The daily sentinel., 1909-03-06
LOCAL PEOPLE TELL
OF TRIP TO TEXAS
lContlnued from yesterday.D

tCOntinued from yesterday
While driving across the country
we We're wildly reminded of a story
which Mr. Dresser of Montrose had
told of a college graduate who had
come down into that county to work
on ranch. Having been sent out
one afternoon to bring a bunch of
sheep back into the corral, he refused
TO accept horse and referred to his
ability as runner on his college
team. The young man did not sue
ceed in getting the sheep into the
corral unrn long after dark and on
coming back to the ranch house
boasted that he not only got the
sheep but every lamb. The ranch
men and those in the house were
much surprised as they knew there
Were no lambs among the sheep and
on going out into the corral they
found II large Texas jackrabbits.
These are not very numerous in the
part of the country we visited, but
those that are there are "a. tremend-
ously large, 1t has been said that
years ago when Texas was an open
state and a great deal of drinking
was being done, that the name of
Jackrabbit Whiskey originated from
an incident which happened on one
of the larger ranches. 1t seems that
the ranch men roped one of the larg
est rabbits and poured little red
eye down his throat. This so stim
uIated Mr.. Jack that he ran up to a
bull dog and spit in his face From
this incident originated the name of
Jackrabbit Whiskey 1t is needless
to relate that the entire section of
Texas is dry and the nearest thing we
saw to whiskey was n field of barley
growing in Grand Falls.
we spent Sunday night in Pyote.
catching an early train up TO Barstow
l1n the morning. Mr.. Dresser and Mr..
Address had gone ON ahead and our
party now dwindled TO four people.
Monday morning, we got an early
start on the west bound Texas S
Pacific train and got off at Barstow.
We saw one or two of their orchards
and although we know what quality
of fruit they grow there, were fore
IDLY struck with the lack of system
or energy and found that the Barstow
orchards did not compare in any way
with those in the Grand valley. as
ranch owners did not seem to care
anything at all about looks. The
vineyards for which Barstow is espec-
! tally noted. did look very well kept
up and we have neglected to state
that the entire system of irrigation
used in this part of the country did
] flood everything in Texas From
I Barstow we drove back to Pecos and
caught the train north on the Santa
\ Fe to Carlsbad spending the night
there and starting out next morning.
We had intended getting off at Ros-
well to see the much talked of Hag-
erman orchard From what we heard
of IL, il is certainly something to see.
Mr.. Hagerman is a man of very large
4 H. q n 4
! apples, every acre of which is beau
tifully taken care of and 1t is credit
to that part of the country. We did
at great deal of talking to the ranch
owners throughout New Mexico and
Texas in regard 10 their crops and
climate, and we We're certainly very
much surprised to find that the tenn
perature in that section of the coun-
try does not go any higher in the
summer than we sometimes have il in
Grand Junction and that the people
who live there seem to think 1t the
greatest climate in the world. They
certainly do not have the late frost
to kill their fruit and at Barstow we
found all the almond trees in bios
som. These trees look very much
like our cherry trees and with every
thing else around them dry they look
ed very attractive and springlike.
NOW perhaps some OF those who
viii read this article have never met
Wampus Cat face to face and, there
fore. we will be glad to explain for
their benefit just what kind of an
animal this is. II seems there are a
number of men in the southwestern
part of Texas and New Mexico and
the Panhandle district who have good
lands for sale at reasonable prices.
| They go north, east and west to in
terest different farmers and ranch
owners in coming down to look over
their lands. There are also other
men in that section of the country
who are too lazy to go and get any
body, these men stay at home and
| hang around the railroad station, the
hardest work they do being to chew
tobacco, and when the different real
| estate men bring their prospective
buyers down on the train the Wam-
pus Cats meet them at the station or
ride down on the train from one
town to another and by telling the
men lot of fabulous tales, which in
Texas are called lies. try to get them