Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-10-06


psun Ne uisysiand Lsaass.
rhs mfsnsn ana Dlstfsna ~ hknmaas.
q,he bssevolent Thnddsus hyatt has been
oa 4 touf through Kansas to learn for bIm-
selg .bo present situation Of tbss interesting
nspt Of onr country. He has written for
sbs press long letter descriptive Of the
horrors there fell and dreaded, owing 10 the
unprecedent drouth ofthe past seaaCn, He
states that the dcsOlation Of Kansas cannot
be told the half Is not yet known. The
people have NOT wheat to eat, noue to SOW,
and no money TO buy Il with. Kansas has
no seed corn for The coming spring, and 10
an her borders has not old and new corn
euoagh TO sustain her present population
bevood the month Of March next. The
crops generally this year are q dead failure
Potatoes and other vegetables as well as
prairie grass have been cut of in many
sections, and they who 10 Kansas have
bread for themselves have none for their
neighbors.
The people Of Kansas have been pioneers
10 settling the wilderness and establishing
free institutions in the broad gateway TO
the Southeastern slope Of the Rocky Noun
tains, and their sad case, growing out of
causes which no human prudence or fore
sight could avert, gives them peculiar claims
on the active sympathies of their country
men in the older and bountifully blessed
States. Mr.. Hyatt says:
Let the country hear me. At this NOR
tai hour, as sit here penning these lines,
people are starving Whole families have
literally nothing to eat Other families are
subssting wholly on mere bread and water,
and corn bread at that and death from
starvation has actually occurred The
hunger fieud sits eDthroned in Kansas.
asked the census-taker, what of Kansas
And he replied Now listen to what the
census-t taker, man who has visited every
cabin in the country, says: man who for
two whole days travel had for his horse
only parched grass, and for himself nothing.
in Walker Township, Anderson county, he
found family with nothing to eat their
drink was the milk Of one cow-this was all
their subsistence. Iu Ozark Township, on
n Single 6CCblONt llt Abuuu nNS hNlbE
on corn meal and water. Another family
Of four living wholly on the milk of their
COW not crUmb Of bread in the house
nothing whatever to eat. And be found
one death from starvation. The neighbors
bore sorrowful testimony to the fact, ac-
counting for il on the ground that they
were all circumstanced so 0early alike-slI
10 near starvation, that they did not realize
the poor womans actual danger until she
had got beyound the reach Of aid, and be-
yound the need of it.
All that can leave are fleeing from the
country. Mr.. H. represents the emigrOnis
from Kansas during the month Of August at
the rate of two hundred day. But there
are some that cannot leave. They hare nei.
sher money, nor food, nor strength to migrate
Mr. Hyatt continues: -
asked the preacher of the gospel what
OF Kansasi Hearken to what the preacher
says I have preached three months along
she Neosho Valley the people on the cir
cult are responsible for my support. This
gear they are all poor their crops have
failed had not the heart to ask for my
salery. All have received for my twelve
weeks labor is this two bits And the
preacher took from bis pocket and exhibit.
ed In his hands exactly twenty-five cents
The preacher talked of leaving, but his
poor parishoners wept. They told him to
stay. That though they had no money aud
no food scarcely. yet if he would stay they
would hunt buffalo meat for him, and pay
him with that. The preacher consented.
DR.. Samuel Aver was enquired Of as tC
the causes Of this calamity Among othe
things, he REPLIES
In the west portion of the country, wherr
the lands were last year ordered to be sold
the destitutiou is peculiarly great, becaus'
the people have no money, and they hav'
no money because they 1oere last gear fore
ed to pay for their lands Many of the
poor settlers had no alternative bat to mort
gage their claims 60 raise the money de
manded of them by the Government Th,
drouth has come. and paV day has come
These poor people unable to subsst vii
be driven from their claims, and lose all
Had we Homestead bill, this state G
things would not exist.
Mr.. Hyatt closes
Friends of humanity, wait not, o. wal
not, beseech you, until the opened beav
ems shall food the laud with rains tina
shall add sickness to poverty. For the
what shall these poor people do Della.
not your work Of mercy until drifting
SHOWS and drifting sleet shall intensity suf
fering already too great to be borne. Fo
the love of God, pray you postpone mo-
your philanthropy an hour. Believe m,
there is no time to spare. Let not the wall
ing winds of March be the requiem Of tn
dead who shall have perished for want o
your timely aid.