Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-03-15


The Rio Grande Valley might be
likened unto the valley of the shadow
OF death. Where q few years ago
thousands Of head of cattle, horses,
sheep and goats grazed on luxuriant
and nutritious grasses Is now floor Of
sand and alkali. Buzzards and wolves
are all that Is left in animal like, ex-
cept few destitute and starving fam
lilies. In vegetation nothing Is seen
except the great green cactus, with its
forbidding thorns, which secure it
against an attack of even sheep and
goats. In Starr, Zapata and portions
of Encinal, Hidalgo Cameron, Dim
met, Maverick and Duval Counties in
the extreme southwestern portion Of
the State the direst want prevails.
In Starr County the situation is more
deplorable and the ruin and desolation
more widespread than in the adjoining
counties, but in sections of each the
same awful and gruesome state of af-
fairs is manifest. Until four years ago
this section was one apparently most
favored by nature. Vegetation was
rank in growth. The mild, salubrious
climate lent a charm to life, and all
was prosperity and happiness. Cattle
and sheep thrived and fattened on the
wild grasses, and with little effort in
the way Of cultivation the husbandman
garnered enough to supply all needs.
In the more favored localities, where
springs were numerous, little villages
had been established and large popu-
lation was cohtentedly living, deriving
=, fYNAn he. ,&<<
sheep industries. All this has been
transformed. The scene shifted and
the white, bleaching bones of animals
covering the ground for miles and
miles is all the eye now meets. No
crops have been raised or harvested
for four consecutive years. Even the
springs have dried up. The scene
presented is that OF a vast desert,
with nothing to relieve the monotony.
A sad State of Affairs.
To increase the want and misery,
hunger has attacked mankind as we'll
as the dumb animals. and many have
died praying for bread. For time the
poor subsisted on roots and prickly
pears, adding half putrid flesh stripped
from dead animals which the buzzards
had not completely devoured. The
little Mexican children are naked, and
the older ones without clothes t. cover
their bodies. Taking Starr County as
an example, fully 80 per cent. of all
live stock has persisted. A year ago
there were in that county $4,000 horses,
81, 900 cattle, 125, 000 sheep, and %. 600
goats. To-day there are not all told in
the county more than 10000 head of
four. footed animals. Wealthy men are
bankrupt and absolutely starving.
What is true of Starr County applies to
portions of other counties. The better
to give some idea OF the distressing
state of affairs, some of the losses sus-
tanned by ranchmen are: Z. Cara last
August owned $500 sheep, 100 cattle
and 50 horses; he has horses, 10
sheep and l COW left. E. Gonzales,
dead. G. Gomez, =, 50J sheep, 600 cattle.
horses all dead. G. and p. ranch, 1000
sheep; 800 left. f. Z. ranch, 1850
sheep; all dead. Peterson Brothers,
1900 cattle and horses: about $50 left.
This list might be extended indefinite
ly, but this will suffice to show the con-
dition OF the country.
So grave has the situation become
that all hopes have been abandoned.
The gnawing pangs OF hunger are be-
ing felt by all alive, and scores are fall
ing victims to starvation. The drain
upon the more fortunate has been so
steady that they cannot longer help
one another, and they have appealed
to the charity of the world for contri-
buttons of money, clothing, or pro-
visions of any kind. AS far as the
livestock industry is concerned, the
agony is over, as the animals bones
now strew the once green pastures. 1t
beeo mes necessary to feed the living,
and remove them to other localities
where they can begin the battle of life
anew. Mass meetings have been held
at some of the nearby towns, and
preparations are now going on to re-