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


living about fifty miles from each
other. In one-his old, original
} ranch-upon which he lives, near
the town of Santa Gertrude, Nueces
county, be has 10000 acres under
fence, and in the other about 6OO,-
200 acres. which is now being enclos-
. ed bv a whole train load of barbed
wire. He has from $4,000 to 10O,-
600 cattle-he don't know just how
many-30,000 sheep, and 2O,OOO
horses and mules, and employs
about 800 to 400 men. mostly MeXl-
cans. to look after them. He usual
Ilv drives 10000 head of horned cat
tie to market every year; sells 5000
TO 1000 horses, and twice as many
: sheep, from which his income may
be easily estimated.
A gentleman who was telling me
of some of his peculiaritiss the other
dav. met the Colonel at the recent
COW convention at Austin, and asked
him how many calves he branded
last year.
Al don't know" responded the
king. That's something | never
find out. / let the assessor make his
own returns"
HOW THE CATTLE KING LIVES
Colonel Kings residence at Santa
Gertrude is one of the finest in Tex
as. or in the South, for that matter,
and a prince couldn't entertain more
rovally than he does. His house is
surrounded by handsome little cot
tages, in which his guests are lodg-
ed. Each visitor has a cottage to
himself-unless the company hap
pens to be very large-and a we'll
trained colored servant is constantly
on hand to minister TO his wants.
The cottages, in addition to being
luxuriously furnished, each contains
a sideboard which is filled with the
choicest wines, liquors and cigars.
and a saddle horse is hitched at a
post in front for the guest TO ride
should he be 30 disposed and car
riages are subject to his call, if he
should prefer them. Every luxury
and convenience that money can
purchase is provided, and the place
il so popular that the Colonel
usually has an army offriends about
him.
The ranch is supplied from New
/ Orleans. nearly every steamer land
ing at Corpus Christi bringing a car
load of luxuries or necessities. There
is no place like it in the world, and
no crowned monarch lives in more
splender than does this cattle king.
He was recently offered 100000
for his property by an English syn
dicate, and at one timeit was report
ed that the sale was made, but he de-
cided that he had too good thing to
I. part with.
There is a cattle queen as well as
cattle king in Texas. The story
has been going around the press
that the largest sheep owner in the
State is widow Callahan, but ] can
hear nothing of her, and the best
posted stock authorities say the
story is a ficticn and the widow a
myth. There was a ranchman nam
ed Charley Callahan down in this
country who used to own " 4 bunch
of sheep" amounting to 10000 or
25,OOO head, and he died, but he left
no widow, and his heirs sold the
property TO strangers. There is,
however,
A GENUINE CATTLE QUEEN
in the person of Mrs. Rogers, who
lives between the King Ranch and
Christi, abovt fifteen miles from the
latter place. Her first husband was
a cow-man named Babb.
Right here should explain that
a decided distinction and difference
exists between a cowboy" and
"cowman.' The former is hired
man who rides after the herd the
latter is his employer, who owns the
cattle. The word eow-man is used
as frequently and perhaps oftener
than It's older synonym, ranch
. man.
Well, after Rabb, from a small be-
/, ginning, and by good management
and thrift, had accumulated herd
: of 10000 cattle, he died, and left all
to his better-half, who had been a
helpmate is every sense ofthe world
/, and not only understood the cattle
business, but had managed it sue.
cessfully during her husbands long
illness.
Widow Rabb was not only thrifty
but she was pious, and belonged to
the Methodist persuasion. A young
preacher by the name of Rogers
came along, under whose ministra-
ton she grew in grace, and the result
was a matrimonial one, although
the odds in age were in favor of the
parson by something like twenty.
three wears. She had no children
and he had seven, but she took the
motherless BARNS under her wings
ard the alliance has turned out in
every way successful
Such a case as this has recently
occurred in Colorado, Bishop War.
rem. of the NJ. f. Church of Georgia
having married widow with 25,-
e 600 cattle at Denver last Decem-
Der.
ROGERS GETS THE THROAT DISEASE
, Rogers had not long been married
, to the widow and her cattle. when
he acquired bad case of bronchitis
and was compelled to give up
. preaching. Such cases are frequent
: But the widow gave him notice that
, she was competent to run the ronch,
and has kept the cattle in her own
/ name, Rogers knowing no more
, about them than any Of the neigh
= bors. He took to politics when he
, found his service were not needed at
. the ranch, and is now the Democrat
ic member of the legislature from
- Nueces County.
2 Mrs. Rogers, although worth a
round million, lives in quite a hum
ble hcme, and appears to have no
= ambition further than to carry on
, the business her husband left her,
{ and accumulate money and cattle
, She goes TO Corpus Christi every