Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-11

gambler His father is S3 years of
age, but is of different disposition.
| He is a money lender.
! Everything Is Branded.
! Wagner is also good town. Here
the cattle interests are quite extern
sive. Everything here is branded. The
hogs even show the mark of the brand
ing iron. | find on reaching Musco.
gee that it is quite as good a place for
business as Vinita, but | think not so
many fine homes. Ny customer here
carries $l60,000 stock of goods, con-
sisting OF hardware, harness, wagons
and buggies, farm machinery. grain
and seeds of all kinds. Their office
fixtures are simply elegant They en-
ploy 40 clerks in the house and as
many more men at outdoor work
In Creek Country.
Muscogee is in the Creek country.
Here the negro seems to predominant.
The Creeks adopted the territory
!. slaves when they were freed and they
are so badly mixed now that you can
| hardly tell which they are. These ne
groes as we'll as the Indians are en-
titled to their allotment of 100 acres
each and the Creek nation contains
, much of the best land in the territory.
t One negro told me that he and his
, family own 1,600 acres of as good land
,I as the sun shines on. That he has 100
acres of corn and so acres of cotton
= planted which he cultivates. White
( men have some of his land rented and
. he receives over $1,000 per year from
/. that source. But the poor white and
,1y tlo+ do tn trihp
3 have hard row. They come in here
e with nothing but their teams and the
!. large stores carry them from year to
9 team, household goods. stock and crops
d then they issue them scrip, first de-
J. Quoting 10 per cent for interest. The
crop is delivered to the merchant dur
ing the fall. Then they balance ac-
g counts and Mr.. Farmer is compliment
3 ed on his industry, he is only $50 or
t 500 behind, then it takes all his hogs
@ or calves to square the bill and he
V starts the next year with the same re-
V suits.
). The Creeks have Just ratified the
s Dawes treaty and when they receive
;, their allotment they can sell 100 acres
f of their 100 upon approval of the gov
J., eminent. What | have said OF the
O towns mentioned from business
+ standpoint is true of all the towns
Il along the NJ, K & T. R. R. from Vinita
v to Durant. the last town in the nation
q on this road. The milk wagons here
:. have printed on them Jersey Dairy
q and just below they have picture OF
a cows head with horns as long as
= the dimensions of the wagon top will
t. permit.
. Through Texas.
Is struck Texas at Denison 1t is q
le good town and is connected with Sher
Is man, twelve miles south, by an excel
h, lent street car line Sherman is also
t. good town The land here is very
, fiat and is what they call here the
If black lands and is worth from $40 tc
~ $50 per acre. The best land that
70 have seen here is around Brookton. i
It. is gently rolling, just enough to drair
e, nicely but not wash. 1t, too, is yer!
ly black and is worth as much as tina
around Sherman, although BrooktoI
is but small place.
Half way between Denison and Sher
~ man on the street car line is jackrab
or bit farm enclosed with lumber ant
re wire netting and every Sunday after
81. noon they have what they call cours
80 ing. They turn a rabbit loose, an
DIS two gray hounds in the part enclose
as with lumber and then you see a rae
re that is often very amusing. They tel
nv me that the crowds from both town
Dy are immense and the races are YER
I'D exciting.
Much Cotton.
Ell Paris, Texas, is another fine town. A
ad every station you see platforms 10
an piling cotton on,at Paris they have fl
l teen acres of floor space for this pul
DIS pose. Leaving Paris for the mort
Is you cross the Red river and it is prof.
no erly named The water is a dirty re
Tx. color as full of mud as the old Mi
AT souri, or worse if any difference. A
Ils ter crossing the Red river you al
ne again in the Indian Territory TIL
ed soil is very red and also very fertile
so but is thickly covered with timbe
re The trees are not very large but tn
IN land lies well for agricultural pu
- poses for distance of twenty mile
cd or more from the river, then it b.
OF comes quite mountainous and contil
of ues so nearly to FIT. Smith, Ark. TIL
an. mountains are well covered with tin
Of ber with millions Of pines the size {
Of telephone poles. towering away aboN
If all the other trees. There are man
lie. fine views along this route.
,ot FIT. Smith is a beautiful place. Il
To main street is about 200 feet wide, lai
out by the government when the
-, built the fort.
fn,, Views of Arkansas.
ed ! was at Fayetteville, Ark, on Dec
ed, ration day. There We're not less tina
er- 10000 people there The woods wei
of full of teams of every description, i
TO Guiding OK teams. People came hors
ing back, in buggies carriages, covere
ing wagons, any way to get there. The
led were fifteen lemonade stands and ca
rty ing places, 1.-TWO for colored people
APP and merry-go-round. and takers
but all descriptions. They have Il
ley speakers stand in the cemetery. I'll
ne cemetery is fenced with five 70
ms. brick wall in fine shape. There a
lall about 1900 federal soldiers burr,
lila. here. Each grave is marked with
Of sa1Iara stone hearing n number Son