St. Cloud visiter [sic]. [volume] (St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-14
SrEARNS CO.: MINNESOTA, THU RSDAY JANUARY It, 1863


on, an nae wife died and left me tdlic
four c|,ilder. sint thin twinty dol
lars OF me wages an tdhey riycr got
it. Tdhin I raked an scraped twin
ty more an sint it in Il registered lcth-
or an tdhe notrah O tdhat ivcr ,me
to han. Tll,in narrowed wan hum
dhred dollars FROM Mis.llcr Wait, for
which same he hes INC noat tdEis day
bearin' three per cins month inthres{
an tdhat's what's thr;,bi,ilt,' me.
"Oh, Mr.. Wait wilI nos trouble rou
when times are so hard. You can
not expect to- pay money when you
cannot feed your family. Mr.. Wait,
even if he wished, could rot Take
away the Ineans Of supporting your
chillress, for your land is not set pre-
e,npted and cannot be sold fox debt,
beside the law allows YOU to keep
$1,000 worth of property, Have you
more than that ?"
"More tdhan tdflousand dollars!
Oh, tt'he saints no.. Silure l tell We
tdhere's no poorer man tdhan mesijf.
Not q bite Of nour, if ye'Ii behave me
ladie, not bite of tlour has been in
me house for two wakes. Thruc for
ye l1iv pair Nv akin an two COWS
bu:: Pm in }ibt fur tdhem ho~ath.''
"Have you no corn or potatoes 20
"Wi.l, ah-~to be shure, tdhe earn is
little to spakc Nv, an I had about
tdhree quarthers Nv an acre Nv peta~
ties out NV 1wiuty acres j! planted !;
but tdhe nlver a bit of flour ar bacon
is in me house tdhis day. Nor bit
Of tdhe contributions did ! iver cit.
The ncighbors wanted gne to apply,
but thaut it was no use. for | hura it
was all for tdhc Garma:ls. Tdhe
lower town min stopped tho conthyi~
buttons, and its a poor praspect we
hev intire!y.''
"How old are your children ?"
"Will, tdhe ouldest is near as big
as mysjjf, most a grown MAN, an tdhe
youngest TIM
"' Well, If you have any other cases
Of distress I wisl, you would let me
know, and If things get desperate,
the lower town meu will call q public
meeting and take measures to send
Commissioners down tbs: river for as
sistance."
Se"erai weeks have elapsed and we
have heard nothing from that quarter.
But to justify the poor mans OPT
MON Of car ability and willingness TO
feel for a poor man, we have here
laid his case before our readers; and
would entreat their careful considera-
ton of the distre IS Of thu only Stearns'
county sufferer whom we have yet
seen.
Here is q worthy, Industrious
Irisl,man reduced to the necessity Of
living on potatoes and milk, varied
with q little <s carn,'' The product
OF tlree-1uarters Of an acre Of pc
tatoes could scarce be less than two
hundred bushels, which would give
forty bushels to each person; but
those at all acquainted with the his
tory of the Emerald Isle, know that
an Irish family cannot possibly live
on potatoes. People who have spent
any time in Kentucky, know that
folks are in sad way when doomed
to live on corn. An old farmer there
once found his corn cribs nearly emp
ty, and declared the niggers would
have to live on wheat bread, that it
was good enough for the lazy rascals,
and If it was not, they would have to
eat it any way, for there was scarce
ly corn enough in the cribs to last his
own table until the crop came in ;
but he had not learned that eating
corn was starvation. The sufferers
on the Sauk are most likely tired OF
fresh fish, or if not, do not like the
labor of cutting a hole in the ice,
building a fire at night, and spearing
g barrel Of these scaly substitutes for
bacon. .:&.. ~
7. But we beg Of our readers to re-
fleet upon the, condition Of any Irish
man brought up" daeently'' III a mud
cabin, beside the pig, where his father
and his grandfathers have " aiten pra-
ties, since tdhe ,niun'y long dhay
before Saint Pathrick, rest his sowl,
chased tdhe frogs and thoads out Nv
Ireland. Think Nv him, in tdhe wiids
Of Amirika, wild nuthin' bat wanhun-
drid and sixty acres Nv land and only
ltw 0 or three feet deep NV soil On that,
wild only twinty acres uv id finced
and tdhe niyir spot to lay his head
in but a bit NV alog house," no bette,
than q Buckley cabin, <' wild niver 9
::hing to ait but praties and corn, wid