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ably above that number. Mr. Collins, living at the ford of Clear creek, south of the above, 
lost an equal proportion. The disease being in no other part of the county that year satis- 
fied the people, on this road at least, that they had found the true origin, as it had been among 
the cattle in the county for two summers past. In a season or two after almost every settler 
of the county was convinced that the Texas cattle in some way communicated this fever to 
our stock, although a few persons, living secluded from the great highways, were unbelievers, 
and still remain so. In fact, the way this disease is propagated—the obscurity surrounding 
it, together with the different opinions of persons familiar with it—gives them, at least, a 
reasonable excuse for doubting the prevailing belief. Two things are agreed to by all: the 
symptoms of the fever, and its fatality—the latter being much greater in a warm dry sum- 
mer than in a cold wet one; the disease always ceasing when the frosts have killed the 
vegetation. 
‘“‘The first symptom of the fever, distoverable several days before any appearance of sick- 
ness, is a dry cough, noticeable by careful observers. In a few days after this the nose be- 
comes dry and the ears slightly drooping, and more flies will collect than on healthy cattle. 
At this stage the breath will be found to have lost its sweetness and assumed the sickening 
feverish smell generally, if not always, found in the Texas cattle, which I can best describe 
by comparing it to the smell of our slaughter-houses, or constantly crowded stockyards in 
cities. From this condition in one or two days the fever gains its highest stage, and is 
found to have disseminated itself over the whole body, the heat being very great; the 
arteries of the neck are seen. to beat in short, heavy throbs, the ears becoming very much 
lopped, the hinder parts reel in walking, the animal getting up or lying down with difficulty ; 
the breath and exhalations are very disagreeable, the end of the tail usually hollow for two 
or three inches; the pith in the horn has commenced to decay, if not already decayed; the 
animal refusing to notice the herd, remaining stupid, if not disturbed, neither seeking food nor 
water. Some, in this stage, will pass water mixed with blood, and dung naturally, others 
will pass water of a natural color and not dung at all, or but very little, and that in-a dryish 
lump. In another type of the disease, which will occur perhaps in every eighth or tenth 
case, after being taken the same way, and having the same symptoms as those described, 
even to the hollow horns and tail, the animal does not get weak, sluggish, or stupid, but is 
always to be found on its feet, in a watchful attitude, with head turning to any noise, which, 
if close by, it rushes towards, even through fences or against trees, the eyes being of a green 
cast, very glaring and wild; those of the first type have a dead, sleepy, and glazed appear- 
ance. Both these classes die, as I have described them, without any change, except that 
the hair deadens before death and has the appearance of that on a dry hide. 
‘‘ The drove mentioned as having passed through the county in 1853 was owned by Mr. 
Richard Burris, of Spring river. They were driven from Texas the fall previous and 
wintered about 50 miles south of here, near Sarcoxie. In the early part of June, Mr. Bur- 
ris came into this county with his cattle, apparently healthy, in good order, and no lame ones 
in the drove, numbering about 450 head. He made a slow passage through the county, 
grazing on the best grasses near the road unmolested, as no one knew at this time that this 
species of cattle communicated a disease to ours. Early in July the fever broke out on the 
road travelled by this drove, lasting until the frost puta stop to it, with the fatality pre- 
viously mentioned. As the disease this year was in no other locality except where these 
cattle were driven and grazed, the citizens, after carefully tracing their route through the 
county, in all its windings, came to the conclusion, for the first time, that this fever was 
engendered from the Texas cattle. This was fully verified in the next year; and up to the 
outbreak of the war hundreds of cases occurred to prove that they were not mistaken. No 
Texas cattle, until this year, (1866,) except two yoke of oxen worked here in the fall of 
1865 by Mrs. Box, have passed into or through this county since 1860; neither has there 
been a case of Spanish fever during this period, or any other fatality among our cattle. 
Mrs. Box’s oxen, so far as could be seen, were healthy, and not lame. The neighbors whose 
cattle came in contact with these oxen were Mrs. Smalley, Mr. Cothran, and Mr. Packard, 
each having the Spanish fever among their stock, losing some notwithstanding the lateness 
of the season. About 3,000 head of Texas cattle passed through this county in the month 
of June this year, (1866,) and a portion of them reached six or eight miles into Bates or the 
adjoining county before being turned back by citizens of that county. They returned on 
the same road previously travelled, making no delay in their passage either way more than 
was necessary. The disease did not break out for some six weeks after the passage of the 
droves—many more recovering than usual, and about 40 per cent. dying—extending into 
Bates county to the point where they were turned back. It proved more fatal on the cross- 
ings of watercourses, killing about 70 per cent. In 1858 my stock were exposed to this 
fever by coming in contact witha drove of Texas cattle. The fever was very bad among 
them, one or two dying every day through the mouth of August; they were in daily con- 
tact with Mr. Millender’s stock, who kept a herder, not suffering them to reach the ground 
that had been used by the Texas droves, yet he had nota single case of fever. When spoken 
to about keeping my stock from coming in contact with his, he told me there was no danger 
of our own cattle diseasing one another. I have since watched many such exposures, and 
in no case has the fever been propagated. The farmers have each an opinion as to how the 
disease was propagated to their cattle, some thinking it is through the lame ones, a few of 
