San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-02
NOW AND THEN.
How We Went West in the Days
Before the Rails.
EAGLE PASS, Aug. 81.

| Grande few days ago, L TOOK CARS aI
the Sunset depot, San Antonio, and
came out here in about seven hours,
instead of three and a half or four
days, as in former times, ten Or twelve
years ago.
1 well remember our first trip to the
sunset, the inspiration of coach and
| four, not Uncle Sans, but Ed Bra
denis, in the hands of his driver
Andy. While Andy could not be
heard as far as the whistle of loco
motive, at close range he was quite as
noisy. In those days had as COM
panion the genial collector of customs
of the Saluria district, Col. c. II.
Prouty. Andy imagined that the
colonel would lose his scalp, should
he attempt to go west without his pro-
tecting care.
To 90 west required a good outfit,
good team, a good vehicle, reliable
driver who could handle team and
turn cook at night in case of necessity.
Rations for man and beast were sine
qua non. An ambulance without
huge water keg was incomplete, and
the canteen was conspicuous. Some
travellers took canteens with other
mixtures, we didn't as Andy preferred
all other mixtures to water to such a
degree that he was only safe driver
when confined to water as beverage.
We had to take other things along in
the outfit, other than rations, solid
and fluid; we had to adopt the oriental
habit of taking our bedding with us,
especially blankets. And yet there
Of n
essential, as rations and bedding
weapons and their rations. You see
the indians had not all left the land
then, and if they had, they had very
unfortunate habit of coming back on
moonlight nights to wander over their
old camping grounds, and Winches-
ters were taken along as prophylac-
tics against the Indians. Then, too,
there were others beside the In
dams more dangerous than 1ndi-
ans, who having passed. out of the
horizon of the law, were law unto
themselves. These fellows always
maintained a profound respect tor
those who were fortified against In
dams. They had no disposition to
pick quarrel with any who were bet
ter armed than themselves. Thus
provided / went west with my friend,
Col. P, years ago. The usual places
for rest and refreShment then were as
follows: In Castroville, at the Vance
House, with that OLD NapoleOnic
Frenchman, Victor Tarde. He was
true son of France, and loyal soldier
of the great COrsican. All through
| his house and all about his premises
| were the signs OF his NapOleOnic devO-
ton. To have said one word against
| the First Consul would have closed his
doors against you. The next halt was
with Joe Ney, of p'Hanis, another
scion of Gaul, and relative of the
great Marshal who conducted the re-
treat from Moscow, and then after
Waterloo, was either shot for his re-
turn to the Napoleonic standard dur
ing those eventful hundred days from
Elba 10 st. Helena, or escaped to
America in disguise and died in North
| Carolina. The next way stations were
Steele's on the Sabinal, Cypress river,
or at Jasper Vish's on the BlancO.
At Uvalde you had the option Of
two old time taverns. A Tushey
Creek and Bracket you had HobsOn's
choice of Cline's and Sargeant's, but
fortunately in each case you Jared
well. Cline gave you the best he had,
| and Sergeant the best r. be had in
| Bracket or Fort Clark, as without
Fort Clark there had been no Brack-
EFT. To give the reader some of the
habits of those border people, would
require more space than we can afford
now. A plug hat or an umbrella
would then have drawn the fire of
some wag of fellow, who was jeal-
Gus for the primitive habits of his
people. By the time one reached Del
Rio anything in the shape of a hotel
disappeared, and unless some hOspi-
table friend took pity on you, you
slept aud dined in the "big tent" sky
covered and sky bounded, but batting
a few risks in the way of discomfort,
such as snakes and other reptiles,
the entertain ment was first class.
From Del Rio down the Rio Grande
to this place, a distance of sixty miles,
we had the privilege of one house.
owned by John Town, a negro with
3 believe a Mexican wife. The
, enterprise shown in reaching this fal
away border line, had secured him
much of the comforts of life.
When within few miles of this
f place, Eagle Pass built up by the
9 Mexican trade during the war, we
r found in the road dead Mexican, OIL
one almost dead, unconscious, with
I out any visible mark of violence
8 Near by, under a mesquite bush, we
: discovered his saddle and blanket
( but no horse. While we were debat
e ing what to do with him some MeXi
o cans came along, so we left one il