The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-09-28

Galycs,On's Horror.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS,
Sent IL. 1900.

oepl., 10, ljOO.
Editor Herdld:-You and your read
ers, in common with the rest of tn
newspaper reading public, have prob
ably seen many accounts Of the fearful
storm which brought such awful de
structiOn and loss of life TO Galveston
and the adjacent coast towns; but tin
greater the distance from the scene o
the disaster the less one can realiz
how appalling it was.
On Saturday afternoon in San Anto
MO we noticed a very murky ant
peculiar cloud in the northeast and 9
strong wind, increasing to gale a
night, began to blow from the sam,
direction. Everyone predicted thai
the morning papers would bring news
Of storm on the coast, but no one wa,
prepared for such news as came. Al
day Sunday there were anxious in
quiries in San Antonio who had rsla
tives there, but as Galveston was totally
cut of from communication with the
mainland nothing definite could be
learned 10y wire, 50 10y evening the out.
going trains were thrOnged with
anxious crowds going to the scene OF
the disaster to try to learn the fate of
their loved ones. After few days
they began to return, some bringing
several members Of their family, some
with only one, some alone. 1t is need
less to repeat the descriptions they
gave of the storm and its effects. The
newspapers have given many accounts
though all eye witnesses say that all
accounts are inadequate.
Many of the survivors who returned
to San Antonio were 50 shaken and
Frustrated by their awful experiences
that they could not be persuaded TO
talk about them.
One young man Of twenty-four who
saw all of his family killed or drowned
and himself escaped by miracle, came
back with bis face old and drawn and
his hair a. white as that of an old man.
Another whose wife and five children
were in Galveston, after searching for
three days among living and dead
finally found one of his little girls
wandering about alone frightened and
hungry, and OH another street another
little girl, the rest of the family could
not be found.
At first the number Of dead was
estimated at 1000 but it soon became
evident that that number was far too
low. On Wednesday, alone, the num-
Der of bodies burned and buried was
1900 and now all accounts place the
number over 5000. or course the loss
of life and destruction Of buildings on
the island and near the coast over
Swallowed the losses Of cattle and crops
farther inland, but for hundreds OF
miles farms were laid waste and crops
ruined.
For two years the weather conditions
i'm Texas seem to have been abnormal.
Last year there was no rain in South
west Texas for eight months and every.
thing was parched and brown. This
year we have had one severe storm
after another with destructive winds
aud torrents Of rain.
In Eastern Texas farmers have SUI
fered greatly, but. in the vicinity OF
San Antonio crops are good and cattle
are fat. Cotton is yielding well and
the price is better than it has been fol
years, but cotton pickers are very
scarce and much sought after
This is election year. Texas suffers
from elections every two years and the
ubiquitous candidate is abroad in the
land, free barbecues, giving and dis
pensing beer, which the Mexican voter
an important factor in elections
| finds much more attractive and profit
able than cotton picking.
The descriptions written 10y "On the
Go" of the many hOurishing and profit
able farms near Farmvlle are wei
calculated to make cOuntry-bred
Virginian homesick, though, when the
season is good, Texas cannot be sur.
passed for fertility and productivene :
We have had an abundance and variety
of fresh vegetables since February and
will continue to have them until frost
Please say to "On the Go" that "But
ter Girl" is not the only matron who
still keeps up and enjoys her girlhood''
practice of horse back riding. Every
morning when our Mexican, senoI
Porliro Quintero, brings up the horse:
he comes to inquire if Ia sonora wi7he'
her caUdiiO that day.
The HERALD is always welcome
visitor and the Farmville items and
the letters from adjacent postoilices are
read with interest. Success to the
macadamized road aud the Fair
p. w. n.