Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-09
dence there would induce comfort, ease

Al OIhcI " Rbl0lu luis Ilule G
South CslifoTnis, assuming the City IN,
angels as the starting place, you hsve I
choice Of two practicable routes. One /!
Wis Cotton and the Atchison, Topeka anC
Santa Fe Railway through the Cajou Pas;
toward the OLD military road skirting the
border Of the terrible Moiaye desert. The
distance between the railway and you
destination must be covered on the b.ct
of the local ship Of the desert-ihe plod-
ding, long cared burro.
sCHOOLMARM's WOE.
The story is told of an eastern schoo
teacher, 9 mature, spect-cle6 female, whC
possessed the proud ownership Of E Man
chester title deed. She Was enthusiastic
over her California real estate, and wss
entent on planting her substantial New
England foot on earth belonging solely tc
herself. The narrowing narrative Of hel
sUfferings en- route after leaving the rail-
way, is II not a recent addition to the ex
tepsive repertory Of "Tales of the leu
derfeet," highly priced by the indigenous
Californian
! The other WY OF reaching Manchester
is by the Southern Pacific Railway
! through the San Fernando valley and The
tunnel to Alpine Station, where you are
again confronted by q shSrp- backed mule,
unless you are willing to wade for miles
through the sand and bruiss your snk!e
against the cactus plants. Alpine IS s
forlorn collection Of rudimentary apollo
gies for houses.
ANTELoPE VALLEY WASTES.
The Antelope valley, q speculative dis
trict, lies adjacent to and north OF Al
pine.
The vale OF antelopes is the locality
which a poeticsl real estate sharp who is
advertising it describes as
"Cheap, good land, With perfect title;
good well, artesisn snd mountain water,
sufficient for all mechanical power or IL
rtga.ion needed; good MARKERS, good rail
road facilities, good climate and as
healthy q country as the world affords,
are all to be found by those in pursuit Of
health, wealth and happiness in Antelope
Valley.
Come and see
Come all and view the pastoral scene;
With critics eye the valley scan,
For flowing wells and grapevlnes green
Sive promise Of bonanza land"
1t is chiefly in the promise" for 3 sin
gle glance over this vast semldesert,
which is as large as the state Of Rhode
Island and generally IS sterile Gs 8 street
pavement, would cause q cold chill &c
traverse the spine of an intended settler.
The sbsurdity OF the talsehcod about
plenty Of water ''for all mechanical DOW
er or irrigation needed" Stamps the hum
bug nature of the scheme 10 toist general
" worthless desert on ignorant purchasers.
Only about cne-tenth Of the entire valley
presents signs Of surface water The
remainder Is now and will forever be lust
as nature intended It, a squslid waste OF
alkali desert. And yet II you were to sec
the lithogrsphic views OF Antelope valley
displayed about Los Angeles you might,
IL unfamiliar with the characteristics OF
the region, be led to think that you were
confronted OF one OF the garden spots OF
the world.
MANCHESTER AS IT 1S
Passing ever the trying journey en-
muleback made by the Herald cores
pondent-the physical suffering Of the
mount ought to DO pensrce for lor
OF earthly sins-the city of Ma
CHESTER or It's alleged location was with
some difficulty attained. You will GER
talnly require guide to fad the spOr.
What is there TO be seen? asks the resder. /
Well, there are powders, sc4nty, |
dwsrfed vegetation, sand, gravel |
and s dash OF alksli. "Only this
and nothing more" Nay, it is the locs- /
ton Of brEZen swlndle as much q rob |
berry as II its perpetrators had placed |
their hands surrep iJiously in the pockets |.
OF those who bought the miserable ssnd |
heaps yclept city lots. Sans the sbsn,y |
"hotel" Of some Of the bogus towns, sans !
the "park" incl0sure, sans "banks," |
'thesters." "churches," and even desti- |
tute Of the Cathedral" there is only the /
desert as it was once roamed over by |
sqUalid s6vsges and as it will doubtless |
remain until the end OF time.
To the right is the Cajou pass, to the |
left Alpine settlement, in front the low |
Kern county hills and the awful Moisve |
desert, with its sirocco winds-hery |
blasts, as it were, from the gates Of |
Sheol.
The especial feature OF the Manchester |
swindle was that lots were sold st 8 very
low price to large number of purchasers. |
Then the sharpers would inform the lot !
holders thst an adjacent lot to the one |
already bought could be obtsined |
at cer'ain pEice-generaIly q
hundred times greater than the |
sum paid for the first. OF course, the |
immediate rise in the value was dWelt on |
and the favor shown to tie original pur-
chasers expatisted upon. TIE entire .
tract Of land as plotted cut has been sold |
to silly people whose scslps dspgle st the |
belt of the sWindlers The records Of |
the Recorders office at Los Angeles show !
how easy It is to "do" men, and by the |
specious promises Of lying advertise
ments.
THE CURSE OF CALIFORNIA.
1t is by no means of vilIsnies such |
aud others Of it's Tx that the |
settlement OF Southern Californls is en-
dangered. Legitimate land sales are pre-
vented and feeling Of spreading distfust |
which will do ircslculable |
harm in the future.
L:c& Of space prevents the considers |
ion Of the fraudulent Border City" ear |
oy Manchester. The same people are be-
hind this Haunting sham, the Character of
the lSud is similar and identical methods |
have been taken to foist it On the market |
Considered corr 0intly, ana the "Cily Of
Msucbe ster" and "Bor1er City" msy be /
clAssed as the joIliest examples of mum
Dug towns the amusing land boom has as
yet developed.
Seabright, the next specimen Of the
gems to be described, presents entirely
characteristics.