Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-02-16
ANOTHER TEXAS SLITTER.
Various observations BY a North
.MlSSOurian.


/ lef, of. We left Fl. Worth on the
e,rd inst. for Tyler, the western ter
minus of tie M. 4 T. Ry beauit-
ful young town of about I 200 inhabi-
ants, situated in the heart of a rich
farming country, SO miles from Austn.,
although there is but very little raised.
besides cotton. There we took the l.
X G.:N., for Austin. Got to Austin
on the ,Ath, and visited the great law
making body of Texas and found it
composed of negroes, Spaniards, and
the noble carsian, all enjoying
equal rights and very gentlemanly
and intelligent set of men. As l had
some business in regard to public lands
called on the commissioner of public
lands and found him a very clever and
intelligent man. had a long talk
with him. He expressed himself as
being glad to give information in re-
gard to Texas especially to men from
other states. Here | would warn
everybody not to have any thing to do
with Texas R. r. land script, as the
new constitution barred them all after
1881, so all that is af1oat is not worth
the paper they are written on. We
visited the Barton Sp ring. 1t is hal
mile from and west of the Colorado
river and opposite Austen. 1t runs a
FIGURING mill at its head and is capable
Of running mrch more machinery and
one can see objects plainly at the depth
of twenty feet under the water. We
Went from Austin up Rock Creek to
Round Rock in Williamson county,
but found nothing of interest except a
high round rock in the middle of the
creek and some of the largest prickley
pears and turk head crickets that
ever saw. Plenty of live oak, Spanish
moss, bear grass, s,mesquit brush, thorns
rough crazy rocks, and some good cot.
ton land. We started from there
on the 27th..tor sar Antonio and got
there that night. Visited the old elms
and was in the rooms in which Davey
Crockett and Col. Bowie were killed. |
Also the old Spanish Cathedral built
over 200 years ago, also the San Pedro
Springs with the system of water works |
with clear water running all through |
the town. The San Antonio river rises
out OF the ground four miles from the |
Alamo and is quite river. The town
is built with crooked narrow streets and
every body has their own notion of
from the most ancient
Spanish or Mexican to the most mod
ern American and one can see all
nationalities, all grades of characters
and colors, from the blacklist to the
whitest, but all civil and courteous, but
all in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
Board is from one to three dollars per
day, plenty of vegetables on the mar
ket. The citizens claim a population
Of thirty thousand, besides the military
post. She has two lines of R. r. and
four lines OF street cars. The ther-
mometer stood at S il the shade when
We was there. 1t is a poor rough
country all around San Antonio, but
there is some fine lands between San
Antonio and Austin. We stop at the
san Marcos Springs bu. missed the
tram. so we had to take the through
train for this place or lay over another
lay, so alive got to see of it was from
he car platform The San Mar
COS river rises here the r. r. crosses
t, some quarter of mile below its
,ead 1t Is swift running stream :
about 10 feet wide and 6 feet deep. :
The county on one side is rough most
y covered with cedar, live oak, thorny
,actus, and rock; ; on the other side is
;ome fine rolling cotton land. The I
own of San Marcos is just west of the !
prings ii is neat substantial town,
'ullt mostly of rock, and has popula- :
ion ofsome $500. In fact the most 5
If the houses in all IF the towns are /
'ullt of rock. Some on the hewed !
ock plan and some on the adobe plan,
ut this town is mostly frame. 1t is +
ew rail road town is months old and
population ofsome II to 1 5 hundred. S
he main line and Lampass branch of
lie S. c. & G. Ry; also the Mo. T. Ry.
,rm a junction here. This is IN the
cart of one of the old stock ranges, but
now fine farming country; raise /.
orn, oats, and cotton. A very little o
heat or tame grasses have been tried, tr
ut it is one of the finest peach coun- tc
les in the west and every ore unites
saying that all kinds of vegetables dt'
scept Irish potatoes grow to periec- q
on here. We came up here from San g.
ntonio last night, stopped owing to ~ ~