The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-04
IKE PHILKINS' PILGRIMAGES.
Telcgraphic DestructiOn-Ihc Inter
national in a New ROle-San Mar
COS Notes Crops.
GRcgu'ar Correspondence

Telegraphic DestructiOn-Ihc Inter-
national i'll New ROle-San Mar |
COS Notes Crops.
IRcgu'ar Correspondence
SAN MARCOS, Sept. ga few
nights ago the inhabitants of String
town and vicinity, the southern sub
urban settlement of San Marcos, were
awakened by the sounds of a dread
full cyclone - as they thought.
The rush and roar of the wind
was heard, and the cracking
and the snappingliand crashing OF
falling trees struck terror to many
brave hearts. Everybody jumped out
of bed and rushed to their doors and
windows. What was their relief but
unbounded amazement, to find out
that it was not any cyclone at all, but
lot of international and Great
Northern railroad men, operating on
telegraph poles with axes, huge hooks
and chains and an engine. In other
words, the International railway COM
DCtlll hOlC lhS W PNS
an end to Geographic opposi-
ton in Texas by tearing down the
Telephone and Telegraph company's
wires. The poles were partly cut, a
huge chain was hitched to them and
| Il locomotive engine hooked on, and
then started. Not content with mere
ly pulling the poles down, the men at
the nefarious work never stopped I'M
til they had literally Splintered them
and broken the wire.
TIE DESTRUCTION WAS wANToN
and disgraceful, and meets with the
| condemnation it deserves from every
body who has seen or heard anything
of it. II is a new way to fight OPPOSE
ton, but l doubt whether it will ever
become popular. Just fancy the Texas
Express company killing the horses
and tearing up the wagons of the Pa
cilic Express, in the mad but delusive
hope of stopping an opposition bust
ness. 1t would not only fail
to have the desired effect, but
it would entail the expense
of new wagons and other horses
on the Texas express, and make more
friends for the Pacific, and this will
he precisely the case in this telegraph
line war. Many believe that the
Western Union telegraph company
has had hand in it. Anyway, the
International railway belongs to Mr..
Jay Gould, and the Western Union
belongs to Mr. Jay Gould also; there
fore-but I'll let people make their
own syllogisms, and form their own
| Irresistible conclusions.
THE HISTORY OF THIS THING
is one that is of interest Cor should be)
to everybody in Texas. The telephone
and telegraph company have head
quarters in Austin, and DR.. II. j.
Breckenridge, of that city, is presi-
dent. The object is to build, maintain
Texas, and perhaps extend the same
outside of the state. Already there
are in operation lines from Austin to
the frontier in the northwest
by way OF Liberty Hill
Coleman, etc.: a line to Bel
ton and in that section; a line to
Kyle and LOckhart, to be extended on
to the coast and throughout that Sec
ton, and the line to San Antonio
would have been completed soon but
for this ''interruption" by Il monopoly
that does not seem to be willing TO
have honest competition; from San
Antonio the company operate the
late government frontier telegraph
line, which DR.. Breckenridge bought
in at the sale last July, as will be
remembered. OF course, the COM
| pletion Of the line from Austin to
San Antonio will take an enormous
amount of business from the Western
Union lines, hence that blessed mon
opoly have no burning desire to see
the Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany'S wi eS in operation; therefore,
| the destruction the other night.
| If the Western Union telegraph
company had the remotest connection
with that diabolical work, then all
honest people should unite in aiding to
DOWN THE WESTERN UNION,
at least in Texas. 1t is not an M
possible task. 1t is one that needs
only the cooperation of the people in
extending hearty support to the
new enterprise.
THE EXCUSE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
is that DIR. breckenridge had set
some of hispoles on the International
right-of-way. If he did, the company
had no legal or moral right to destroy
them, or even move them without
notifying the company first. DR..
Breckenridge told .lhet he had
notified the rail%SS2yya men time and
again ttnat his intention was to build
Just outside of their right-of-way;
and. should his men accidently put
pole inside the limit, to notify him,
and he would have it moved. No
such notification, he says. was ever
given; and he first found out about it
by coming down to San Marcos and
seeing the wreck, ruin, deSolation and
bursted up telegraphy that strewed
the Hays county fields with
fragmentary remains for over a mile
in extent.
THE DAMAGES TO BE RECOVERED
will, if the doctor gets justice, assist
the company very materially in COM
pleting the great system it contem-
plates establishing in Texas.
SAN MARCOS NOTES.
District court is the all-absorbing
matter of interest here now, but it
proves melancholy interest to many.
A Mexican, named Jesus Jose Maria
de some-thing-or-other, has just been
sentenced to assist the penitentiary
lessees in getting rich during the next
two years. OF course it was his amor
equi, as Cicero said to Cataline for
stealing Jobs war horse, which got
him into the scrape. | saw the young
feller," as Sam Weller would have
called him, and l noticed that the
same rule holds good among Next
cans that prevails among US
all the worthless scamps man.
age to marry the prettiest and most
worthy women to be found. 1t Is in
vindication of that passage in the BIZ
BILE, or some book, which says: "a
woman is like the ivy on some ruined
castle-the more you're ruined the
closer she clings." L don't mean to
say that every man who is not
IA worthlest scamp gets wife the re-
verse Of the ivy smile. Far be it
from me to even hint at such a thinS.
l expect Mrs. Philkins to see this let