The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-08-31
BILL ARP'S TALK.
Arms visit to Fort Worth and Brownwood.

BILL ARP'S TALK.
Arp's visit to Fort Worth and Brentwood.
| Atlanta Constitution.
A few days ago I left Fort Worth for
Brownwood, which is $50 miles South
west. The Fort Worth and Rio Grsnde
railroad is new one, and its recent COM
pletion has brought all that beautiful
country within the limits of new civili'
cation. 1t is a splendid road, and its Of
6cers and its management are in general
favor with the people. Governor Hogg
| is said to be prosecutor and a prosecutor
of railroads, and this has rendered him
very unpopular with railroad towns that
are building up all along the lines OF the
new roads. T believe that it is within the
power of any railroad company to make
friends of the people. This road is an
| example. It has no enemies, and thers
are no heavy damage suits and no outra'-
geous verdicts. Everybody speaks we'll
Of Mr.. Hornsby, the general manager.
I went to Coleman, which is thirty-hve
west of Brownwood, on the road to San
| Angelo. The names of towns and Coun.
ties In this great county are peculiar and
impressive. The saints and the angels
and the holy land iPaleatine) are all rep
resented. The heroes Of the Texas Re-
public are all before you on the map.
Sam Houston, Crockett, Travis, Bowie,
Fannin and Lamar and many others have
counties named for them, and there are
Tom Green and Deaf Smith Counties.
They were pioneers who left name and
record. Deaf Smith is the man who
burnt the bridge behind them at San ia
cinto. These Texans 60 the whole hog
on names, for they have a JEFF Davis
County, and it is pretty we'll settled that
they will go the whole Hogg in Cover.
nor. Since the war they have honored
the Confederate heroes without fear, for
they have made some new Counties and
called them Stonewall, Lee, Jackson, Bee
Hood and Joe Johnston, and they boast
that they have plenty of unnamed terri
tory that they are saving for the heroes Of
the next war. -
Coleman is q brand new town of 1000
people-not an old house in it. They
have one of these seventy ,ive.t thousand
dollar courthouses that are so common in
Texas.
"What makes your people build such
magnificent and costly courthouses ~
said 1 to friend. Anchors" said he;
'"they are anchors to hold down the
County seat. They are building so many
new roads across this country, and so
many towns spring up along the line or
at their intersection that sometimes they
move the County seat by majority vote
and that leaves the old town out in the
cold. But they can't afford to sacrifice
seyenty-fye-thou dollar courthouse.
It is lust an anchor-that's all. I saw that
proven at Stepbensville, which is the
County seat of Erath. 1t has but one
railroad, but Dublin in the same County
has two, and Dublin is progressive and
ambitious and has street cars and water
works, and wanted the courthouse. It was
an old-fashioned, common one, and they
thought they could move it to Dublin.
There was great excitement and money
was spent on the election, but Dublin
lost and now they have just purchased a
seventy-fve-thousand-dollar courthouse
at stephensville, which they say will an.
chor the County site down.
Coleman is full of Georgians. They
fiocked around me there and I VAS told
that half of audience was from the good
old State. The truth is I don't see how
ne have so many people left in Georgia,
for they all over this country. I found
several men on the train that I took for
Brownwood-seyen from Murray and
Cobb and Whitfield Oounties-all going
to Comanche to buy land. I am told that
every train takes as many or more from
Georgia. They all know me and I know
some of their fathers. Georgians come to
the train to meet me at every station.
They want to say "howdy" and welcome
me to Texas. I was 30 sorry for old
Judge Mobley at Coleman, who had just
heard of the death of his noble son who
taught school in our town of Cartersville.
he was good son and one of the m ost
talented and exemplary young men that
I ever knew Of His untimely death was
great loss and it tgrievedme when I heard
of it. I met my venerable friend Judge
Marlborough at Comanche. He was my
fathers friend and thefriend ofmy young
manhood. After the war he emigrated
away out into this unsettled wilderness to
get away from the free negroes, and here
he has lived until q railroad has come to
his town, and now, in his eighty-fourth
year, be begins to realize that railroad
is not such a bad thing, after all, for al
most every day it brings to him somebody
that he used to know and he is comfort
ed. How tenderly he inquiries Of every
visitor, "Are you from Georgian" When
I left him in tho evening be pressed my
hand and said, "Can't you come back 10
the morning before you take the train
| 1t will do me so much good" Of course
went back. His good wife is still well
preserved, and we talked lovingly about
Rome and her people, especially those
who have crossed the river.
Comanchs boasts that thereis not pc
gro in the County, except one-juet one
who runs on the railroad and is allowed
to pass through. He is Democrat, they