The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-24
A TEXAS MYSTERY.

Texas one hears of strange characters.
Bold and daring men come here to
make fortunes, others come to escape
from h memory of their misfortunes,
and Others in search of adventure. No
one rel knew what brought the man
Carleen to the San Saba. He was a
mystery, and almost his every C was
clOuded in mystery from the hour that
he set his brogan shoes into the black
mud of M~enardville until one fine day,
ten years later, when he bid his cow
boys farewell, and they said as the
stage disappeared over the hills to-
ward San Antonio: There goes the
~trangest character that ever struck
Texas"
Mr.. Carleen was a F~renchman, be-
traying his nationality in the pronun-
citation of the score or more English
words he had picked up on the ROAD
from New Orleans to the prairieS OF
the Lone Star state. When he appear
ed for the first time in the streets of
the little fronier village where he
aferWard became so we'll known, he
was dressed as a common labOrer,
smoked a short pipe, n carried a
stout stick. The cowboys lounging
about the Brindle Star saloon sized
him up and rendered a verdict that a
good average job of strengthening
would just about fit the degree of ten
derfootedness that was manifested in
his language, manner and carriage.
After a few moments conversation the
WinkS that were exchanged between
the lOungers indicated the superior
| satisfaction that they experienced over
the correctness of their judgment. He
did want a job of herding sheep, and
he began to ask questions as to wages
| and about the price of lambs and ewes
and rams, while the barkeeper was
| giving him change for the big yellow
doubloon that he had selected from a
handful of loose coins to pay for the
! drinks. Something like respectfulness
on the part of the crowd toward the
| stranger, which had succeeded the
curiosity he had aroused, grew into
admiration when Mr.. Carleen accident
~ dropped a SilVer-mOunted revolver
from his coat pocket, and carelessly
picked it up with the Indifference of
an old plainsman. All were apparent
ly eager to answer his questions and
grant him information upon every
pleasure as to please the E>renchman
immensely.
Carleen longed about the hotel for
several days, getting acquainted with
the people and making himself i'm
mensly popular by his ~liberality. PeO-
pie thought it rather strange that such
a man would go off into the mountains
to herd sheep for $40 per month, but
those who were most intimate with
the TRANCE said that they thought
he simply wanted to learn the business.
There were others, however, who did
not hesitate to express the opinion
that the Frenchnan was a stage rob-
Der, n that he had come out into the
mountains to hide.
Mr.. Carleen soon demonstrated hat
he was not a slow man. He developed
and executed his plans with the rapid
ity that distinguished the greatest OF
all of his countrymen. While every
thing about him appeared to be
shrouded in mystery, he acted as if
he had nothing to conceal. He APP
peared to live for the purpose of as
founding n mystifying those who
were watching him. In the course of
eight or ten days the news came that
the mysterious Frenchman, after a few
days herding, had expressed himself
as being tired of following the flock
for wages. He had purchased 1000
head OF sheep nj paid for them in
good a Antonio paper, so the story
ran. Next he bought the famous Los
Floretas grant. containing 100 sections
of grazing land, and soon afterwards
Mr.. Carleen came to town, confirming
all these stories and making arrange
ments to put a barbed wire fence
around n of the largest pastures in
western Texas. Gould it be possible
that the man was going to actually
fence in "a. 900 acres Of land? This hap
pened back in the early 70s. before the
cattle kings and big syndicates began
to string barbed wire around whole
counties. The Frenchman spent the
night in Menardv71le. and long before
unrise on the next morning he was
ON his road to San Antonio, accom-
panied by half a dozen cowboys. driv-
ing a herd OF ponies in front Of them.
Ten days afterward a traveller re
ported on the San Saba THAI an army
WIS moving the prairies of west.
ern Texas. It was an army. but an
army OF laborers. stonemasons, a
penters. painters. machiniStS and
D teamSterS. The Trenchtnan WAN re.