The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-05


dreds and thousands Of square miles
Of grazing lands, ana around all this
vast scope Of country he began to
erect wire fence. He instantly
broke ground for the purpose Of cstab-
fishing home place on tho banks Of
the Sau Saba. Hundreds Of Iaborers
were set to work quarrying rock, while
other hundreds were engaged in dig
ging for the foundation Of his house.
1t took him two years to complete this
immense structure. 1t covers at least
u half an acre Of ground aud is five
stories high, and altogether one Of the
most beautiful and astounding pieces
OF architecture in America to-day.
The walls are of pure white marble,
while great columns Of blush granite
support magnificent porch extending
around two sides Of the entire siruc.
tnrc. artists came from Paris to cx-
crt lhclr skill on the ceiling and walls.
During the time that hc was building
the place away out here on the from
tier Of Texas, Carlccn never said II
word Of his family, or, for that ma liter,
8 word Of his own history. Ills
tongue ran like bcll-clappcr nn all
subject but one and that one was
Carlccn. Ills agents had purchased
cattle all over eastern Texas, and as a
consequence at the end OF a year or
more his immense estate was well
stocked. At that time he was regard
ed as one Of the greatest cattle men ON
the frontier
The strange man did not limit his
extraordinary improvements to the
palace that he erected. He kept Il
large force in his quarrics, and little
army Of masons we're employed for sew
rral years i'll building long lines Of
stone fences. These structures we're
not erected after the manner Of such
old tumble down affairs as one nf.c:
sees i'll the older States. The walls
were OF solid dressed stone. and there
were great stone pillars around the en-
tablaturc, on which were trailing
vines clusters of grapes, and fcstoons
OF flowers, exhibiting in the highest
style Of art the skill of the sculptor
Between these pillars swung massive
iron gates. These arc not vet ruins
but here OH the wild hills Of the San
Saba, where wolves howl at night and
deer sleep beneath the shade of the
oaks, miles and miles Of these n,agni-
ficcnt walls may be seen winding over
the undulatlng prairics and through
the green valleys, while up there on
the mountain stands white against the
western sky that gigantic pile of stone
and mortar, Of which no man can saw
whether it is monument to the
genius or folly Of the l'rcnchman Car
lccn lie was certainly Of yrca; nd
vantage TO this particular part of Tex
as. He brough. an abundance of
money into the country, and he gave
thousands of people employment. As
long as he prosecuted his riuautic
schemes this wa, the mos; prosncrous
portion OF the State. 1t one time
more than 1000 people were employed
upon the ranch. lie kept the road
open to San Antonio. distance of
nearly 200 miles, and relays of horses
were established every ten or fifteen
miles. lie had a daily mail. and the
road was filled with teams hauling
supplies and machinery to the famous
ranch. Carlcen was very fond of the
society of educated men and accom-
pllshed women, and for Il long time
the big ranch house. which he called
the palace Of ST. Cloud, was crowded
with people who appeared to be there
in search Of pleasure to the exclusion
of everything else.
lie had been pursuing his strange
career apout seven years: living like
Monte CriSto and exciting tho wonder
of all Western Texas, as if he were a
Cagliostro in league with the devil,
when one rainy evening, Just before
Christmas, a lady descended from the.
overland stage in Mcnardvillc. This
woman carried a crucitix in one hand
and Bible in the other. She in
quircd for Carlccn, and then asked for
room in which She might appeal to
God undisturbcd. On the next lay
she went to the palace Of st. Cloud,
and as she entered at one gate Carlcen
wen: out at the other. lie never
stopped until he was safely cmsconccd
inside of the White Elephant in San
Antonio. He never denied that the
little woman was his wife, but that
there was some terrible secret between