The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-30

A Great Country For Chickens and Preach.
That courthouse at Belton. I Thought
they had very hne one at Lampasas,
but here is one that cost $50, ,600-just a
County courthouse. It is large enough
for a city of one hundred thousand in.
habitants, and that is just what nearly
all these Texas County sites are banking
on. They say that their Counties average
thousand square miles, and their lands
are so rich that every square mile will
easily support one hundred people, and
make business for a town of one hundred
thousand besides. Belton! Well, it is
curious with what assurance and compla.
cency these people talk about Texas in
general, and Bell County in particular.
It does not sound like brag, but rather
like faith that has abundant proof to
sustain it. "What makes your lands 80
high? ?" said ], and DR.. Ghent answered: !:
"Why, my dear sir, Bell County has got
everything that is good. 1t is the only
County in Texas that has got good land,
good water, good climate, and plenty Of
timber, plenty of grass, plenty of build
ing stone and gravel, and lime rock,
plenty of clay that will make brick,
plenty of water,powerr; and beautiful
hills to build on, and cedar trees and
live oaks for shade, and evergreens, beau
tiful glades aud meadows for cattle,
plenty of fruit that never fails; pecan
groves that cover the ground with nuts,
lands that average twenty bushels OF
wheat and hundred bushels of oats,
and more cotton than can be. picked out.
IF you want black waxy, you can get it;
if you prefer rich sandy loam, here.itiis; /;
we can suit any man. in anything, and
we have gotta population of fifty thou
sand people, all happy and prosperous,
and we. have got right here in Belton,
the best women in the world, and no
gossip or slander or back-biting. We
have no very rich people and no poor
ones, no stuckups or shoddy aristocracy,
no foreigners to speak of, no niggers
worth mentioning and we give glad well
come to all sober industrious people who
come, and We help them and encourage
them and sympathize with them. / tell
you, sir, our people would not allow
stranger to be hooked in or swindled.
Our land agents are honorable men, tote
fair with all new corners, but as you cay,
our lands are high, compared with some
other places. Our best lands range from
twenty to thirty dollars an acre, but
you can buy on long time if you make
one payment. The land will pay for
itself in Eve years or less-yery frequent.
ly it paysin two. One hundred bushels
Iof oats at thirty cents bushel will pay
out in one year and it does that often.
Then look at our schools-six hundred
and fifty scholars here now and the best
iof teachers-many of them from your
good old State of Georgia. Why about
one fourth of all our people are from
Georgia, South Carolina aud Alabama."
+ Belton is Southern town of about
5000 inhabitants, and handles from thirty
to forty thousand bales of cotton annu.
ally; has compress, and an oil mill,
and an iron foundry, and extensive lime
works. Her suburban homes are beauti.
full, and her orchards of peaches and
pears and apples abound everywhere.
Railroads bring and take her traffic in
every direction. There are eighteen
depots in this County. The trade of
Bolton is wonderful considering that the
County supports Temple and Salado and
other towns. When I was told by a
Georgia merchant in Waco, that he was
shipping 1000 dozen eggs in week, l
was astonished, but here are two boys in
Beltop, who have shipped in five weeks
thirteen thousand dozen eggs, 1900
chickens and seven hundred turkeys.
This is great country for chickens and
preachers. 1t is great country to build
up new towns quick. Now here is Tenn
pie within eight miles of Bolton. Tenn.
pie is only four years old and has $500
people. The surrounding country is
lovely. Ihave seen no better anywhere
than around Temple and Belton. The
homes of the e,farmers are more inviting
than any section L have visited. Old
friends of my youth met me at Temple
friends went to school with in old
Gwinnett, and somehow or other they all
know of my being here and they come
to talk of their old homes and people.
Ore man said: "Ob, yes! We used to
live right down by the graveyard, and
you had to pass it at night when you was
a courtin' Miss Octavy, and I wanted to
hide in the graveyard and skeer you
sometimes, and would have done it, but
/ was afeerd myself"
Taylor is another young and lively
town, and is surrounded with the resi-
dences of wealthy cattle men. I saw
very fine Jersey stock there, and have
found out that Jerseys do thrive in mid
die Texas. From Taylor journeyed to
Tyler and Pittsbarg. Here found tim.
Der and forest trees, and red land, and
sandy hollows, and good freestone water,
and could easily imagine that | was
back in old Georgia-yes, in old Gwin:
nett or Walton, for everything seemed
just the same as it was therc--only the
land is fresher and better-no big gullies
sweeping down the hills, no abandoned
fields, no broom sedge, no sassafras
thickets. The great big old.fashioned
red oaks make up the forests-the crab.
apples and dogwood are in bloom, the
birds are singing everywhere, and above
all, the people-the men and women, are
most all from the Southeastern States.
Georgians are too numerous to mention.
FTY