The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1888-05-26

10 steep III the open pfdlIle Win
no better protection against biz.
yards than a wire fence.
A large proportion of this coun-
try is enclosed by wire fences
which seem to run for miles with
any visible reason for their exis-
tenee, except perhaps to keep the
railroads from claiming the whole
boundless prairie as a rIght-of-
way. Occasionally, every five to
ten miles, there is a house where
the lord of all these vast acres aud
his numerous retainers lives. They
are supposed to 60 out occasional
ly and count their cattle, and once
or twice every year they round
up all they can catch and ship
them to the markets of the north
and east.
They live very comfortably,
these cowboys, having all the ne
cessities as we'll as many of the
Injuries of life. and when they
put on their Sunday clothes and
repair for season to the palatial
hotels of the large cities you
would never think they had any
thing in common with the big-hat-
ted and spurred individuals SO fire.
quent In dime-novel literature
In fact the better class of cattle
men, as would naturally be sup
posed, scorn such silly ornaments
as are in the north supposed to be
their uniform, and would no more
think of wearing u sombrero away
from home than q greaser would
of wearing anything else.
At last we arrive at Houston,
quite a beautiful city with the
finest Railroad Depot in Texas.
1t is also said to have the very
best as we'll as the largest free
school system in the state,-and
as it has seen fit to put an old Ar
kansas editor at the head of this
system, we have no reason TO
/ dnrl,t - s----Ay WI ~
opportunity TO see this placeln ~
ever, as we have decided to q ch
Galveston ere we rest.
From Houston ON we have an
other stretch Of Prairie until dark
catches us at Virginia Point-the
place where we leave the mainland
and on pile bridges pass over the
bay to the delightful island Of
Galveston.
As the lights of the city and adj
jacent lighthouses tremble to us
through the balmy atmosphere we
are carried from front seat on
the platform of the smoking car to
the time when this island was the
home and stronghold of that old
time pirate, LaFitte, whose daring
and rascally deeds have formed the
basis for many romances which
were flat and unexciting when
compared with his real career
Those were rich old, days about
1917, when as Governor of Calves
ton this voluptuous old robber lived
in this delightful country in a
manner which princes would call
luxurious and extravaganza.
Even yet the people of that sec
ton are not quite certain but that
thousands in gold and silver buried
by Laftte are yet to be unearth-
ed.
But rich as may have been
his surroundings we doubt if be
Jared any better or lived in grand
er style than did our party Of Ar
kansaw newspaper men during
their stay in this, now the most
beautiful metropolis of the nation.
1t was night when we rolled in
to the depot, and the usual jingle
jangle and rush greeted us as we
alighted. To add to the confusion
of this occasion the valise of one
of our brother editors burst just
as we reached terra firma and scat
tered the fullness of his rather UNI
clean wardrobe widely about the
platform. We helped him recover
his all as rapidly as possible, how
ever and were soon occupying one
of the city chariots the usual bob.
tail carr en- route for our hotel
Later on we learned that a oiti.
zens' committee with carriages