Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-05-14

more passed -'Alma," which, being inter
perted, means the soul. So it is, every ten
miles one comes TO town expecting to be
city in this wide, wide country, 50 Wild,
but yet so beautiful.
THE PANHANDLE COUNTRY
is watered by the Red and Canadian rivers
and their tributaries, and the Southern
Kansas r. R., forms junction with the
Fort Worth and Denver City r. r., at
Washburn in Armstrong county, a growing
little town in the center of the Panhandle
of about or hundred people. The soil
of the Panhandle counties of Texas, among
which are Dallam, Hartley, Potter, Arm
strong, Donley, Hall, Childrees, &C., varies
from light sandy to a black and fer
tile stiff soil, comprising almost every soil
existing in the
BEST AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS
of the State. The prairies are covered with
luxuriant growth of the native grasses,
and all along the railroad can be seen fall
wheat and other grains in fine State of cul-
tivatian. Texas has done wisely in perpetu-
ating the names of her heroes by naming
her counties after them-as examples, the
counties mentioned above; Dallam, after
James W. Dallam; Hartley, ]. G. and J. R.
X. Hartley, Gall three of these men were
eminent jurists) Potter, after Robert Pot
ter; Armstrong, after j. B. Armstrong !;
Donley, Judge Stocton P. Donley; Hall, af-
ter Warren D. G. Hall; and Childress, after
Geo. G. Childress, and SO Oh, all over the
state.
SHE HAS HER AUSTIN,
her Burleson. Crockett, Faunin, Houston,
Travis and Bowie, and many others of her
n,rr 70 horaav Than aba hos h Ga1-
houn, Stephens, Clay, Madison, Taylor and
Washington counties named for heroes of
early days. Then she has her Lee, Stone
wall, JEFF. Davis, McCulloch and others of
war fame. Then even Of the present day
she has ber Coke, Fisher, Lubbock, and
Throckmorton counties, and many others;
in fact, most of her $50 counties are named
for heroes past and present. !.
Still on and on rolls the iron. horse towards
the rocky mountains, and after leaving the
Texas line at q email town called TeXline
the road passes into New Mexico with its
barren and sandy plains as far as the eye
can reach on both sides of the railroad
track. The D. G. & Ft. W. R. R. passes
through a corner of this territory, and has
only about $50 miles of track in it.
THE FIRST HILL OR MOUNTAIN
light was Mount Dora, which appeared
within few hundred feet of the track, but
in fact was five or six miles off, and here
appeared something in the shape of a fence
that was new. Wherever cut had been made
in the road an old Virginia worm-fsnce was
standing about 20 feet from the track and
about 10 feet high beginning where the cut
begins and ending with it, and only on the
side of the track next the mountain or hill,
and called s'Snow-fence. These fences
occur all the way through the mountain
country and are built to keep the snow from
FILLING UP THE CUT,
and preventing the snow frcm piling up a
bank and delaying the trains; none appe
by the side of the grades in the road, as the
strong winds sweep these, aud keep them
clean of snow. At Folsom, the passengers
took breakfast at o'clock and reached
Trinidad, Colorado, about 10 O'Clock. Long
before reaching this Mexican looking tow,
the Spanish Peaks came ia view; first on
one eide of the track and then on the other,
looking like white clouds in the distance
and then appearing within a few hundred
feet of the train.
1t would be Impossible for the writer to
describe these snow covered mountains, at
one time appearing like the heads Of bald
eagles, at another almost near enough to
be reached by the hand. AS the writer
looked at these vast and curious sights, be
began to compare,-in fact his whole life
has been
LIFE OF COMPARIsoN,--
and the grand sights of the Blue Ridge of
his native State stood by the side of these
snow-covered peaks, and, in his mind, one
appeared as DEATH the other as life; one
dry. the other green; one barren, The other
productive; one old, White-headed and use
less, the other young, foil of life and vigor
and beauty. This was the first snow the
writer had seen for Eve years, and he felt
like he wanted to reach out and make a
snow ball, and, of course, made as much
fuss as
HEN WITH ONE CHICKEN
over the first glimpse of the great Rocky
mountains. Not very long after, ''Old
Baldy" came in sight, another peak in this
range of mountains, given this nams on ac-
CO Int of its having neither snow nor trees,
and then came in view the great Pixies
Peak, which was in view either on one side
of the track or the other all day, until the
writer reached Colorado Springs, and then
he could see it any time il the day, by
turning his gazo to the westward, always
covered with snow; always grand and sub
lime.
After leaving Trinidad, the route to Colo
RADIO Springs was about $50 miles. At Pu-
bblo, the passengers took dinner, endswhile
in this Mexican looking town, a high noun
tain to the right, watch had the appearance
of
CASTLE IN DAYS OF OLD
naturally drew forth remarks from the pas,
sspgers where they learned from the con-
ductor that in early days man by the
name of Simpson, who had taken up the
claim on which the town was built, was
buried on top of the mountain, and the
mountain is to this day called Simpsons S
monument. Simpson had no family, was
excsntric, peculiar and curious Ia his
will, he left all his property to tho town
With the provision that he be buried on top
of this mountain. This, of course, was
done, and it took tao whole days to bury
him, after his grave was dug out of solid
rock and for nearly 20 years. Simpson has
rested up thers in peace. After travelling
thr9e days and nights, the writer reached
Colorado Springs and was clasped in the
arms of
TIE BEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
The poets beautiful wrots:-
My Mother! Manhood's anxious brow
Aud sterner cares have long been mine,
Yet turn to theesfondly now,
AS when upon .hy bosom's shrine
My infant griefs were gently hushed to rest,
And thy low whispered prayers nay slum
Der biessed.'
Eighty bright summers and cold winters
have passed over the head Of that sweet
old lady, who shed tears of joy as she
pressed to her bosom her baby, her Benja-
min, whom she had not seen for a score of
years. The writer had travelled with
white. haired old gentleman. whom he told
he was going to see his mother. ''That is
right" said he. ''you will never regret it; I
sometimes forget places and things, but
never my mother !; her name is SO eDtwn-
ed around my heart that it will cease to
beat before | forget it. She is the best
friend yon ever had, you are doing right by
going to see her,"
And tears came to the writer's eyes as he
related this to his mother, as he sat near