The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-09
ARp'S TRAVELS.
The Manners and Customs of Texas.

all the people come from and what are
they after. The cars are full of them
and the hotels are crowded wherever I
go. They come and they 60. They seem
as restless as the troubled sea. The
crowd that was here yesterday is not
here to-day, but their places are filled
and I see new faces all the time. The
hotel register here at Dallas shows arri.
vals from seventeen States in the last
three days, and most all of them mean
business. AS I sit among them in this
great large lounging room cannot help
wondering what is their business and
what they are thinking about, and how
many are happy and how many have
some secret sorrow, and I wish was
mind reader and could follow them in
their thoughts of home and family
wife, children or mother away off some
where. How much we are all alike if
we only knew it. Sometimes venture
a remark to a stranger who sits near me
by the stove, and / am glad to say have
always found them courteous and willing
to talk to me. When I draw them out
on home and distant kindred it seems q
welcome subject, aud as we get more
familiar, they warm up, and will venture
to tell me of their business. Strangers
in a strange land are very quick to ap-
preciate civility. A man may be ofish
and uncommuuicative when at home, but
when he gets away off he looks longiDgly
around for a friend-somebody that
knows. At times 1 have felt awfully
lonesome in my wanderings over here,
and would have rejoiced with unfeigned
gladness to have seen my little dog Fido.
| could have almost cried over the affec-
tionate wag of his little tale. This ever
constant mingling of the people from all
the States is obliged to do good. We are
all assimilating; we are rubbing against
each other more and more every day,
and we understand each other and find
that we are all just human and are sailing
in the same big boat upon the sea of
life. The North and the South, the East
and the West are being fast drawn
together, and not even the politicians
can much longer keep US apart. Wheth-
er we arc independent States are a nation
makes no difference now. We are all
Americans and are proud of our country.
Dallas is beautiful city of about forty
thousand inhabitants. Dallas is rich.
Her banks have two millions of paid up
capital. Her merchants do large
wholesale trade with the smaller towns
in "a large circuit of country-a farming
country that is rich and fertile and in
higher state of improvement than any
that have yet seen. Dallas is speckled
with old Georgians and their descendants,
and I have had continuous love feast
with them. The old gray. haired men
talk to me with glistening eyes and ask
a thousand questions about our Georgia
dead and their living children. What
reverence and affection they have for
Howell Cobb and Stephens, and Toombs
and Colquit and Judge Underwood and
Major Cooper. An old gentleman called
on me this morning and said his name
was Lyon, and that he had been living
in Texas forty-nine years. He is a
brother.in.law to DR.. Powell and Colonel
Stevenson, the diamond man of Gaines
vile. He asked affectionately about
Judge Underwood, and said, "Oh, how
used to love his wife when she was a
school girl, but she didn't love me, and
30 [ Joined q company to avenge the
death of Fannie and Bowie and Crockett
and that settled me in Texas"
I lectured here last night to large
audience that did me more honor than /
deserved, and by way of reminiscence
paid q tribute to the grand old whig
party of the South, the party that repre-
sented the wealth and culture and aris.
tocracy of Georgia, and after the lecture
many of the old time wings in the audi.
ence gathered around me and thanked
me. What bond there was among the
members of that party. How they did
love and honor and idolize their leaders.
They swore by Henry Clay and Fillmore
and Stephens and Toombs and John
Bell and-the code Of honor-and those
who are alive swear by them yet.
I dined yesterday with General Cabell,
a noble Virginian, the mayor of Dallas,
and who was the Quartermaster General
of the army of the Potomac. Of course
we INDUCED in memories of the war,
and it was delightful to hear him talk of
those sad and glorius days. "Hewis my
old friend Major Aver" said he; the
gallant hero of the great battle of
Drainsville; the man who took 600
wagons over into the valley to capture
and carry away all the hay, and when
the yankees got after him he turned his
6-horse teams in narrow cuts that were
only ten feet wide, and fled with alacrity
back to Centerville, and the roaring of
his wagons over the pike for twelve miles
was like the sound of many waters. We
saw the clouds of dust that follwed their
track and it was like the simeon of the
desert. Old Joe Johnston had the long
roll beat, and the universal cry was, to
arms, to arms, ye brave; but before the
boys got fairly started, here come the
wagons driving like Jehu and the fat
major was doing his best to keep up, and
as he dismounted he was covered all over
with dust and perspiration, and, saluting
the general with a solemn manner,
exclaimed: General, l have brought
your wagons back but I left the hay and
Tom Taylor behind. How is Major
Aver? He WAS splendid officer and
could mount and ride horse with more
ease and grace than any fat man l ever
saw" I shall dine to day with nest OF
Georgians-for Georgians are clannish
still and so are the people from any other
State. They love to get together and
talk of their old homes and the scenes of
their youth--and this is natural and it is
right. State pride and Estate rights" crop
out everywhere. These Texans arc not
at all pleased with the appointment of
Henry r. Jackson 10 the Mexican miss
ion. They say that Texas was certainly
entitled to that appointment for Mexico
is her neighbor aud the Texans know her
Language and her people better than
anybody. "Who is Jackson" said 4 man
to me. "Is he Spaniard or a traveller
or what is he? What is his peculiar
fitness for that office that made Mr..
Cleveland ignore Texas? He has not
yet given Texas burned thing: and yet
Dick Hubbard stumped all over Indiana
for him and helped elect him."