The Elbert County tribune., 1900-03-22

bloom and the grass is green.
The weather is quite warm and
the men folk of our party have
shed their coats and the ladies
donned lightsummery shirt waists.
All land is fenced here and cut
up into small farms. Good COM
Portable farm houses are thick
on every quarter section at least
and many farms are surely not
over so acres in size. Cattle are
in fine condition, but the horses
as rule are small, poor and
scrawney looking. l do not see
many more darkeys here than in
Denver Or Colorado Springs.
About Z p. N. after daylight
ride through this beautiful section
of the great state of Texas we
arrived at Houston, a city of
IS, 900 inhabitants-the railroad
center of the South, having 90
railroads that arrive and depart,
as Tom Richardson says. We
were met in a whirl by the city
press club and taken by street
railway to the Capitalize lead
ing hotel, where an elaborate sup
per was spread. Then we were
escorted TO the theater and with
the reception committee given
the boxes as honored guests of the
city. Tho next morning carry
alls drawn by fast horses convey
ed us all over the city, and the
reception committee composed
of many enterprising ladies and
gentlemen accompanied and ex-
planned the principal points of in
terest in the business and residence
sections. We were taken TO
large cotton seed oil mill where
cottolene and cotton seed meal is
manufactured, and found our
prejudice against cottolene rapidly
vanishing before we had gone hall
through it. Everything was
much cleaner than any packing
house we have ever visited and
the product being purely vegetable
must be hcaltbful. AT l2 o'clock
the carryalls brought US to the
depot where we boarded summer
:>ar (open sidcs) drawn by a motor
and were conveyed through the
suburbs six miles to the Bayou
a siuggish river-an arm of the
GuIf-on which floats, or used to
float, ocean vessels. A fine
little steamer had heen provided
for us, and our party which with
the reception and entertaining com
mitiee now numbered nearly 100
persons, never had more enjoy
able day than this. AS we steam
ed away from the pier 6ne string
band of four pieces, darkeys,
which accompanied us, played,
a splendid lunch was served and
all were supremely happy. There
were songs and dances by the
darkey band that were most lndi-
crous and entertaining, the scenery
was grand and The sociability and
hospitality of our friends was un-
bounded. We went down the
beautiful stream ten miles to the
battle ground of the famous battle
of San Jocinto in 1886, when
General Houston with 1000 brave
Texan soldiers whipped 10000
Mexicans and secured the inde-
pendence of Texas. Standing in
the center of the field is 4 tall mon
ument marking the last resting
place of the brave men who fell IN
the memorable battle, and num-
erous other monuments erected
bv relatives of soldiers. II is a
sacred spot to all Texans and as
we stood on the hallowed soil wet
with the blood of her fallen heroes
we confess we felt solemnity and
queer feeling such as we never
experienced before. In the shadow
of this monument, beneath the
large green trees that wave their
green branches in the sunny sum
mer breeze our association was
called to order and several short
eloquent addresses made.
Returning we arrived in Hous-
TON in time for a sumptuous sup
per at the Capital hotel Look
a.. l;ractorv | found no