Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-06-25
eREELEY's LETTERs.-No. ~.
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY.
NOTES ON KANSAS.

MANHATTENj May "a, lS0J.
left Lcavenworth in the Fort Riley
Stage at a. m on Tuesday, day in ad-
vance of the pixies Peak Express" which
crosses TIVE U. S. Military Road at this
point, in order to gain time to visit Topeka
and Manhattan, and sum up my impressions
Of Kansas for the Tribune. Our road
from Leavenworth lay westward, passing
through the rich valley of Salt Greek and
over a divide into that of the Stranger,
which we forded at Easton, village OF
thirty to fifty houses, famous for Border
Ruffian outrages in 1856. The bluffs of
the Stranger are here one to two hundred
feet high, generally timbered with Oak,
&c, and so covered with limestone boulders
that scarcely more than half the ground is
visible. These bolders are generally oblong
aud irregularly fiat, making the best of
stone wall. | am informed that nine rods
of capital wall is regarded as but a fair
weeks work for good wall-builder, work
ing by himself. We pass out of the valley
just beyond EaSton, rising to the slightly
rolling prairie, and henceforth for forty
miles to Topeka, our way lies through
gently hcaving sea of grass, with timber
generally visible along the water courses on
either side. Occasionally, however, we de-
scend from the crest of the prairie into
barely perceptible hollow, and now nothing
but grass and sky are visible, the two meet
ing at the horizon on every side.
We stopped for dinner at the crossing of
Grasshopper Greek, at the village of Osaw-
kee, once the seat of Jefferson County and
Land Office, both now removed. Grass
hopper Falls, [ believe, next obtained the
coveted distinction of being shire town !;
but another popular vote removed it thence
to OskalooSa, on the road from Leavcn-
worth to LccomptoH, on the very line of
the Delaware Reserve, which still covers
good part Of Jefferson as we'll as of Lcav-
enworth and Wyandot Counties Osawkee,
now probably four years old, is therefore in
a state of dilapidation and decay, like a
good many Kansas cities which figure large
ly on the map. Its business having left 1t,
its great hotel was very mysteriously burn
ed, and presume the insurance on it was
duly paid. We dned here at q very mod
est but comfortable tavern, kept by a kind
and worthy Pennsylvania Dutchman, who
recognized me from our meeting at the
Wing National Convention at Harrisburg,
nearly twenty years ago. Bearing south
of west from OSawkee, we crossed Rock
and Muddy Creeks (neither Of them more
rocky nor muddy than the othr) and were
obliged by the lack of bridge (now being
repalred) over Halliday Greek, to keep on
west to a petty village called Indianola,
whence we turned a sharp angle through
the magniGcently fertile and admirably tim
bered bottom of the Kaw or Kansas to the
Topeka ferry, which we reached little af-
ter sundown, but were delayed by great
contractors train which had been oil day
crossing, and was likely to be good part
of the morrow, so that we did not get
across and into Topeka till nearly dark. l
noticed with sorrow that the oxen which
draw these great supply wagons are often
treated very cruelty, not merely in respect
to the beating and whaling which every hui
man brute delights ic bestowing on every
live thing over which he domineers, but
with regard to food and drink Here
were cattle that had stood in the yoke
all that hot, dry day with nothing to
eat or drink, and, when they came down to
the river mad with thirst, they were all but
knocked down for trying to drink. was
assured that oxen are sometimes kept in
the yoke, without food or drink, for two
days, while making one of these river cross
ings There can be no excuse for this
Those which have long to wait ought to be
taken off and driven mile or more if neces-
sary to grass and fed there at all events,
they should be watered at least twice day.
How can competent train-master-to say
nothing of humanity the policy
OF this 7
The river is here wider than at Lawrence
OF Wyandot below, is nearly as muddy as
the Missouri, and runs with a swift current
even to its banks. An attempt had been
made during the day TO swim across drove
of cattle but the strong current carried
them below the ferry landing on the south,
whence the steep bank forbade their get
ting out, so that they went down the river
several miles, and three of them we're drown
ed. The experiment Of swimming proved
wretched economy, alike in time and money.