THE IRISH IN TEXAS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 251, 22 February 1878, Page 15

THE IRISH IN TEXAS

BY ONE OF THEM.

[written fob the ulster examiner.]

I will divide the Irish in Texas into three classes— the professional or mercantile, the hoosier or farming and stock raisers, and the Bohemian and labouring. The first we find in almost all our citiesCatholic clergymen, judges, lawyers, editors, members of legislature, and merchants : the second generally together in settlement or colomds with comfortable homes, large farms from 100 acres to 10 000 and upwards, raising as crops all the cereals, maize, cotton, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, castor-bean, vegetables, and fruits, with farm stock. They have fine churches and schools amongst them. They are sober, industrious, intelligent, and hospitable. Amongst them Ive met some far down dark blue, hard-shell Orangemen, but found them saying their Eosary and going to confession just as natural as if they were white men all their lives. Most of our rich stock raisers are of Irish birth or parentage. Captain King, of Ranche San Gertitiulos, Neuceses County, has a pasture 90 miles square for his stock ; employs from 400 to 600 help ; takes to market in Kansas yearly, from 50,000 to 75,000 head of stock ; has generally upon the c^ ce c a mimber - Captain Kennedy has a like ranche. O'Connor, of Eefugio County is said to have made upwards of 1,000,000 dols by stock. He is called a small stock raiser. An Irish stock raiser in Live Oak County keeps an advertisement in the county paper which reads Ino poor or those in want, may use my brands (stocks) wherever they fend them. According to a State law, all stock must be branded with the owner s brand or initials. Nothing can claimed by him unless it is branded. Many of the brands seem to take their designs from tea chests. Many of the rich stock raisers made their riches by stealing the unbranded stock of Mexican settlers, putting their brand upon it Then our enlightened, advanced, and progressive Republican Government protected them. The third class of Irishmen will' be found in the different military posts— upon our railroads, mines, or farms. They are the best workmen we have, being invulnerable to the heat or climate. Many ot them make their mark, and advance to the front. A good deal has been written of the lawlessness of Texas. Such has been the case m every country where the Anglo-Saxons have yet settled. Nothing will keep them m the bounds of civilisation but fear and force. We have got here faction parties and desperadoes, the chief and most hellish being the Taylor, Sutton, and Hardin parties. Wesley Hardin senior, was a Methodist minister, settled in Gonzalcs County. He and his two sons got quarrelling with his neighbours, and brought on the great faction party of Taylor against Sutton. The faction extended over the whole county of De Witt and a portion of Gonzales. Hardin and one son were lynched ; the younger Wesley, was outlawed and is now on a series of trials for twenty-six murders. He boasts himself of only killing seventy-eight. During the Taylor and Sutton faction nght about 400 or-500 people got shot and lynched. An Irish mason who had built a chimney for one of the Taylor party, on demanding wages for his labour, the party told him he wouldn't pay him. In a civilised country he could have gone to law, but not in that portion of the world, so he pulled the chimney down. Wesley Hardin met him after, caught him by the beard (he was unarmed), and shot him dead. He was only an Irishman. There are portions of this State in _ which tales like these are the only intellectual discourse the ladies will treat you to. Travelling in that section on one occasion, £ went up to a house. There was a woman— not a lady— there alone. Her family had been connected with one of those parties. She treated me to no end of bloodthirsty, sickening tales. Arising to depart, I noticed a sombre framed picture on the wall. On viewing it, I found it to represent a tree, composed of about fifty different shades of human hair. On remarking to her about it, she said, " Tham thar air th scalps pop. took." Truly, our Saxon brother is pro°ressin°- but happily such a state of affairs don't exist all over the State but only in a small portion about the size of Great Britain. It is a good State for the intending immigrant. Come direct by steamer to Galveston my dear brother. Get you a shooter and a knife, and then a mus tang.