The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-07-21
OLD SETTLERS REUNION.
A DAY OF RARE ENJOYMENT AT
LEANDER.
Meeting Of the Pioneer Settlers Of Old
Bagdad and Adjacent country-Hundreds
Of lettering Men and Women in
Attendance.


respondent here felt himself irresis-
tably destined 10 inflict his presence
on the good people of Leander. Why
this was thus when the voices of the
ripening corn tops called him to active
service between their rows if indeed
they should become a part of the
years supply of forage on the farm he
must leave to you for determination.
The Prairie City with its surround-
ing farms and retreating border of
cedar-clad hills nestles like a gem
within setting of emeralds. But ere
this vision of beauty and splendor
of creation burst upon his view as he
emerged from the bordering of cedar
hills your correspondent saw that
others, too, like himself, was being at
tracted by the same and yet mystic
rious power.
To whom does Texas owe her great
ness? TO whom does she owe the
possibilities of the yet greater future
she is now grasping? From the great
dome above, stretching into the inf
mite depths of space until God stands
at the one end and man at the other,
the answer comes vibrating
down through this and
the untold generations that is to fol-
low-The Pioneer Settler.
The good people of Leander know
this and invitations like the blades of
grass that covered their prairies in
the morning of it's discovery, were
sent out to her wanderers in every
cline saying: Come back to us and
let us renew old acquaintance and
talk together of the friendships of the
past, and 10! from over the hills and
from the far distant valleys, from the
east the north and the great undevel-
oped west they came followed by
their loved ones, rejoicing that the
doors that were never closed to the
chance wanderer were still open to
the weary feet of him and her who
sonce with tirmer step passed in and
out from them. And this was their
reunion. To your correspondent it
was like some beautiful and
strange visions of the night passing
in panorama before him. Here all
brightness and joy. There a shadow
as some palsied hand grasping an
other deeply furrowed by the scars of
time and in accents tremulous and
low nike the sounds of the aolian
strings inquired: "Where is John?"
and the answer came in O. fainter,
more tremulous tone: "DeadW
You men who in the mad rush of
business scarcely found time to as
sist in lowering that plain coffin into
its resting place in the bosom of
mother earth, you shed no tears, but
know you that there were not one
fearless eye in that little group as
those trembling hands slowly rose to
brush away the gathering mist in
those eyes that have long since, per-
haps, seen more of life than you may
ever see.
This July day of 1892, all lovely
and bright as bride waiting the
coming of her beloved was astir with
just enough breeze to play q gentle
lullaby among the bOughs of the
shaded valley of the little stream that
sent myriads of wavelets dancing over
it's pebbly bed, when the Hon. James
Faubion, taking advantage of pause
in the music rendered by violin,
harp and a cOrnet in the hands of
skilled musicians, assembled the car
peted platform and announced the
program of the day to the 1000 persons
present. A half hour was then given
for further opportunity for friend to
meet friend among the constantly
changing mass Of humanity.
A tramp to the pits where juicy
mutton, kid and pig were spreading
;appetizing tlavors around re-
vealed the culinary depart
lment of this one vast family
of people, for such they seemed
to be so loving, so trusting and con-
fiding they were. Before reaching
the pits we enter temporary en-
closure of barbed wire, and here are
the tables forming three sides of an
elongated square, many feet in its
longest diameter. Inside this square
was the table to be reserved for the
honored guest and capable of seating
the largest aggregation of old people
ever assembled perhaps around one
board in this broad state OF ours. 10
the side of this was a car load OF bas-
kets and boxes bursting with the
Jabors of love with which fair hands
alone know so we'll how to please and
replenish the hungry. And next the
pits stoud the carving tables, while
around and everywhere was one busy
scenes of animation. The watchfui
observer could not fail to see that
what at first seemed all
hurry and confusion was but the rapid
working of we'll organized force OF
willing helpers getting ready the din
ner to iced this great throng now lis
tening to the
ADDRESSES OF WELCOME.
The first by Mr.. Earl Faubion and
the second by Miss Ella Mason. Ihese
We're we'll delivered and went dlreee
to the hearts of the old folks. The re-
Spouse was made by Hon. Jas BAD,
cock of Burnet. From this we learned
that the first settlement made near
the present site of Leander was IN
1847 by Tommy Hornsby. Subsequent
additions to this settlement of one
family followed on frontier menaced
by dangers and deprivations that
none would now care to accept as
condition of settlement OF themselves
and family, and yet, without THESE
M one