Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-09-22

| The Calamity in Kansas.
Thaddeus Hyatt. who went to Kansas soon
after his discharge at Washington, to investi-
gate the flying reports of drought and famine
has a letter in tie New York Tribune, dated
September 4th, giving a startling picture OF the
deprivaiions and suffering now prevailing in
the territory. He had then passed through
six counties, c0nversed with the settlers, and
learned from their own lips the full weight Of
the calamity which is pressing upon them.
THE FAMINE,
He says: The beds Of streams never before
known to b entirely bare l have crossed, be-
side scores Of miles of burnt up praries |
have witnessed deserted cabins dried up
springs, and failing wells; examined corn and
corn fields over Il wide extent OF country and
in every other practicable way in which accu-
rate knowledge could be gained | have sought
it. In addition to this, and with a view of
| future results, county committees formed of
persons from the townships, two from each
have been organized in Anderson, Linn, and
Bourbon counties, and will probably be in
others which, beside acting as investigating
committees" Il approve these,) will also act
as committees of relief. And from all have
seen, been "mixed up with, and been told, |
have no hesitation in saying to the country,
| the half is not yet known! INCARCERATION"
| is impossible Listen; Kansas has no wheat
to eat, and no seed wheat to sow, and no
money to buy it with, neither for this year nor
| the next. Kansas has no seed corn for the
coming spring. and she has not to-day, in all
| her borders, of both old and new corn, suffi-
cient to sustain her population beyond the
month of March next a.d she has not the
money to buy it with, nor the means of pro-
How. a..
| year are a dead failure, unless, perchance,
late showers should save a trife OF buckwhcat,
| of but little moment Wheat she has none
| potatoes and all other vegetables, none; and
her entire stock Of corn, OF both old and new,
would not fatten her hogs alone They who
| in Kansas have bread for themselves have none
for their neighbors And they who have no
| bread at all are the ones who also have no
money The shadow of famine at this hour
is over all the land! The hunger-fiend crouch
es upon the door sill Starvation hath already
entered the door!
THE WINTER PROSPECT.
By and by the rains will come, and if they
come before cold weather, sickness will be
added to famine; and after that, freezing will
be added to both. | am quite willing to risk
being thought an alarmist if l can but see
some preparation made to avert a calamity
that 10 me seems inevitable. If any man
~,
statistics, and, if he can, make it brighter;
but getting "sunbeams out Of cucumbers" will
not save this people. But | have not stated
all. L have pictured the future rather than
painted the present. Let the country hear
me. AT this mortal hour, as | sit here pen
ming these lines, people are starving! Whole
families have literally nothing to eat Other
families are subsisting wholly on mere bread
and water, and corn bread at that and death
from hap H. rnlt no
hunger fend sits enthroned in Kansas. /
asked the census taker, what Of Kansas And
he replied Now listen to what the census
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'a their subsistence. In
Ozark township, on a single section, he found
five families living on corn meal and water
Another family Of four living wholly on the
milk OF their COW; not crumb Of bread in the
louse-nOthiug whatever to eat And he
found one death from starvation. The neigh
bors bore sorrowful testimony TO the fact ac-
counting for it on the ground that they were all
crcumsanced so nearly alike-all so near
starvation, that they did not realize the poor
wOmans actual danger until she had got be.
yond the reach of aid and beyond the need of
f it, The census taker also tells us that in this
county of Anderson, the most promising of all
+ the interior counties in the territory, but 200
, bushels of wheat have been harvested this
season; that there will be no potatoes, and no
other vegetables, and not half enough corn has
=. been raised to feed the population of the coun-
f ty, even with all the old corn added
t LOSS OF THE CROPS.
| l asked an old settler, "What of Kansas 2"
= Hear what the old settler says: "Thngs are
:, worse now than they were in Sc. Then we
II had money ; now we have none. | believe if
y all the money in Linn was distributed out
+ even, it would not count three dollars to
h man have been here since early in SO, and
IS gone through the troubles then; was taken
/ prisoner and dragged away from my family !;
II saw my neighbors' houses burned and robbed;
$ but, sir, this hour is darker one for Kansas
l. than even that The crops are an entire fail
: ure. l planted "A acres of corn and will not
J, get 70 bushels. There is not a vegetable in
6 my garden. Everything is gone. Over there
. (pointing to a neighboring farm,) lives am Hi.
: nos farmer he came in here with $4,000
in 81, and has splendid farm to-day he
. can't command cash enough to pay trihing
. debts. He understands farming we'll and has
> put In one crop after another in succession
hoping for rain with each one, but all have
failed. He has now gone to Missouri with
some cattle to sell for ready money We re-
gard him as one Of our rich men, and yet lie
: is that hard up for cash. Down on Mine
. creek ! know of eighteen families who have
left for the states within the past week" Such
is the statement OF old "Father Reese" of
J Sugar Mound" near Mound City, l know
him well, and endorse him. Mr.. Clark, of
Paris township, said II planted 20 acres of
corn, and, if the worms will let it alone, shall
raise enough to bread my family. But know
of fourteen families in the southwest corner of
Mound City township who have left for the
states to look for food !" Josiah Lamb of Po-
tosi township, on Mine creek, said 81 planted
ten acres Of wheat, and got nothing. | plant.
ed sixty acres of corn, and have not a roasting
ear expect nothing from my crop but fodder
for my cattle. | have one hundred bushels
old corn for bread, and in that respect am bet.
ter of than any Of my neighbors" Father
Cummings, from the north portion of Potosi
township, said 81 planted sixty acres of corn,
and out of it will get four acres of nubbns
the balance is nothing but fodder. There is
not enough corn in the neighborhood to supply
bread The beans are promising, but the
prairie chickens are eating them up"
Oil, by ID. scurr, -
Ep4 df 25l Main street.
INIAT