The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1882-02-16
A TEXAS LETTER.


Mr.. Fred. S. Mansfield, writing from Crock
EFT County, Texas. Jan. 2Sth, to his mother,
| at this place, says;
Il wrote you II day or ago that | would
90 back to varoaCs and post offices next week
but since writing have made up mind TO stay
here longer rs | am improving 40 rapidly. DIR.
Williams head was level when he recommend
ed southwest Texas, for believe il il the finest
winter resort in our country. The air Is dry
and pure We are up here in the mountains
and the weather now il warm and eemi-tr0pi
cal and cannot realize how it can Toe cold and
| disagreeabls any Splace else. Florida cannot
compare with this country for health People
| here laugh at one when you mention Florida
| us a health resort
have written you already that we are on
| Rio Grande aud Rio Pecos Rivers. We are
| right in two miles Of junction. in Crockett
| county, right on the border. There is not
| presume house in the county and In TACT very
| few citizens The men who live out here have
| tents mostly and some few dug outs and muC
| wipwams. There are l6 men in our encamp
ment aud we have four tents. Dining cook
ing, and two sleeping We have the best o
| provisions which are hauled 100 mills over th'
country by Mexican freight wagons Every
| thing is high but one man furnishes us tents
/
week each foI board How we do tackle hil
beef stews, light bread, ham. coffee, rice etc
| indigestion is unknown here and eat fearless
| ly knowing have no horrors to suffer atte ward
| There are many Mexcan@ around about IN
| and they are interesting people to me All Of
| them. men women and children smoke cigar
elites to excess All carry little bag with
draw Strings containing tobacco, ciSare to pa
| pers and matches. The men are not very gal
| liant, as the women have to roll their own cigar
ettes They are very tTeacherous and while to
your face they are plausible and will shake
hands and be all smiles but AS soon rs ones
back is turned they would stab the "Amer
cano Perro," american dog), thus illustrating
that "a man may smile and smile and be vii
lain still " The Mexican ireighters have these
large old time government wagons and along
with the goods they haul for others they carry
their families and household There are gen
.rally ak or aeven wagons in train and have
Ten or twelve mules to n wagon. Each wagon
usually represents one household and it they
have any extra mules or horses not IN use, they
ais driven along too, 80 IN one train We seen
from Is to Is loose mules and horses. They
travel about ten miles day, turn their horses
out ON the prairie flor they never feed them)
and they are at home AT any place they camp.
They may be 20 miles from stream but they
have kegs Of water strapped behind their wag
ons which they fill at every mud hole or stream
Water il scarce in Texas ! have drunk
water in this State which would turn up my
| nose at at home When we iramped across the
| plains we had canteens filled with water, else
| we would have suffered a great deal from
| thirst for it il often % miles distant from one
| watering place TO another After the Pecof
| River going west from here for Il distance Of
| C5 milrs there is not drop OF water. The
| mail carrier carries a canteen OF water tor his
own use over this ground while his poor horse
| hys TO travel The entire route without water
| ielieve | have told you about tamplnf
ll5 miles over the plains and how we slept out
our only covering being our overcoats, and
| how we cooked our meat on the Goals. You
| travel week in this part Of the country with
I out seeing house or woman. Horace Greeley
| said Young man go west" | say, young wo
man 20 west" for women are sadly IN The
| minority out here. Any kind OF n female couiG
come ont here and have admirers without end
| and could get a hu-band at once. Good cook
| get 80 TO S6j month out here. cooking foT
| men who are building q new rail road Most
| Of the cooks though are men. In fact this far
| out they a,e all men.
| am Just knocking around taking things
easy and breathing this pure inygorating AIR
Can't say how long III stay. When ] leave
here | am going 10 get me pony ana rIde
over some Of Texas, camping ont night
font er-mAn never quarrels, but shoots the hfsi
m n who insults him A man can come here
with IA c vii tongue and he il never molestsd
tut if he is too sassy he is a 'ROner.' 10 give
a 1rou;.rsmau the lie or TO swear at him, II
sure death In quarrel tue man who shoots
| first is the luckest. FRED D S'