The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-11-17
Starvation in Kansas.
AN APPEAL TO THE CITIZENS OF LA SALE CoUS-
TY FOR AID.

AN APPEAL TO THE CITIZENS OF LA SALE CoUs
TY FOR AID.
CITIZENS OF LASALIE COUNTY un
dersigned were appointed by meeting o
the citizens of this County, held at tn
Court House on the 18th inst a commit
tee, to address you in reference to the sui
} fering citizens of Kansas, and to aid yol
in forwarding without delay and at as lit
tie expense as possible, what we fesl you
plenty and liberality will prompt you t.
contribute as soon as you are apprizec
of the facts in tho case, and are assured
that your contributions will be economi
: cally sent forward, and be judiciously ap
piled. In order that you may act under
standingly, we will give you few facts
out Of the multitude at hand.
For months past, rumors in various ways
have been reaching us, Ofa long continued
drOuth Ill Southern and Southwestern
Kansas As soon as the alarmed settlers
began to see that the ordinary crops were
likely to fail, they diligently planted and
sowed those late crops that generally ma
ture under ordinary circumstances. They
planted, and waited and watched and
hoped on; but the rain did not come
But the autumn has come, and the winter
is near, and they find from 10000 to So
900, poor, struggling, frontier settlers with,
out food to keep them from starvation, OF
raiment to protect them from the chilling
blasts of winter
That this is the actual condition OF
thousands Of our fellow citizens in Kansas
the committee have not the slightest
doubt
Thaddeus Hyatt. wealthy and philan-
thropic citizen Of Boston, has been onto
the field and personally, thoroughly in
spected the blichtcd district He has al
ready expended $500 Of his own money,
and is now doing all he can at the East, in
raising money to pay for bags, freight &c.
In an appeal written on the 9th of this
month, he uses these emphatic words:
=" | have visited Kansas, and ! tell you
Its poor people are starving and need your
immediate aid
lie has published long letter filed
with heart-rending facts that fully justify
the startling words he uses above
A letter from j. w Robinson an enmi-
.nent citizen of Kansas. has Just reached us
in which he saws: Kansas has passed
/ through one of the most blighting-with-
cring droutlIs. TO which any but an abso-
lutte rainleSs country was ever suhiected.
. After describing the condition of the peo-
pie and their lean and starving cattle, he
says: Not garden vegetable has been
raised this season III all that region; ex-
Ccpt few radIshes, or some early vegeta-
bles That entire country usually 30 pro
ductive, now presents scene of desolatiOn
scarcely ever witnessed The people have
hoped on, until the awful reality ha, burst
forth upon them, that suffering and death
from starvation is in their midst. Not
one farmer. he adds, in twenty has money
/ or clothing for himself or family and just
they are being carried into cold
winter
/ Mr. Spooner, formerly from Adrian, Nj
chigan, now one of the assessors in Borwn
County Kansas, has written Il letter that
has lust reached us In which he SAYS NV
corn on the first of July. promised fifty
bushels 10 the acre. have harvested it.
and il did not Weld five. and that OF a very
poor quality. Twothirds OF my corn has
produced no ears. Probably not one field
in ten will be harvested do not think
the amount of wheat harvested in THIS
county, equal To the seed sown. Potatoes
are a failure. Buckwheat is a failure, and
Beans are nearly failure These are
two witnesses now on the field, and we
have private letters from people that some
Of us know well. that none of you could
possibly read and not be overcome by
your feelings
Bishop Lee of Iowa, has entered hearti-
~ into the work Of relieving these suffer
Ing people. and has sent circular to this
city 10 stimulate us III this good work.
Suffice it 10 say, that from the evidence
before us, we are forced to the painful
conclusion that hundreds, if not thou
sands of our fellow citizens in Kansas
must perish from hunger or cold unless
y.-lta yaI
must perish in their cabins or break away
from their homes, in dreadful confused
and disordcred exodus, for some more
favored region, exposing the feeble, the
aged. and the little ones, to perish by the
way. How can they y Iea-how shall they
be reached with portion of the bounty
that kind Providence has so richly Law
ished upon rs.
Fellow citizens we know YOU we.l-W t
know you are willing TO respond literally
TO a call like this, if only assured that what
I YOU give is managed, as TO actually
| reach the suffering and starving ones. 1t
/ j. for this purpose, that we have been ap-
pointed a comittee We have opened a
/ depository in Mr. Geo Rrstols warehouse
{ for, wheat, corn, rye barley, oats, peas.
| beans, potatoes, meat, or cloth of any kind
! that is worth sending so far We win re-
or can be sold This depository is free
| Our services are free-and as fast as col
| lected we will see that it is shipped, at
| the lowest possible rates, and consigned TO
the hands OF properly accredited agents
who will see to the faithful application OF
. everything committed to their hands, and
/ men that will take from the contributions
nothing more than we do. These are the
facts and this is the plan. Now men and
women of La Sale County, what do you
ly settled neighborhood, join and send one
wagon load of the substantials of life to
our repository? When you lay down this
appeal, rise up and devote one hour to I'll.
ling and sending one full load from your
neigh hborhood. Never was people more
highly favored with crops than we. Let
us from our abundance contribute literally
and cheeiully, TO feed the hungry and
clothe the naked Our own food will re-
lish better, our sleep will be sweeter, for
the blessing of them that are ready to
perish will come down upon US.
p s. Along the rail roads, let the
friends of humanity, act at their own
place and in their own way. Mendoza
has led off with contribution already
Let La Sale, Peru, Tonica, and Earl, fol
low suit
W. II. l.. WALLACE, REV. 7. n. BENEDICT.
T HAMPTON, REV. H. COLEMAN,
K THogNE, Rev w c. SCoFIELD,
30 GLOVER, REV. NJ. X. WHITTLEsEY,
! W. OsMAN, Rev. Mr. CLEVELAND,
". REpDICK, Rev. Mr.. TERRY,
GEO. BRIsroL, REV. Mr.. FoRcE.
I,