Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-06
CATTLE KINGS IN TEXAS.
COWBOYS WHO COUNT THEIR
WEALTH BY MILLIONS.
Rapid Rise from Poverty of the Richest
Men in the State-Herds that Darker
the Land and Fences that InclOse
Whole Counties.


the Land and Fences that InclOse
Whole Counties.
Austin tTeras) Letter to the Nelo York Sun.
The cattle king Of Texas to-day is the
cowboy of ten years ago. settled down to
a soberer and less dashing style of life,
with big bank account at Fort Worth,
Austin. or San Antonio, and a big herd IN
the Panhandle or down on the coast. The
/ enormous increase IN the value and num-
Der of cattle during the last decade has
created wealth among some cattle raisers
similar to that of the silver kings. The
Mackeys, Floods, Sharons, and Tabors
find many counterparts here.
The only difference is that cattle is
certain source of wealth, while mining is
bat a game of chance. OF all the drovers
who bought small herds ten years ago,
there is not one who has notaccumulated
money, excepting of course the usual
number who have wasted their gains in
riotous living, or, as the Texans say,
"blOwed their COWS over the gambling
tables" Many young men who came to
this country after the war, or even during
the seventies, without dollar, can now
draw their checks for hundreds of thou
sands.
The profits in cattle raising in this State
average 100 per cent. from 1872 to 1882,
and in many cases nearly double that
amount, for a steer that could be bought
for $l2 then, now sells for $50, and a cow
that could be bought tor $40 is worth more
than twice as much to-day. The natural
increase in herds is 70 or 80 per cent.
The extension of the railroad system has
reduced the cost of transportation 80 per
cent. and tho differenCe goes intU the
the pocket of the producer, and not into
that of the consumer.
The Northwestern Cattle Raisers' AssO-
citation, which holds its monthly meetings
,f puth lolr ,1,f,,-- 81,
/ of whom owns more than 1000 cattle, and
/ all together represent an aggregate of
| 100000 head. There are several men,
! berS who have over $4,000 cattle. and
twenty have over 10000. RecOllecting
! that it requires not less than ten acres of
/ range for each head Of stock, and that
cattle are worth an average of $22 head,
the reader can make his own calculation
as to the wealth of land and beef these
/ men possess.
The richest man in Texas at the time of
/ his death was 'EOld Maverick of San
Antonio, who came to this country in 1857
with nothing but a brindle COW and a dog
He was direct from Ireland, and, landing
/ at Galveston, came up the country and
settled near San Antonio. He was a
thrifty old fellow, and claimed every COW
1 that he found running loose without a
brand. During the war, when most of the
men folks went into the army and the wo-
men folks had all they could do to watch
the slaves and keep the weeds out of the
! garden patch, little attention was paid 10
/ the cattle, and Maverick kept himself
busy placing his brand upon every stray
'critter" he could find. He died a few
years since, the richest banker in Texas
and the largest real estate owner in San
Antonio, leaving his large family of chill
dren more than $1,000,0 600 apiece.
Even now, not only in Texas, but in
! off OF bo
spring round ups, when a steer or COW is
found without brand it is called a Nave
rick as testimonial to the old mans
thrift.
The finest ranch in Texas, and that
means the finest in the world, belongs to
Charley Goodnight. 1t lies about the
! centre of the Panhandle, on the head
waters of the Red river. Here are zoe, 900
acres surrounded by 250 miles of barbed
| wire fence, with the best grass and water
and shelter in all the country. Col. Rich
ard King, down in the southeastern
corner of the State, near Corpus Christi,
has more cattle than Mr.. Goodnight. but
his range is not so large, and the grass is
not so good for beef.
Mr.. Goodnight has improved his cattle
by the Importation of the best foreign
| breeds, and in the market, for beef or for
stocking new ranches, his steers and cows
bring from ten to fifteen per cent. better
prices than those of any other ranchman
/ in the State. His range of 100000 acres
was bought within the last three years at
! prices varying from 80 cents to ST an
acre, and could be sold for double that
money to-day. Considering that there
M RRH9t Sk4Ho 5 acre III the i tate # RR9de
night possesses what the cOwmen call
''quite a little spot o. land"
The experience Of Mr.. Goodnight has
been quite remarkable, but no more so
than that Of many of his neighbors. He
was once before a wealthy man, in the
1 banking business at Pueblo, Col, but in
/ vested too largely in town lots, and the
depression that followed the panic of 1878
/ ruined him. During his prosperous DAYS
/ he had given his wife a small herd of
| catt& and her pin money came from beef.
When he failed in 1876 he found himself
/ penniless, but he had his wife's cattle to
! fall back upon, and drove them down from
/ Pueblo into the Panhandle of Texas,
where they could get free range, and he
4 cOuldrepair his shattered health by outdoor
exercise. At that time the Panhandle was
a terra iRcOgR(td, and GOodnightis entitled
to the glory of discovering its resources.
His foresight taught him that the day
would come when the land that was then
/ as cheap as dirt would have value. and
going back to Pueblo he prevailed upon
John Adair, an Irish milliOaire, whose
! Colorado agent Goodnight had been, to
! loan him the money to purchase land and
more cattle.
! The result was a partnership arrange
ment, under which Adair furnished the
funds, and gave Goodnight third interest
| in the investment. Although it was but
seven years ago that the latter was ''fiat
broke" he is now worth more than 81, 000,-
600, and often says that there isn't enough
money in all Texas to buy him out. Adair
comes over from Dublin once year to
visit the ranch, and finds that the S500,0O
he loaned Goodnight has quadrupled I'M
der the influence of Texas atmosphere.
! There are now about 10000 head of cattle
upon the Goodnight ranch, but it will car
ry 100, 900 easily.
Although Goodnight has the largest and
perhaps the best ranch in America, Col.
| Dick King, of Corpus Christi, looms up
| above his as meat monarch, for he has
upon him salt meadows, down in Nueces
county, on the borders of the Gulf, more
cattle and sheep and horses than were
ever owned by one man before.
Col. Dick, as the cowboys call him, is
every inch a king, and no monarch ever
sat upon golden throne that was prouder
than he. He knows everybody, and every
body knows him. A Cattle Convention
would not be called to order unless he was
present, and the entire assembly always
expects to taste OF his money when the
| meeting duJOuTuSs lie mas Jle largest IN
come of any man in Texas, something
like 5000 year, and spends it like a
lord. There's nothing too good for him
or his friends, and when he dies, they
say, he wants to be buried in a solid
silver coffin, with gold door-plate on the
lid.
But he wasn't born so, and his career
has been that of a successful Irish adven-
turer. He came to America about al as
a cabin boy or common Sailor on a slOOp,
and landed at Charleston. Then he be-
came mate on a river steamboat, where
he remained until the Mexican war broke
out, when he went to Brownsville, Texas,
on a government vessel. At Brownsville
he kept saloon and dance house for a
year or two, but didn't like the business,
and, selling out, Joined boatman named
Kennedy in a contract for carrying gov
vernment freight to the military posts on
the upper Rio Grande. There was a
large profit IN the business, which he ana
Kennedy invested in cattle and lands, so
that inlS57, when they retired from the
river, they had a fine ranch and a large
herd of stock.
Two years later the partnership was
dissolved, the land and cattle divided, and
the men occupied ranches side by side in
Nueces county. Last year Kennedy sold
bis original ranch for s., 500,OO0-to party