The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1895-02-21
FIELDS OF $4,000 ACRES
And Straight Strings of Fences Over
Eighty Miles Long.

Eighty Miles Long.
Very few people at a distance, in
thinking of Western Texas, under
stand that nearly the whole of it is at
present fencel up in mammoth pas
ture, yet such is the case. Many OF
them are larger than ordinary counties
and some OF them embrace large parts
Of three or four counties.
Just west Of Belcherville, Tex, come
the Silverstein, the Ikeard and the
Worsham pastures. This latter con-
tains $4,000 acres, aud hes one line of
fence twenty,thfee miles long. Pas.
lures OF about this size continue in
almost unbroken succession until we
reach Armstrong county. There we
find what is known as the Goodnight
ranch, the southern boundary OF
which is little string of fence eighty.
three miles long. Charlie Goodnight,
as the owner is fsmilisrly known, is
considered one of the richest mon in
the Pan Handle, but l really feel sorry
for the boys il he ever sends them out
on hot afternoon to stop hog holes
in that line OF fence. 1t is hardly like
ly that this is the case, however, as all
fences in that country ara built to
turn cattle, and without reference to
hogs. There is little railway station
called Goodnight, which consists OF
the Goodnight residence aud the
depot. Mr.. Gooduightlives in almost
baronial style, His park contains
deer, drove OF elks,.an one OF the
few herds OF buffalo in the United
States.
Another fair sized holding Of land il
that Of the Espinella Cattle Company.
This contains over 100000 acres,
and takes in parts of Dickens, Crosby
and Emma counties. If the land
were in the form OF square it would
he about fifty miles each way. The
Matterdere is smaller, but still In
cludes rather more than 1,000,0OC
acres. These are both owned BY
syndicates, with headquarters in Lon
don, and they are only TWO selected
at random out of a large number
They have had their bearing on State
politics. If it were not for the rail
road commissioners, the uniform text
book bill and the alien landholdel
question, Texas politics would not b.
worth shucks.
The largest Of these alien land hold
ings belongs to what is called the Cap
itol syndicate. A few years ago tn
old capitol at Austin burned down
and it was decided to build anothe
on magnificent scale. An Englisl
syndicate agreed to put it up, and ii
payment therefor they received 5000
600 acres OF public lands. Does tn
header realize how big 100000 acre
OF land Isl Imagine slice of Ian,
twenty.four miles wide and extendin,
across the State OF Missouri at it
, northern border. Such strip woul
include the whole northern tier {
counties, and would he larger tha
several States Of the Union.
This would be about the extent {
the Capitol syndicate's pasture. Fe
= people have any idea that there /
:, such a thing as a single pasture, i
> one body and within one fence, large
than some States of the Union, y,
/ such is the fact. More than that,
:, is owned by foreign syndicate.
takes In half Of Deaf-Smith count
= and parts Of several others.
= Another large pasture is that OF th
x. |. 7. Cattle Company, 1t begir
6 with the Colorado line and extend
several counties back this way. I'll
= Fort Worth & Denver Railroad rul
through it. Some idea af its size ma
be gathered from the fact that the rel
ular night express train enters {
the south side Of the pasture at II %
and after continuous running leave
D il at 8 20 next morning.. A pastu
ot which it takes an express train 10,
hours and quarter to cross would
considered large in some countries
F, CHICAGO Times,