San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-14
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER IA, 1899.
AN OREGON FOR1Y-NINER.

With a Barrel of Money Gong for
HIS Parents.
From the indianapolis News.
On Vandalia train recently a re.
porter met Allen Keller, one of the
few "Forty-niner" who are still alive
~ was born" said he, "at Clear
Springs, near Baltimore. My parents
were well-to-do people with a large
family. When the gold fever broke
out /, like many others, got a severe
attack of it. l ran away from home
and started for the Golden West.
1 finally drifted into Oregon, and
there I have been ever since. My
headquarters are on the Grand
Round, in Union County.
"Grand Round is a tract of land
about twenty-five miles long by ten
wide. 1t is the richest pasture in the
world, and the best grazing in that
country. 1t is situated 200 miles from
the coast. The main trading point is
Union, the county seat of Union coun-
ty. The country there is as thickly
settled as it is here. But the people
are different, can tell you. It's a
mighty rough country out there in a
social way. We have no law but the
law we enforce ourselves. A man
must be square on his taps or he can't
stay. Profanity is something almost
unknown, and the word liar is never
used.
when a man thinks another is q
liar he doesn't say SO, but pulls his
gun and commences to shoot. A man
must be mighty quick on the trigger
in that country, and after the shoot
ing Is over, if we think the man who
is alive was not justified in using his
gun, why he dances Oh air at the end
of a rope, and no questions are asked
by anybody. We don't hang thieves.
We put a mark on them and drive
'em out of the country. If they come
back, why that ends it. We have one
dance house in Union. 1t starts up
about June and keeps going until De-
cember.
"The woman are not what you
fellows out in the States would gala
want around with. They average
about one good woman to twenty men.
We want good women out there, and
want them bad, too. know many
a fine fellow that would make splen-
did husband if he could get the right
kind of wife. Gambling is carried
on to a great extent, but not with
cards. We have sworn off on cards
since two sharpers came up from
Frisco and robbed nearly all of Union
County. The boys caught on to their
game and-welI, they got away, but
they didn't take any of our money
with them.
"The usual game out there is pull
ling straws. l have seen thousands
of dollars change hands on it. Two
men will sit down on a straw heap and
bet hundreds of dollars on the length
of the straws they pull out of the pile.
A great many white men marry In
dian squaws and live happily with
them. Our population is made up of
white men, Indians, half-breeds, Chi
nese and Mormons. There are great
many Mormons on the Grand Round.
I know of Mormons who have seven
wives aud forty children, and they all
live and flourish. The fact is, stranger,
we have lots of money and that's all
that we have got"
another want out there is men.
You send me 1000 men tomorrow and
| can get them work the year ronnd
Herders get $40 per month and board;
drivers of freight teams, SO per
month and board, and miners from
s. to 81 day. But man must be
square if he comes on the Grand
Round. While wages are good evey-
thing is high in proportion. Oats
are worth from SC to &c pound, eggs
75c dozen, butter 75c to 81 a pound,
-four SO to So barrel, potatoes &c a
pound, bacon 24c pound, tobacco
81, 25 pound, whiskey, half water,
S1,40 a pint. Native horses are
worth SIC per head, yearling cattle
81, 2-year-olds SIS, and the very
best cattle SIS per head. We
raise no corn or tender vege-
tables, but hardy vegetables do
we'll. The climate is heaIthful and
builds man right up. If a fellow
up and blows away.
81 am going now to Clear Springs
to find my parents, if they are alive.
Madison Downy, who lives near
Clear Springs, knows where they are;
at least he wrote to me that he did
about three months ago. When /
find the old folks L am going to take
them back with me il they will GO.
If they won't will stake them and
return to my wife and children at
Grand Round. I have bushels of
money and they can share it with me
If they will"
Wanted to rent By an invalid and
daughter, a furnished room near