The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-07-31
WILL Be ELECLED DYAW0AAN
"A Texas Queen Who Controls a
Congressional District.
Mrs. Richard King Owns Two Thou.
sand Square Miles of Territory.
Her Magnificent Estate and
Army of Employees. Her
Baronial Chateau.


gress will DO nominated and elected by
woman She is the widow Of Captain
Richard King, and she owns princi-
pality i'll southern Texas. Her landed
estates consist of about 1880, 900 ncres
that is to say, nearly 1000 square
miles. For taking care of this vast do.
main small army of men is required
Their votes are controlled by the mis-
tress, who Is to all intents and purposes
queen.
The records of the land Office at Wash
ington reveal some extraordinary facts
with relation to that part of southern
Texas which seems on the map to in
trude into Mexico terminating in "a
point at the mouth Of the Rio Grnnde
This region, nearly 80 big as New Eng
land, comprises four great counties and
lis owned by four fumilies-the Kings,
the kenncdys, the Collinses and the
Armstrong; Much the largest of tho
four shares belongs in fee simple to Mr.
King.
The ancient road from San Antonio
to Brownsville has been closed by Mrs
Kings fences. End thore are no gates
There is no road law in that country
The only way to get from Brownsville
to Alice is by stage route of 40 hours
The stage carries mail for q large part
of Mexico. In the entire distance there
is not single settlement, because the
territory trayersed belongs to Mrs. King
The region is wholly wild being used
for cattle grazing. Mrs. King is refer
red to by Richard Harding Davis in ORG
OF his articles, who remarks that ii is
difficult to imagine solitary family
occupying IN area larger than some Of
the eastern States-an area that would
In the east support dfsaa capital, with
governor and lcgislatu and numcr Gus
smah towns, with competing railway
systems and rival baseball mines
The owner oi this principality is
generous and liberal minded woman,
about 60 years of nge. She does much
good and takes care of her people To
each laborer on her estates she gives q
COW. Her ranch of Santa Gertrudis is
the largest III tho world 1t is bounded
by Corpus Christi bay for distance of
40 miles and by barbed wire fences for
800 miles more. From her front door to
her front gate is l3 miles, and she can
drive i'll her carriage G5 miles in IA
straight line without going OFF her own
premises. Her house looks like castle
on the Rhino--a typical haronial man
sion. 1t is situated on q slight ennencc,
surrounded by the modest dwellings, OF
her dependents and NY fields of waving
corn. Beyond on every side is green
wilderness of mesquite aud cactus.
The chateau is AS completely furnish
cd and Us handsomely equipped as any
mansion on Fifth avenue in New York.
No luxury that money can buy any
Where is lacking to the widow, who, by
the way, is the daughter Of the first
Presbyterian missionary to the Ric
Granae. Corpus Christi is the terminus
OF railway, and from that point q
conenuous stream of wagons carry ice
and other necessaries to tho ranch. Mrs.
King lives for several months Of each
year In palace at Corpus Christi He,
son-in law, Robert j. Kleberg, is gener.
al manager OF the ranch, on which arc
500, 900 cattle OF improved breeds. Long
trains Of freight cars are made I'D al
Cogpns Christi to carry Mrs. King s
eattle to the east.
To run the vast estate costs about
s1oo, 600 yenr. For every 20 miles OF
bafbed wire fonce there is q man to
make repairs and see that no break oc.
ours. IN the old days to cut fence was
an efense likely to result In the death
OF the perpetrators OF tho act. Three
hundred cowboys are regularly employ
sd, 4, 200 ponies being set aside for their
use. Every spring all Of the calves are
reunded MP for branding They are
driven into pen through wooden
chute, and as they Leave the chute each
one is caught by the leg and thrown
upsn its side
Then one Of dozen irons that are
kept redhot in an open fire is pressed
upon the animals nose All brands arc
registered, and sometimes each member
OF family has one. Mr. Davis speaks
or girl who came ont in society in
New York three winters ago. and who
Is known in Texas only as 1.-The owner
OF the triangle brand" Nobody can get
water in that country save by good win
OF the owners Of the great estates, and
no one can travel without their permits
zion, 1nasmuch as there are no public
roads. Thus 1t comes about that the re.
gton is entirely shut up and unused TO
any extent for agriculture, though it is
extraordinarily fertile. - Washington
Star.
Now to Cleanse Print Goods.
Ca1icOns uripph,rpo on1 obo,,oLx,.,-