Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-04-03
LETTER FROM TEXAS
A Former Alma Citizen Writes
an Interesting Letter From
the Sunny South.
SHOOT TO KILL IN TEXAS.
Mosquitoes and Scarcity of Water
Great Drawbacks-OnIyT Three
Fr0sts all Winter.

FLAToNIA, TEXAS, March "a. 100,
ALMA RECORD, Alma, Mich.
DEAR SIR.-It is three months tonior
row since i left Alma, and have hearC
from you quite regular through th
RECORD since i arrived in Texas an,
thought perhaps you would like to hea
something of this great state. II is grea
for several reasons besides its square
miles, which if you were to take the high
way TO prove it by would fud they were
not square, for the people down here
seem to think the nearest is the surest
and the roads trails we would call them
in Michigan) run at any and every angle.
i presume that is because there is so little
water here to drink that the surveyors
got so thirsty they were dizzy and could
not see the lines back of them. The
roads here are good deal like the rail-
roads in Wisconsin, they run straight
until they see something to shy at, which
in Wisconsin is mostly hills. If one is
standing on the rear coach of train
there it makes you think of being the
little boy on the end of string playing
crack-the-whip, you are about as sure to
see fall at any time of this year.
Since arrived in Texas / have seen
only three frosts; one morning there
was little skim of ice. You NAV think
II is because / did not get up in time to
see 1t, but / can assure you the trains
have habit of seeing how many stations
they can pass through between one and
SIX a. m, so you see am up in time at
least tog get breakfast. Old Texicans say
this has been the warmest winter thev
have seen. Corn is up about eight inches, |
cotton just coming up and as l look out
OF the window into the little garden see
peas cucumbers, cabbage. beets, onious
and radishes, all large enough to eat; all
kinds of flowers in bloom, fruits such as
peaches, plums and cherries are about
one-third grown, strawberries and lettuce
have been OH the market ever since |
have been here. Common old apples are
luxury with the people here, as much
as tropical fruits are in the north.
have not seen Northern Spy or Golden
Russet and only a few Ben Davis they
are mostly Missouri apples here and they
have not got the flavor of Michigan fruit.
was at Corpus Christa four weeks ago
and saw two cars of cabbage ready to
ship north. 1t was warm enough so there
we're several people bathing in the bay. ,
Have met great many people from the ,
lorthern states, you can always tell them
IS soon as they speak. for the native :
rexican speaks neither English or Afri-
an, about one-half of each; they say that
S because the children are nearly all
aised by colored nanny. have been ,
n nearly all the forts, the Alamo being !,
lie best preserved. The worst thing 1t /,
lave found about Texas so far, is the
title mosquito; they are not as large
S the Michigan variety. Hanging over
ach bed is a large wooden hoop or a
Iolder like giant pillow sham holder,
hat is covered with loosely woven q
abric- something about like the material a
sed by ladies for summer waists. When u
on get into bed drop that down around h
he bed and If you do not catch any of n
he winged variety, and there is none of y,
he slower kind that stay in bed all of
he time, you are safe. They leave the n
Greens on all the year but that does not n
eep out the little mosquito. The natives n
ere tell me the way they get through is q
, fly against the screen so hard that his q
rethren in order to save his life (i1e has Il
everal) get behind and help him, the $,
sst Of the way. y
] see by the RECORD that a man took n
is own life. If he had been in Texas p
e need not have had that to answer for. n
'r they have another way here if a man $.
ANTS to die. He just gets into an argue a
rent with some one and they usually o.
title 1t with six shooter and each one h,
les to see which is the best shot. They
inst be pretty good at least. for in the
Ist four l have read and heard about.
iere has been two funerals following
sch other, in that way you can Law the
lame on the other fellow.
b. ID. CLEMENT, -