tigue. There are few men in the West or Northwest who have so thorough a knowledge, gathered from actual travel and observation, of all the territories of the Union, as Col. Meyers. One of his early tours over the west was made across the continent with John C. Fremont on his famous exploring expedition. This occurred almost forty years ago when the Colonel was but a youth just entering into vigorous manhood. Such a strong desire to roam became implanted in his bosom that he did not rest until he had traversed almost every foot of territory between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. And when he had seen all that Dame Nature had to show, he turned his attention to stock raising in Texas, making his home in Lockhart. He too, was a drover in 1866, and · endured all kind of outrages before he was able to sell his herd. But in 1867 he decided to drive in Western Kansas, and so flank all settlements, and take his chances to find a purchaser somewhere on the frontier, but just where he did not know. The Colonel was among Abilene's first patrons and warmest friends, and so long as it was a market he annually made his appearance with from four to sixteen thousand head of cattle, which of course were driven in several herds, never more than three thousand in one herd.

"The class of cattle the Colonel usually drove was just suited for the territorial demand, therefore he never shipped but a few carloads. For four years he sold his herds to parties living in Salt Lake, genuine Mormons of the true polygamist faith, and delivered his stock to them in Utah. The Mormons, as all well know, are very clannish people, especially the lay members and are little disposed to trade with or buy anything of a Gentile. Therefore, to avoid this religious prejudice, and in order to get into and through the Utah Territory without any trouble, or having to pay exorbitant damage bills to the Latter Day Saints, it was his practice to instruct his men to tell every resident of Utah they met that the cattle

belonged to Elder Kimball, one of the elders or high priests in Mormondom. No matter whose farm the cattle run over, nor how much damage was done to the crops, it was all settled amicably by telling the residents that the cattle belonged to Elder Kimball. No charge or complaint was ever made after that statement was heard, and it did appear that if Heber Kimball's cattle should run over the saints bodily and tread them into the earth it would have been all right, and not a murmur would have been heard to escape their lips. When the cattle reached their destination the Colonel never went near them, but allowed Elder Kimball to dispose of them always as if they were his own, which he could do at a rapid rate. The Mormons appeared to consider it a great privilege to buy of this sainted elder, although they were paying from one to three dollars in gold more per head than they would have to pay to the Gentile drover. Indeed, they would not have bought the same stock of the Gentile at any price. When it is known that this people are such complete dupes of cunning smart men is it any wonder that they submit to be plucked like a goose for the benefit of their quondam keepers? Or is it anything strange that their leaders manage to get immensely rich? But Utah, notwithstanding her great city, and her immense mining operations, has now more than a supply of cattle for her own consumption, and is beginning to export cattle to Chicago and the East. Several thousand head of fat beeves were driven from Utah over the mountains to Cheyenne and there shipped to Chicago during the year 1873. So there is no longer a demand for stock cattle in that territory.

"There are few Texas drovers who handle or drive more cattle from Texas than Col. Meyers; few are more widely or favorably known than he. He is a man that has few enemies, but wherever he is known his name is spoken with respect, akin to love and admiration. He is a man true to his pledges, and one who would not reap

advantage from or oppress a fellowman, simply because he had the power or legal right to do so. When he is given the title, 'a father in Israel' among the drovers there will be found a few, if any, who will dispute his right or worthiness of the appellation."

CAME OVER FROM GERMANY IN 1870

F. Cornelius, Midfield, Texas

I was born in Rothensee, County Hersfeld, Germany, on the 2nd day of December, 1850, and came to the United

F. CORNELIUS AND HIS HORSE, "DICK'

States in December, 1870, landing at New Orleans, from whence I sailed to Indianola on a Morgan steamer. At

Indianola I secured a position with H. Runge & Company, then one of the largest firms there. I soon learned to speak English and with the assistance of Mr. Rudolph Kleberg (afterwards congressman), who taught me after business hours, I got along pretty well. Later I went to work for Ed Clary, who owned a schooner making regular trips from Carancahua to Indianola.

In the spring of 1873 I went with Ged Cothrey, who was in charge of a herd of beeves belonging to Mr. Bennett, to Kansas, and after I reached there I spent most of the year in that section, close to the Platte River, working cattle for Dilworth & Littlefield, later returning to Texas.

In the spring of 1875 I went to work for W. B. Grimes in a packery, canning beef for northern markets. We killed as many as 125 beeves a day. I worked for Mr. Grimes for quite a while. On the 24th of June, 1875, I was married to Miss Annie Downer, who lived near the mouth of Trespalacios. That fall Mr. Grimes persuaded me to take a couple of hands and sufficient horses and overtake his herd which had gone nearly a month before, and go with Mr. A. Dowdy, who was in charge of the cattle, to Kansas. Overtaking the herd above Austin on the San Gabriel River about ten days after we left home, everything went smoothly, only at Valley Mills we had a lot of rain and were not able to move for several days. Soon afterward we heard of the terrible storm which swept Indianola and the entire coast country, drowning many people. We reached Wichita, Kansas, about the middle of December, and never lost much time in starting back to where the weather was not so cold.

After I reached home I purchased a small tract of land from John Moore on Casher's Creek, and moved on it. We were the only family living on the east side of Casher's Creek, but there were four families living on the west side, John Pybus, Jacob Selzieger, Horace Yeamans, Sr. and Alexandria Morris. While naming the old set

tlers on Casher's Creek I will also pretty nearly name all of the settlers who lived on Trespalacios at that time. Beginning at the mouth of the west side were Mr. Downer, John Moore, Joe Pybus, W. B. Grimes, Godfrey Selzieger, August Duffey, John Rowles, Mrs. McSparren, Joe McIntyre and Uncle Tom Kuykendall; on the east side were J. F. Garnet, J. B. Smith, T. E. Partain, Mrs. E. P. Pybus, R. A. Partain, W. M. Kuykendall, J. E. Pierce, Jack Wheeler, Daniel Wheeler and Uncle Tom Williams. In the fork of Trespalacios and Wilson Creek lived Fred Sparks, Alex Gyle, David Dunbar and John Hicks. Jack Elliott lived up on Wilson Creek.

Times have changed a whole lot. Where we used to see herds of deer and large numbers of turkey, and nothing but cattle on the prairie, there are now thousands of acres of rice growing, and new towns and settlements growing up-where we old fellows, N. Keller, Jim Keller, W. E. McSparren and others spent some of the happiest times of our lives camping out.

In establishing a home on Casher's Creek, we had to deny ourselves many things. I went to Indianola and bought at a sale enough lumber to build a small house. My only means of conveyance was a yoke of oxen and a bedstead made out of a head and footboard found in the "slide." Our furniture consisted of a home-made table from old lumber I had bought in Indianola and sides I made myself, a bench and a few boxes to sit on. My stock consisted of three horses, a few cattle and a yoke of oxen with a slide that I had made myself, but my wife and I felt as rich as Jay Gould, and were as happy as could be in our little home. We used the oxen in making my crop, and when we wanted to go anywhere we yoked them to our family carriage, the slide, and were off. Wagons were scarce in those days and buggies were not to be seen there. The only hack in the neighborhood belonged to Mr. Grimes.

In 1885 we moved to Juanita, my present place, where