Wichita eagle., 1889-01-09

the wan and Senc6 the SurrenQan- IL Is
scarcely necessary to add that they are unani-
nous in thinking "afoh the wah" decidedly
the best time
Perhaps they are right. too. for the soil Is
now worn out. Once it was included in the
famed ''red lands Of Texas, n and was thought
of wonderful fertility. It is a mixture of
red sand and cheesy clay, and while the black
mould Of rotting leaves and grass roots lasted
it produced big crops; now cross dozens of
old and abandoned fields which viii not even
produce wire grass or mullen stalks. Unlike
those IN South Carolina and other south
eastern states the abandoned fields here do
not grow up in pins. Many Of them will not
even produce oak sprouts; they are, in fact,
like patches Of complete desert. And very
few of the cultivated fields produce as much
as quarter of . bale Of cotton to the acre
The people are rather despondent When
asked why the region is so poor and unpro-
gressive nine out Of ten answer, "Too many
niggers"
They are rather numerous, must admit,
comprising nearly two-thirds Of the popula-
ton of the county. Even in Marshall, an
important railroad center, they are major
ity, and all have a curious air and general
home life, as if they had just moved in or
were just about ready to move away. In
fact, a traveller through this section somehow
gets the impression that the negroes are all
nouladic. This began, l am told, in the
great rush" TO this section when the Federal
armies penetrated Louisiana; the owners ran
their negroes ever here for safety, and here
they have remained. As they are in a ma
Jority, other negroes are constantly coming
in to be in good company, and as many NOV
ing out. because they find themselves too
crowded and hard pushed to live"
As one draws near Soda lake and the other
water stretches near Red river, he finds the
land sinking into broad, half swampy flats,
and on the eastern side of the lake, along the
river, are dense thickets where all kinds Of
wild game abound and even the brown bear
is occasionally found. On the east side of
the river, however, is a large tract of very
fertile land, containing some of the finest
plantations III Louisiana and little below
is Shreveport. And this reminds me that
much of this low land and jungle was actual
lake OF swamp before Engineer Shreve
achieved his great feat Of cutting away the
great natural raft
No part Of the United States has a more
romantic history than this region around
Soda lake and the Caddo; and if you like
stories favored With blood and adventure
here is the place TO hear them. By any old
settlers hearth you may sit through long
evening listening to thrilling stories OF how
''Old Rose shct Bob Potter liz Soda lake"
how Finn lived hermit on an island in the
swamp till he was chased down by the dogs
and shot by the hunters who mistook him for
wild beast, how many were murdered and
many more robbed ON '-Campbens trace"
and how the Regulators Of 1870 42 hanged,
shot and whipped till the moral atmosphere
was purified, then quarTeled among them
selves and got up civil war which the re-
public of Texas had TO suppress.
1t was always fighting region. The In
dians had this for u military frontier before
the whites came. The Spaniards made it
their outpost against the encroaching Ameri-
cans The ''Gachupinos" (Mexican rebels Of
lS10-12) marched from here to attack San
Antonio. In this vicinity was one of the re-
cruising stations Of Aaron Burr, and near
here the Cherokees and Texans began their
final struggle before the latter expelled the
former from the state-or rather the nation,
as it then was Early in this century Spain
and the United States agreed that all the
region from the upper Sabine eastward to
the Arroyo Hondo lone OF the swampy affltl-
ents of Red river should be neutral ground
As this meant land without law, it soon
swarIned with the lawless from ali the adj
joining states, and the Mexican officer on one
side and American officer on the other had to
furnish military escorts for all the trading
caravans that crossed it.
j 1t sometimes happened that the heroes Of
the neutral ground whipped tho escort, and
then their plumber was rich. III one instance
the 'Regulators' tied two Of these fellows to
a tree and whipped them terribly to make
them confess where their plumber was buried,
and finally passed live Goals over their raw
and bleeding backs. But they were gritty
raScals" and kept their secret. In 1912 Lieut..
MaGee, flibuSter, induced about eco or 800
OF these outlaws to march with him against
San Antonio. The Spauiards entrapped and
killed all but ninety OF them, mutilating
many OF those whom they released. In those
days 1t was by 10 means uncommon TO see
man going about on the neutral groundo
with only one ear, the other having been
pared close to his head IN Mexican prison.
Such tIiiling deficiencies as the loss OF eye,
few fingers or part Of the nose were too
common to excite inquiry Indeed, it wasn't
considered good manners in those days to ask
personal questions. IL was also liable TO
prove unwholesome.
But the good old times passed away. Texas
became independent, and the war between
the Regulators" and Law and Order
men " cleared the ground for better popu-
lation. The great Texas Pacific now ira
verses the country, and In the fertile sections
there is much life and progress. But over
all this old red land and Soda lake region
there is duilnes5 and a peace that passeth
understanding. Good people, too-pieasant
end hospitahie, generally religious ard uni
forrnly polite. But they seem impressed
with the conviction that the soil is played
out for cotton and that the niggers are
going to take the country "-this part OF it.
J. J. MARTIN.