Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-02-21
TITLED CATTLEMEN.
MEMBERS OF BRITISH ARIsToC-
RAcY IN TEXAS.
Some "Reminiscences Of Twenty Years
Ago When the Nabobs Owned
the Southwestern
Ranges.


'The experiences Of members Of the
English aristocracy in the cattle bust.
ness in the United States have left .
fund Of amusing anecdotes in ths
southwest" said r. L. Carlin Of Guth.
RE, who was an employe Of the Texas
& Pacific Railroad company In western
Texas IN the early 'SOs. to a Guthrie
correspondent Of the Kansas City Star
u have keen remembrance Of the
earl Of Aylesford, who bought q ranch
near Big Springs, Tex, abotu 1884 OF
1885. | was living at Big Springs and
saw the earl and his companions Al
most daily. His family name wal
Finch, and with him we're his two bro
theirs, Glenn and Dan Finch, rollick'
ing blade known as Lord Harry Cor
don and an Episcopal clergyman
known as Bishop Bernard.
Locally, the earl was called Judge.
which he did not resent. He was re
ported TO have an income Of 255,OOO I
year, and his expenditures indicated
that his means were large. He bougnl
. frame hotel at Big Springs, which NJ
used exclusively for himself and party
when they were not at his ranch, HI
once was owner of Big Springs So
loon for one night He paid $4,000 FOL
the establishment and presented it mex
morning to the man from whom b
bought it. never saw any members
Of his party pay for anything. They
played pool and billiards frequently IL
q local resort, smoking the best cigars
and taking their drinks regularly. Al
the close OF their games the tickets
were cashed by the earl.
The earl and his friends were grea'
sportsmen In the field they ofte1
used 207caliber guns for birds, shooting
pinfire shells imported from England
The earl had hunted in all the biz
game countries of the world, and his
collection o. furs, skins and heads was
Of great value His ranch house was
filed with them. In cedar chests hi
kept photographs and mementos OF hi
life abroad. His ranch house wal
burned by accident one night and wal
destroyed, with all its contents.
Il was invited once to join his partJ
in a winter hunting trip, and during
the expedition saw surprising illus
tration of the bath loving Englishman
The weather was cold and had ariseI
early, chilled to the marrow, and wal
shivering near the cooks fire, whcI
Gordon crawled from his sleeping bag
to dress. About so feet distant was I
pool of water covered with thin coat
ing of ice. Bless me SOUL shoute'
Gordon, what a jolly chawnce for ;
bath, and he plunged into the water
breaking the ice as he went and fol
lowed by the earl and his brothers
The sight was excruciating to
warmth loving American, but the bod
les of the Englishmen glowed pink am
red in the frosty air.
Despite his youth--he was about 81
the carl was looked upon as an ED
erly man by his companions. He ha;
gone the pace, and soon paid the pen
atty. When his physician called on
morning the earl, who had been in be-;
several days, asked that his pulse b
taken. We'll, judge, should say tina
you have about 15 minutes to live,
said the physician, after making hi
examination. If that be your opinion,
replied the earl, without tremor, 'giv'
me good, big farewell drink Of Amer
lean whisky He emptied his glass
and with long sigh turned on his sid
and was gone.
"The cablegram business at the LITTLE
telegraph office Of Big Springs for thu
next few days astonished the operators
The rate was $1.1O word, and the ca
BILE was used as If the senders were
writing letters. One Of the first mes
sages Of coincidence from Englant
came from the prince Of Wales, nov
King Edward. The body Of the ear
was taken home BY all his retinue, and
none Of them ever returned. incident
ally, the physician found that the earl'i
liver weighed IA pounds"