Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-22
TEXAS NEWS IN ENGLAND.

TEXAS NEWS IN ENGLAND.
To the Editor of the Nation (England) Mes
sepger.
SRI now receive your valuable paper
| weekly, and in your issue Of November &C. 1887,
1 see under the heading Of Huttonle- Hole a
copy of letter sent from Texas, by e. o. Oar
ley, Esq. Said letter speaks of the depressed
state of agriculture in England, but omlts to
| state that the three failures of crops and the
depression Of agriculture during the last three
years is something almost beyond description
in Texas, and much worse here than in En-
gland. The usands It families here who were
farming have lost every thing, and thousands
who have not lost their whole have all of their
cattle, wag ne. and horses. and .uture crops,
mortgs ged for debts they already owe. (Talk
about futures here we deal in futures to an
alarming extent Thousands of farmers
(renters) have nothing to commence to make
their crops next year with, and are
living upon one-half Of what their
appetites require consequently are weak
ana feeble, and unable to do days work. l
have seen lately woIkingmen who were work
ing here make a whole dinner of nothing but
sweet pots toes. Three years ago could and
old a5v Sc uen with limited means to come to
TeX-s, but the reverse is now the fact l can
not do It, But TO m n who can land in Texas
in this section, which Is the best (sll con-
sideTed) with enough money, say fl0t0, or from
that down to $500, they can purchase now (far
b low actual value) farms on which they can
II axe an Independent living for the balance of
their lifetime, providing they will work here
the same IS they do in England, and not like
most of the people here spend the most of their
time In idlen' Sc. The climate here seems TO
make the people seek continusl rest, but such
has not been the case with me- Whenever
business calls me am always ready to go, and
this has always been my secret of success, both
in England and in Texas. Then again,
Z. o. Dar!eY, Esq, describes the cteap
lands on forty years time and per cent. inter
est If any such time or interes. can be had,
have never before in Texas heard
of It, and have been work
ing In lands and land offices, more or LEES.
ever sine, 1 have been in Texas. He speaks of
lands (yes) 0O0, 900 of acres in the Panhandle
at 81 (a0out So per acre (good rich land he
says wonder If he has ever seen the lands
of which he writes Thre6-fourtbs Of these
lands are barren lands and worthless, neither
water nor timber, and travellers often go from
TIN t, thirty miles I'm this region) to seek wa.
ter. This region is properly called the bar
rem LANDS of Texas. Il joins the Indian Terri
tory, and is festeI by Indian raiders, who
drive ut nearly all who attempt 10 settle here,
and Ia almost Unused except for hunting
grounds (surely no one from Hut'Onle Hole
wants to set G there to be scalped by the In
dams and think o. barley, Esq, would
rot settle there himself, and would
not go hunting, there only with
very strong number of old and daring
hunters who know the passes through that
region. 1t is far out from clvilizstion. and the
rendezvous Of n urderers who escape there to
escape being PLACED in our penitentlsries, or
to save their necks from being stretched with
ahempen rope. This part OF Texas is protect
ed, however, to some extent by our military
forts. including Fort sill in the Indian Terri
tory, but the Indians are constantly breaking
through the lines and scalping some of the
white settlers. Tais part Of Texas is described
in the latest issue of Barnes Geography
(Which is the latest) as the Llano Estacado, is
over 1000 feet above the level of the sea; it is
dry, barren, and destitute of trees, except
along the margins Of the streams. Llano Es-
tacado means stsked Plains. go called from the
great abundance Of yucca stems, resembling
stakes. Education, he states, is free
in Texas VERY free indeed). The
state lands set apart for free schools
yield just cough revenue to admit each
child q the state to the schools ne month In
twelve. All real estate is heavily taxed to
maintain the schools, and in the corporate
cities they levy an additional tax for school
purposes, and third tax to pay Off school
bonds and interest thereon for school build
ings. have twelve children, and know OF
what I I'm writing, and 1 am no small tax.
pay er. So much for free schools. I do not
want any of my people to come to Tex4s and
be deluded or missed by any surface skim
mings, nee give them the benefit of the
heavy settings that have sunk to the bottom
OF the fact Though an eI.ht years occu
psncy of vel boiled down facts.
THOMAS WILSON.
Late Of Roseda'e Abbey, YeF shire, England.
Luling, Texas, Dec l., ISL.
THE GAZETTE prints the above letter
for the edifcation Of It's Texas reader,
as the circulation Of this paper is some
what limited in RosedsIe Abbey, York
shire, England. Texans who have retired
to peaceful slumber for the past fifteen
years in fancied security from "Indian
raids" will be startled to get the news,
via "Rosedale Abbey" etc that the yell
Of the savage, and the shrek and The
scsp of his victim are features OF Texas
life now, as they were before "a lrotds
and schoolhouses dotted the plains whsre
Mr. Wilson, liar in extraordinary, asersl
that Id still hunts and scalps. ~
Our readers will be surprised als0sto
be informed, via Rosedsle Abbey that
the SIC, 100000 school fund in bonds and