Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-21
DELTA COUNTY.
A Gazette Man at Ben Franklin-His
Impressions Of The People and
Their Surroundings.
correspondence Of the Gazette.

BEN FRANKLIN, May lS.-To travel
even ten miles over black waxy roads,
thoroughly saturated with heavy rains,
is to thoroughly try the angelic spirit
usually carried about by newspaper
men. Imagine an angel begged down in
black waxy mud; consider the late Mr..
Job, who perhaps had every other trial
but that of having to go through black
waxy portions of Texas in rainy
weather. would that devout and
patient man have acted? He would
have yelled at his team, taken firmer
grip on the lines, and felt mighty
thankful when lie brought up at the
snug little village of Ben Franklin,
and began at once to talk business;
and IL Job would have been made to
feel as comfortable as was this
GAZETTE man, then he would have
still maintained his reputation for pa
thence.
There are four general stores here;
one drug store, q saloon, q blacksmith
shop, and near by distillery; and if
Ben Franklin only claims as her own
the thickly settled roads to Paris and
Ladcnia, then Ben Franklin is miles
in extent. Certainly the town can
properly claim to be in one of the best
portions of the state and of Delta coun-
ty. The splendid farms near by show
the possibilities of the soil, and the
healthy appearance of the people in
dicates the little employment given the
doctors.
AS we came along the road-our We.
hicle is an ordinary farm wagon drawn
by horse and mule-we emerged
from fearful part of the road and
came to the comfortable house of w.
l.. Foster, and he was resting from his
labors, awaiting the rain to stop: in
wiling us to "come in his good wife
and daughter had soon prepared for
us warm dinner and we came near
creating a famine in that house. But
that would have been impossible, for
Farmer Foster, like so MANY Others
about here, is so well Off in this worlds
goods that he cannot be eaten out of
house and home, not even by a tramp.
Reinforced, We soon after reached Ben
Franklin and were "no timen finding
j. M. NanSant, who has so long re-
sided here and is the leading citizen of
the place. He and his son-in-law,
Dick Redfern, are in the general store
business. Black & Bro, and Unsell
Il Co.. are also doing business
here. f. 9. Bell keeps a saloon
and w. j. Clark has restaurant.
The village blacksmith is j. NJ.
Mathews, and he is as hospitable, to-
getherl with his family, .as he is
prosperous and capable. The dis
tillery of Wynn Il Donaldson, located
at the slough near by, is said to pro-
duce as fine whisky as can be found
anywhere, and the absence of coloring
matter in it, and it's undoubted purity
and excellence make it palatable and
healthy drink. Oh, yes, / tried it.
The cotton handled here in the sea
son ranges between thousand and
fifteen hundred bales, and the total
amount of business done last year ex-
elusive OF cotton, amounted to over
100000. so you see, that if Ben Frank
I'm as town is not large, it is in the
midst of fine country and occupied
by good and intelligent people. They
are law-abiding, and newcomers
would find welcome awaiting them.
One of the best indications of auy
people being well "upn in matters is
the amount of reading matter which
that people consume. To watch the
number of papers delivered here at the
post Office would at once
prove the assertion that this
Is a well informed people
On my way in . circuitous route from
Dodd City back to the Transconti-
mental road, have been struck by the
large number of churches scattered
through this section. Surely religious
matters are not behind, and | am told
the attendance at these country
churches would put to shame the peo-
pie of large towns who are so well pro-
vided with buildings, but the buildings
are not always so well provided with
congregations.
If you are acquainted with this Sec
tion you know that the proposed ex-
tension of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa
te road will either go by way of La
donia or Cooper. Some maps show the
more direct route to Paris to
be through Ladonia; but il
Greenville be touched then the
direct road to Paris Is between Cooper
aud Ladonia and through Ben Frank.
LII. The hope is entertained by the
tranklinites that their little town will
thus secure the road, and they seem tc
have vague expectation that Ben
Franklin may yet be the county seat
OF Delta. So all these towns are agi-
tated on the railroad question, and the
spirit they manifest is commendable
hut 1t cannot be expected that new
road will be built this way until after
the year 1854.