texas have
confidence in each other, which did
not use to be the case. When stran-
ger came into the neighborhood, the
first question asked him was, "Where
did you come from ?" the next was,
"What did you do that you had to
leave?" Such is not now the case. If
you come to Texas, and act honorably,
fairly, and uprightly. we will take you
by the hand and bid you welcome; out
If you come here to find ''green- horns,"
you had better stay away. If you come
here to evade the law there or to violate
the law here, you will make a mistake,
for as sure as the rising sun gives light
to the worid you will be detected-you
will be punished We have one rail-
road through our county and likely to
have two more, which will cross at
Athens and make it q railroad town.
The railroad we have now runs from
st. Louis through this place west. Ev-
cry person who comes here and every
citizen says he would rather live in
Texas than any other place on the
globe.
II has grown into proverb, that he
who remains with US few years may
return again to his native land or State,
but not to stay. There is something in
our air. something in our people, such a
feeling of freedom in every look of
things, such a cheerful disposition
among our people, something SO grand
and beautiful about our vast prairies,
that he who once eats of the "lotus-
flower" ever sighs for our balmy days
and pleasant nights, ever longs to re-