The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-04-02

County. During the rebellion he
fought for two years in the Confed-
crate army, but being broken ID
health returned to Galveston, and
engaged in mercantile pursuits,
founding the shipping house of
Heary Seeligson & Co., which Is one
of the most prominent and wealthy
in Texas. He has a fine agricultur-
al farm near Victoria, on the banks
of the Guadalupe River, and a ranch
of 1900 acres in Bee County, on
which he has $500 improved cattle
and 300 horses. He has recently
purchased another ranch of 10000
acres near the famous King ranch,
in Nueces County, which is now be-
ing inclosed by sixty-five miles OF
fence, and will pasture 10000 cattle.
1t required four carloads of barbed
wire to construct this fencing. Dir.
Seelieson lives in Galveston, where
he has a princely residence, but dl-
vides his time between his busl-
ness in that city and his two ranch
es.
Ex. Senator Lane, of San Antonio,
is conspicuous figure at all the cat
tie conventions, and is famous as
well as a successful ranchman. He
is six feet tall, slim as rail, as dark
and straight as an Indian, restless
and nervous. He commenced life as
a cowboy, and is now worth a nil
lier. He has a ranch OF 125,0OO
acres, 10000 cattle, and employs 60
cowboys. One of the rules of the
ranch, and it is perhaps exceptional
in this particular, is that any cow
boy caught playing cards, drinking
whiskey, or carrying pistol shall
be discharged without notice. The
ex-senator says that once a year, on
Christmas Day, he mixes bowl of
egg-nog for the boys, and they
can do all the drinking for the
year.
ONE OF THE NOTED CHARACTERS
of the country Is Tom O'Conner,
whose history reads like romance.
He came over from Ireland in 1886
and commenced his trade of saddler
at Refugio, a little town down on the
coast near Corpus Christi. While
there he invented a saddle-tree, and
used to 90 around the country with
a string of horses loaded with them,
which he sold for six bits l15cents) }
The saddle-tree became so popular
lit was Immediately adopted, and
none other has been used in Texas
to this day. But very few people
who own them are aware that Thorn
as O'Conner, the banker of San An
tonic and the millionaire ranchman
of Refugio County, was the first TO
make and sell them.
Whenever Tom got enough mon
ey ahead he bought a COW, and as
the ranges were free then, it cost him
nothing to keep them. His herd
has grown until it now amounts to
$4,000, and he has 1000 horses and
a lot of sheep besides O'Conners
wealth is estimated at about $1,000
900. He is the senior partner in the
banking house of O'Conner Il SuIii-
van, of San Antonio, and owns an
Immense amount Of city real estate
as well as pasture land. He lives in
the plainest sort of way, and
doesn't spend over 81, 900 year.
ALIVE "YANK."
shanghai" Fierce is another IA
nous character, but an entirely diff
ferent man. He is Yankee from
Nashua, n. H., and came down here
after the war on a sailing-vessel from
Boston, getting a job as a cowboy
ia wages exceeding s15 a month.
After working few years at that
rate he quit his employer, and it
was developed that his Yankee
thrift had already couple of hun
dred head of cattle. He kept at it,
and now has 100000 acres of land in
two ranches in Jackson and Whatton
Counties, 10000 head of cattle, and
a big income. He goes down East"
every year to see the folks and tell
them wha; a great man he is in
Texas. Shanghai" gets his name
from his height, which is several
inches above six feet, and he is known
to every man, moman, and child in
the State.
Ike Cox, of Kinney County, is
well-known TO army officers, who
: will be glad to know that the old
scout is in fair way to become
millionaire. His record is ro-
, nance. When a child his father
lived on the frontier and Ike was
stolen by Wichita Indians, who
kept him captive until he became Il
man, and then he escaped from
them. and joined the army as scurt
and guide. He was with General
Mackenzie during the latter's career
in Texas, and in 1875 invested the
savings of his soldier life in cattle.
He is now the owner of fine ranch
and herd an the Brazos. which he
could sell any day tor S25O,0OO.
THE BEST GRAZING COUNTRY.
These are some illustrations of the
success of ranchment in the southern
and older portions of the State.
During the last few years the north
ern and western portion of the
State nave beeninvested by immense
herds, and is now acknowledged to
be the best grazing section in the
country, as its altitude above the
) sea relieves it from the heat that is
suffered in southern counties, water
is purer and fresher than anywhere
else in the State.
The Panhandle is now the popu-
lar place for ranches, and although
Goodnight, the pioneer, drove his
cattle in there so long ago as 1876,
the country is pretty well taken up,
and in few years will be entirely
occupied. There is still great deal
of what is known as free range, but
the ranchmen who own their pas
sures are building fences to keep out
roaming cattle, and in few years
the raising of stock will have settled
dowd TO a regular legitimate business
as it is in the Eastern States.
CURTIS.