The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-03
A Lesson to South Carolinians.

The emigration of white people from
South Carolina to the southwest, which
took away from this State in rs years
hundreds of thousands of residents and
built up other States with millions of
tl cir descendants, has practically
ceased, but it is worth while now and
then to fortify the resolution of the
stoN at hcmes by showing them what
n good many South Carolinians have
left their State to find in new fields.
The Piedmont Headlight prints let
ter from Mr.. B. P. Templeton of Ely
sium, BastrOp County, Texas, to his
brother, who resides near Cross Anchor
in Spartanburg County. Mr.. Temple
ton left South Carolina for Texas in
1867. Under date of March 90 he wrote:
I wish that some Of the rain that the
papers say is falling in the Allegheny
and Blue Ridge region could be trans
ferred to this God-forsaken, drouth-
stricken, water famine cursed western
Texas. You know have been writing
you about the very light rainfall which
we have had for several years. Since
the weather has turned warm the little
surface moisture we had on the ground
is rapidly disappearing. Many people
all over western, northwest and south
west Texas are hauling water anywhere
from 60 sc miles anu in many places
the water supply that they are now
drawing upon is being rapidly ex-
hausted, hundreds and thousands of
people all over this drOuth- stricken
section will soon have to abandon their
farms and homes and go for many
miles to water, and camp where the
water Is until it is exhausted and then
move to other water if they can find it,,
If it does not rain in few more weeks
thousands Of stock (horses, sheep and
cattle) will be dying for water, it will
be impossible for their owners to save
them, If they are driven to permanent
water they will starve for something to
eat, therefore it will be impossible for
their owners to save them.
1 tell yeu it is terrible to think of;
it is blank, black despair for Thousands
Of people all over western Texas; no
such conditions ever existed before.
During the drouth of 1866 and 1857 in
west Texas, there were but few people
here to be affected by it and the dry
portions of the country were entirely
unsettled at that time, where it is now
largely IN cultivation and thickly set
tied where the land is good and water
to be had.
You have often heard the expression
'Hell broke loose in Georgia" but if it
does not rain soon oil over western
Texas the expression must be changed
to 'Hell's broke loose in Texas" Think
Of it, people hauling water 8, 10, 15 and
in some places 90 miles. Right here in
this section some people are going 8,
4 and s miles with their plow teams
once n day for water, and this is in here
on the Colorado river where the water
is supposed to be permanent. What
would you do, if you turned out to-
night after hard days blowing and
had to go 3 miles to let your poor old
mule or horse get a drink of water?
tell you it il terrible, and there is no
sign OF rain. All signs and indications
point to d long continuation of the
present weather. and conditions.
If We could get some of the rain that
You fellows don't need we would be all
right ! am discouraged, aisgusted
and heart-sick and will not bore you
with the snbjectany longer, but l can't
think of anything else. -
To make .be crop with the least ex-
ncnsa Ia hiiainesa .n3 !s &C.. ..saii i,usi-
ness 1t Il sImplN huainasr. 70 buy uonr