Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-08-13
BIGGEST RAhCH N THE
WORLD IS IN Texas.
How Enormous Fortunes Piled Up IN
Fifty Years.
Men Who Own Millions Of Acres,
and Whose Ranch Headquarters
Are Towns.

= would interest ordinary mortals TO
know by the practice of what principles
If economy and industry a man away
s.ut here on the border is able TO ac-
SIMULATE a fortune of several millions
a,ade up bf a million or more acres OF
land and countless herds OF cattle and
horses. There are many of these big
fortunes along the Rio Grande, and to
a mar from one of the Northern States,
where a section of land is considered
all sufficient for a big farm, 1t sounds
rather startling to hear a Texan VINO
may not have clothing enough on MS
back to wad a shotgun talking OF ms
50,000-acre pasture, or Of this or that
string of fence fifty or sixty miles long.
The greatest ranch property that ever
was controlled by one man in America
has recently been divided into two or
three ranches, one of which is larger
thai many European principahtles.
Nearly all of the fine pasture lands IN
the Kennedy, the San Guertrudes ana
the King ranches were at on Time
under the control Of Captain King.
Remedy was Kings partner, n at MS
death his son became the sole owner
of the vast landed estates now known
as the Kennedy ranch, which is located
between Brownsville and Corpus Chris
ii. This is considered by all travellers
as the finest piece of ranch property
in the world. There are perhaps more
square miles in the King ranch, local
ed in the same country, but 1t is not
regarded as equal to the Kennedy rancn
either in value or the character OF the
improvements.
Both of these ranches and all OF the
countless herds of cattle, horses anu
wild mustangs that at one time roamed
over them. were owned, or at least con-
trolled, by King & Kennedy. THESE
two celebrated characters came from
New York to Texas when they were
young men. They took Horace Gree
ley's advice and began to grow up win
the country at the time when Iexas
was a wilderness and a province or Old
Mexico. They landed at the mouth OF
the Rio Grande, and at once began TO
trade in hides, tallow and horns. Live
animals and ever beef cattle at that
time were worthless. Being bright n
energetic, they soon mastered the
panish language = and ingratiated
themselves int the good graces OF the
rich and influential ranchers and pol
iticians on both sides OF the Rlo
Grande. AS soon as they were able
to control a little capital they ascend
ed the river in small boats and estab-
lished trading posts on the SHORES OF
the stream at every important point
they could reach. 1t was not long be-
fore the firm of King & Kennedy, CT
Brownsville and Matamoras, was pref
ty well known in Boston and New
York. They p%rospered from the begin
ming and in the course of a short time
they were able to put a fine
on the Rio Grande. Thoroughly vers-
ed in Mexican politics, and perfectly
familiar with the traits of character
peculiar to the natives of the frontier,
thew were shrewd enough to. escape the
dangers of these political revolutions
that did not yield them handsome pro-
fits.
The treaty of Hidalgo-Guadaloupe
furnished these aspiring young men
the opportunity of their lives, ard they
allowed no part of it to escape them.
BY the terms of the treaty between the
United States and Mexico all land titles
in the ceded territory were guaranteed
and confirmed to the holders by the
United States. That was certainly an
innocent looking clause in the great
treaty. but was the basis OF gigantic
frauds. interminable lawsuits and big
fortunes.
The ink on the paper was hardly dry
before California and Texas were COW
cred with old Mexican grants. More
than half Of these were audaclous
frauds. Many of them are matters OF
litigation before the supreme court and
the Department of the Interior to-day.
Texas presented a peculiarly inviting
field for the land sharks Of the world.
Scores of people turned up in Europe
who had old Mexican grants covering
thousands of acres of Texas lands. King
& Kennedy had money at that time,
and they at once began to buy every
land grant, every land warrant and,
in fact, every shadow of a title to Tex
as lands that came within their reach.
Texts was sparcely settled, and little
attention was paid to titles, for 1t
looked as if there was land enough out
here to furnish every inhabitant of
America with a farm. Everybody had
land, and half the people had much
more tnan they wanted. In fact, they
wanted everything but land. There
we're vast regions of country Inhabited
by poor people, where families could be
fnrnd with half-grown children who
had npyer worn q suOe Nr seen a hiScuit