The times., 1901-04-21
FORMER DAYS IN TEXAS.
"Reminiscences of Flush Times in
the Lone star State.

(From the New Orleans Times-D -Dcmocrat)
The old Judge was in a reminiscent
mood. That was plain by the manner in
which he directed his fire at the big Gus
pdor half way across the hotel lobby.
The papers tell us he finally began
! that the Texas steer, that famous ami
NAL with long horns and a band bigger
than gridiron, is passing away. His
| companion, the being whose face is griz-
zled and whose boots are of rawhide and
! whose profanity is apDaIIing is also go-
! ing over the Great Divide The first is
| being succeeded by grade Shorthorns
/ Herfords, and others of the swell set in
! cattledom, while the latter is giving way
! to the cold-blooded business man, who
/ has reduced cattle-raisng and feeding to
! a science, and who follows that aVocatiOn
/ not because he knows nothing else, but
| because he has found it to be profitable.
! We'll, sir. with the passing of these
! two the great Commonwealth of the
! Southwest loses its most picturesque fea-
| lures. BY those who have spent the
| greater portion of their lives in this coun-
! try, ny the cowboy, whose only compan-
! ions for weeks at time have been the
! long-hOrned boys, and whose only boss
/ the picturesque man in TaWhlde boots
/ by all who still possess little sentiment.
! in spite OF the commercial spirit of the
/ age, this viii be noted with feelings of
the keeneSt regret. Much has been said
against the development of the lOnghorn
and more against the cattlemen, but the
/ former brought many a dollar into Texas
| and kept it here, and the latter was a
most important factor in the development
/ of this State.
And speaking of development, I am re-
minded OF the great cattle boom we had
| here back in the eighties. Almost any
thing that wore horns and hair was worth
its weight in gold Texas Cattlemen had
more money then than they had ever pos
sessed before. or, As IT was subsequently
proved to the satisfaction of all, they
& ! l.1e ~ nFflga
l don't know what caused the boom.
| Thoroughbred cattle didn't do it. for in
those days the lOnghorn was still king.
| But / do know that cattle raising and
feeding were, for a time. very profitable,
indeed. There were many men who re-
Ceived in profits more money than they
knew what to do with. Literally, and not
fguratively, they had money to burn, for
some of them actually showed of occa-
sionally by lighting cigars with $40 bills.
1T was about the time this boom struck
Texas that cattlemen acquired passion
for diamonds. If one man bought stone
big the nail on his little finger, his
neighbor must have one that was as big
as his thumbnail.
This brought into existence a class of
peddlers the like of whom was never
known before, and very probably never
will be known again They didnt [ handle
tinware nor sell cement that would even
mend a broken heart. Their stock in
trade was diamonds-yes, sir, and of the
finest too. Think of 1t, will youl The
u
plains of West Texas with $500. 900 worth
Of diamonds in his grip and selling them
TO the owners of ranches just like other
peddlers Of the present time sell suspend
ers and shoeStrngs TO the farmers who
are too busy to go to town. Yet | know
il ~ be a fact because | have seen such
peddlerS and witnessed the display of their
wares made right out upon the open
prairie. / have often wondered why they
were not robbed, but there is not a case
on record. so far as | know of, where one
of these fellows ever suffered loss at the
hands of a highwayman.
After the diamond craze came the
craze for watches of fabulous value. AS
soon as 1t began the diamond peddIers
changed stocks Hand satchels that had
heretofore been packed with precious
stones now contained watches and watch
charms and chains l have seen a cattle
man pay $500 for a watch that he bought
on his ranch from one of these peddlers
The ttmepiece was generally IS karat
gold, with a steer head engraved on the
front lid and prairie scene on the back
IT was not unusual for the steers eyes
to be OF small diamonds. and maybe there
would be a good-sized stone in the place
where the brand out to be. The biggest
kind of diamonds were in the watch
charms.
so long as I live ! will never forget an
incident / witnessed in a Panhandle town
one day. A cattleman pulled from his
pocket a watch Of the kind 1 have de-
scribed.
How much did you pay for it?'' ask
ed companion, who owned an adjoining
ranch.
/" Five hundred dollars. was the re-
ply.
Pulling from his pocket watch that
was identical in every respect to the
other the questiOneT said that he had one
just as good which had cost him only
500
" 'Umph" said the man with the $500
watch; III bet 500 that | can throw mine
farther down the street than you can
e. n min
and the watches were hurled through the
air. Then these two men actually walk
ed lelsurely down the street and picked
up what was left of those watches. The
condition OF the tickers would have made
a blacksmith weep"
just because she made those goo-goo
eyes, hummed an Fastener.
Young man. snarled the judge, tits
your ignorance that makes you incredu-
lOus. You make me tired ] can't blame
you much though. But here's something
else that / saw and will make affidavit to:
4 once attended a Cattlemen'S ; bali in
what is now big Texas city, and saw dia-
monds sold at a little stand near the door
just the same as they sell red lemonade
and popcorn at a circus The sales were
heavy. too, and If ! could have had the
profit the proprietor Of that stand made
on his one nights business / don't believe
I'd be working now.
But these things are all OF the dead
past As ! said, that kind Of a cattleman
is no more. He has been supplanted by
lA4i'l9 Nait Ns4A llild BJltHlg VI USES LOT
their money IN the ordinary channels of
business. The modern cattleman is even
Of forming a trust so they say
and backed with enough thoroughbred
cattle, il may be he can do it, for Texas
In spite Of her thousands OF magnificent
farms, is still essentially a cattle raising
Country. Sometimes, however, / long for
the ODeu-handed ibcT8iity and the light
Of these cattle kings Of days
gone by Maybe it's because I'm getting
old, but this world seems to me to be get
ting moro keen moro cold b1ondad moro