Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-02-02

the buffalo range, loaded with hides,
were arriving every day, The streets1
were alive with men and horses, and
In many places near the supply-atores
wagons were damned together, leaving
no passage-way for travel.
MONEY WAS PLENTIFUL,
and people handled II with the same
degree OF cnrelessness that the mer-
chants did bacon, flour and potatoes;
not hundreds but thousands OF dollars
passe through the avenues OF business
each day. Men did not ask the price
OF wares or occupy any time bsrtering
with the merchants Orders were
handed to tho clerk, who perhaps
would never see the customer until the
goods were ready for delivery and the
bill made out.
THE RoUGHER ELEMENTS, n
necessarily around a town Ike Fort
Griffin, gathered all kinds of charac-
ters and classes OF individuals, each
striving in his own way to make
money, some honestly and some dis
honestly. The Jolly buhalo.hunter
and festive cowboy were often
"fleeced" OF their last dollar by sharp
ers,n who did nothing but sleep during
the day and prowl at night like other
beasts Of prey. Many an unfortunate
saw Il winters wages ego glimmerlng
like aschoolboy dream, leaving moth
ing but an uncomfortable feeling to re.
mind him that he had been "taken jn
and done for -
THE CYPRIAN QUEEN.
During this period, which has been
appropriately called "the palmy days
OF the Fort" the cyprian dressed like
an empress and bid defiance to decen-
cy, morals and law. Tho blood OF
honest but way ward men could be
traced to their ignoble influence, veri-
| flying the old adRge that "wOmen and
wine are the root of all evil.n No
doubt there are old settlers living to-
day who can look back through the
years from 1878 TO 1879, ana recall with
"holy horror" scenes in which those
women played conspicuous parts.
HORSE THIEVES ARRESTED.
Horse-thieves, too, were numerous
in those days, and piled their illegiti-
mate trade with "A boldness that paral.
yzed all efforts TO bring them to Jus.
tlce, until vigilance committee
ushered some OF them into eter.
nifty by the strangulation process.
Gamblers also figured in this mixed
circle, displaying games of all kinds
and devices with impunity. They
4 showed no regard for the existing laws.
In fact the law was powerless to re-
Il dress wrongs and punish offenders.
u Mems sense Of right was actuated by
their power TO Xecute their designs,
and the "siX.shOOtern was generally
!. the arbitrator in all disputes, conse-
II quently all the male population on
the frontier carried arms without eT-
ception
Y SATAN AND HIS DEVILS.
One night spent in the FLAT would
satisfy, we think. the m, ST adventur
I Gus ppirit. Those bold, bad characters
I pictured out by the authors OF that Sc
/, ries OF yellow. back literature, ,
known as dime novels, could hardly
equal the living characters that haunt
Ell he saloons aud danCe-hslls OF thu
Flat As soon as the dark shades o
twilight began TO settle over the tow
Z sounds OF music Were heaIC
in these deus Of iniquity
and we doubt If his SATANIC
, majesty when he holds high carnival
=. in The region Of the damned can equa
the scenes In one of these fronlie
, dance-halls HaifnUde women, whI
o. nhu lDNk hAutG Ausb lut blAtAA u klft
d maiden mode6ty. were the chief 0ttfAc
/ tiuns OF these establishments, anC
/, whisky, wine and beer we're the auXii
iaries that helped them to hoodwinl
a the veTdRnt youth and
' LEAD OLD MEN AsTRAY.
, These IiotOps scenes here enacted
were often kept up until the gray
/, streaks OF dawn appeared ia the East
: then, like the ca, otes that make nigh
hidpous with their yelping, no NOR,
WAS seen OF them until night Que
/ more threw her sable mantle owe
y mother earth
THE BUSINESS OF THE FORT
Fort Griffin at that time was tn
, supply point OF that vast grazing dis
tricl known as Northwest Texas, wher
4 the caLtle rOamed upon "thouean'
a hills RanChmen living two hun
hi dTed miles west bought their supple
a from the Fort Griffin merchants
4 The town was also located on the gTea
= cattle trail leading from Southeri
) Texas through the Indian nation Z
a | Kansas and other points North AM
n Northwest Each year from $4,000
!. to 500 900 cAttl' passed up this uail
). and the owners made arrangements q
a Ieplenish their hupplies OF provision
= for their cowboys AT the Fort, pr,
a paratory to the long
i DRIVE THROUGH THE NATION
, n the reader y III take into considers
= ton that each herd OF 1000 to 300
/, cattle required from six 10 eight hand
successfully to manage It, he can forn
some idea OF the volume Of this trade
n that added so much impetus TO th
% town during the spring months
"a glance down Glflin avenue al ia
n motley thTong OF cowboys butldl
a hunters, soldiers and Indian
/ working like so many btes In "A hive
+ while a con .usiou Of sounds greete
> the ear from every eide, was well ca
= culated to impress upon the mind
II scene that the lapse OF
3, YEARS WOULD NEVER EFFACE.
III A few Of he Southern Texas COW
a. boys that came up the cattle trail Il
20 lofed under Inc erroneous idea tha
.sll they must stake the town" whic
10 translated means 20 ride into tow
Dfl aud fre of their Skis ooterB RICH
IS aud left, ytll to their hearts, confer