Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-22

Oe compieteu W ven years IN uttto
more than three years tho capitol was IN.
ished, two years ahead Of our contract
time. probably the largest and most
complete building ever erected In 20 short
atiinc. ftisavery large building, cover
ing, as II does, two and a quarter acres OF
ground. The building has four stories,
and the large glass lone star--emblem Of
the state--On top of the statue Of liberty
Is 81 feet above the base line Of the build.
ing. IL IL state house which compares
favorably with any other state capitol In
this country, though Il was. built In q
little more than three years. and at an
expense to the state Of nothing more than
slice Of their still plentiful wild land.
That Is how my partners and myself hap
pened 10 become the possessors Of tract
Of land in Texas as big as the state Of Con.
necticut."
A few miles west Of the Farwell tract,
in New Mexico, is sheep ranch about
which have heard queer story. Il was
told me by Mr.. O'Brien Moore, a WASH
ington newspaper correspondent, who
knows the great empire called Texas as
well as some men know the towns In
which they i've. Three or four years
ago." said Mr.. Moore, when the survey.
ors were running the lines for this Far
well syndicate, they came upon sheep
ranch on the headwaters Of the Canadian
river There were 1900 or 5000 head of
sheep, all In good condition, and the place
looked like aprosperouso one, but no signs
Of human life were TO be seen. Knock
ing at the door OF the cabin brought no
response, and there were no evidences at
hand that man had been there for many
day.
Presently a big shepherd dog came
running up to them from the prairie. At
first he was inclined to be hostile, but
finally yielded to gentle treatment, and
then his joy knew no bounds. A window
IN the cabin was open, and in and out of
this the dog jumped three or four times,
till at length the surveyors concluded to
follow him. They clambered In the
window and there found the skeleton of
a man, which the dog whined over and
treated as though something dear to him.
Thus the story was made plain. The
master, lone sheep ranchman, had died
In his cabin, and the dog had taken care
of the hocks Records found in the cabin
showed that the man had been dead three
years, and that the flock had increased
100 per cent. under the faithful animals
management. Every night he had driven
the sheep to the corral. just as his master
had taught him to do, and his body was
covered with scars and sores received in
combat with preying coyotes. This story
was printed about the time the discovery
was made, but 1t was not believed 1t
was everywhere set down as one of those
wild western yarns which are 30 com
mon in the newspapers. But happen
to know that this remarkable tale is liter
ally true. The relatives of the dead man
came on from the east to claim the ranch
and the sheep. and what do you suppose
they did with the dog? Why, they sold
him to a friend of mine for $3.50. II a
dog like that had fallen to me no money
could have bought him."
asked Mr. Moore what he thought of
the future of Senator Farwolls great
tract of land.
why" said he. ''it will make him or
his family almost as rich as the Wander
bits You do well to call it an empire.
The growth of Texas, already one of the
marvels of the world, has just begun.
Do you know that the census of 1900 is
likely to show Texas to be the sixth state
Of the Union in population Her popu-
lation is now not far from :, 900, 900, and
this places her next to Missouri, with
only that state and New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Illinois leading. In the
year 1900 Texas will probably have a
greater population than any other state
of the Union, New Yorb alone excepted
If Texas were as thickly populated as
Ireland it would have population a
65,0O0,000, and nobody who knows the
state will deny that it is capable of sup.
porting population much more dense
than that. 1t is country in which can
be seen growing side by side cotton,
corn, wheat, barley, sugar cane, rice,
tobacco and all kinds of vegetables;
where in the orchards such tropical fruit
as oranges, bananas and pomegranates
grow side by side with hardy apples and
ether fruits indigenous to northern eli
mates. The future OF Texas almost
leaves the realm of mathematical specu-
lation and becomes like dream. In
the development and prosperity of the
state this 3,OOO,O 900 acre tract of the Far
wells is sure to become one of the most
extensive and valuable estates in the
world" WALTER WEILMAN.
ELBRlDGe T. GERRY.
s(nunu,nsloru - and prntectar ~ Tho N.,.