, 1860-12-13

Scenes at AtchIAoh.~Stor1es OF the Set
Observation-Disclosures OF Provisions
etc.

Tc1tisox. Kansas, Dec. 9th, 1850.
| Could the people Of this country sec tn
scenes and hear the stories my eyes hare seer
aud my cars have heard, since landing at thi:
place yesterday, think they would wake to {
realizing sense Of the horrible dcstitution tlia1
now hangs over the heads Of al ieaa thirt,
thousand Of their fellow citizens in Kansas.
am endeavoring 10 write calmly, mud to wefgt
the facts presented carefully though, With
/ heart wrung by tho sad sights hare seen, II
seems almost impossible.
1rcachcd this city yesterday morning. Or
! landing ut the lcyeo from tho raiiroaa ferry
boat, the first objects TO be soan vera long
string Of wagons, with numbers Of gnunt and
hungry oxen standing near. was told they
were from The interior, driven here to be
loaded with the provisions sent for the rcliel
Of tho people. The first mcn saw were 3Ir.
Pomcroy, the general disbnrslns agent Of the
Relief Committee; Dr. Ayers, Of Linn county
c. 3. Lines, Of Wautonsa county, aud Mr.: Ora.
ham, Of Doniphan county. was Immediately
piled with questions to know how the people
east were sustaining the efforts made to relieve
The dcstitutlon. I gave nil the information of
which was possessed, and In return was told
that the destitution had been undcrrated en-
tfre!y. The Rev, Mr.. Graham, said thot there
were sc, 600 who must be sustained for some
months. Dr.. Ayers, ono Of the most intelli-
gent and wcll-estcemcd citizens Of Linn couu.
ty, said that at least forty thousand must bc
kept from starving for six months to come.
These gentlemen tnon. ,n, ,,,,-a ..s~.
dcnce in.
Twalkcd up to the Office wherein IL tram.
eacted the business of the relief II 1roa
crowded with thc men in charrc of t1,e teon,s
standing In the streets and on t1,e ]cvee AL
camc along counted tycntv.thrcc md was
told that at 1east ff1v wcro +, +ow e,,,
scene! Great. stalwart men, ra,nt 1e,n hnr-
gry, looking weary, sad, tired and d;sn1rtted.
poorly clad, and In all RESPECTS fI1inr onc v,t,'
the conviction Of suffering patient,v homo md
long repreEscd-men, some of whom rccog-
nizcd, and all Of whom bore the unmistakabIc
character Of sturdy industry aud independence
common to our western pioneers. To look
upon those faces md read the sad tale Of sui:
fering within. told the story fur more forcib1y
than my feeble words can.
Mingling among them, took down in nv
nntc-hoolt The statements ,,,do h,, en,,o do...,
or,han, o..uo .. ~s.. rs.;. .' 49,. =, so. ou1eA
VI 'ne"' 4elsc you lev, inat your renders
may See this is no fiction.
The first spoke TO was poorly but de-
,cnt,. c,,d m,3a,o.oooa ,o,,-. .n,....,,.
,sa,.;, ~, =. :, i1' fcslec.aose
'ooE1oe ia1ner. luis Is thc substance Of his
story:
uMv name ia W,1.er r.;r. liz. =, VAR
..,~1s:. -, ~' A's 1a "ene''
7oA ~" uo1Lu part oi Jackson county,
about 10 miles West OF Atchison. hayc been
H. ,,r,.,.. c~a.. ~ oo''e n"s a'a'
ae oAoe'e ifou LUG Local committee, repre-
sent about three hundred voters, {about II
hundred persous}. Thero haa heen 1;t.r,1,,.
not,,;ro <,ro1., t., o,- .oa..a. 49,. s en,
-'sa. Ea - v"' eeet1on anu many must
s"hcr. p'anted % acrcs IN corn, wheat aud
potatoes. hare no corn, no potatoes, aud
,..-. ,,N. s ~ ne''' - lne ha1'
'es'' As soh1n-la% had fourteen acres plant
cd in corn, but did not harvest A s{no3c cnrn
RI t1,,s .;,ne ,,,r,, ,aa .r,.,,o.1,*
' ~ e"'''e'eo aso"no Me
ana were dlepoeed TO tell their stories, Ipick-
;n1 w. an,, ,.1sa 49, ~. ea' A.'e4sent appear
rior lie came from. Tic said:
SHY name is 4. V, Saunders. am fro,,
Whitewater creek, Otoc Co, - whitewater r.
in the extreme Southwest Of Kansas. and Is
at lcast 200 miles from Atchison.} Our com.
Try is somewhat new. Judge Norton foot H.
ccpsus. lie rrrorts nhont am ,,orsn.,s IN ~ ~
couutv. Our scttlcmont l. o,,ar,,t rSts'ns ~ thc
of all or c;rhfv.three acrre a ,,1ontai speeinen
by eix Of INV ncirhbors. ithc narr,tor ~ ~
same time telling the proportions plantcd 1.v
single bnshcI We havc m hraaJstn.,. % @ esGa tT
etalIcs, Have been here ten ; ,,avs. i ~ ~ t
hundred miles to orr nlacr and o,,1. 20. 20 ~
lny wagons. ftvo thInk IL S,i5}4,rnis - -.
OF meal and Sight of potatoes y - " '1'e s'chs
G. T, Donaldson. lives m w.1nnt cran,,
near Chelsea. Butlcr CO. a,,nnt IN ra:.s s, Tx,
pcrsons Thcr arc IN In ae eann aon';:.! auuel w
Noc. which o,,;o;na r. ~ nNm aid;.;a dtgnu.lon ~
dronoht tha Ia ns:nssi,oaro. ~ - .taaion 10 the
vnurSd o,tr. 6orae Et,oa,, I1.; Ist summer DC
.-Tow. Thc SnaT;sh Fcrnr l. tst 4as+;,'a anaea 70
anonr the cattir .rh,,h ~. 20 s,u.s ,,.a ctHaemlc
Tcyas hv t1,e ;ir6vor. .a,,,; w. IN irom
narkcts il dcstrnrn9 ~ as.t9a ~ Ine Nortnefn
died icfore ,n aaft. H. ~ a caat'e several had
Saunders tTo wncs M, ua ~, LII LIZ VIII Mf
Iark ofl s,cl:s or maa1 snd | ~. ~ Fuus " 1aAe
Frc1ericl, 1,fs;1 a Gar4r,as, o. ~ po,patoss.
n;,a., aa,,,,,, ~, n'l: -nanuatLan
Wa,t a.;1 '' 'No"s e'ouls Aul4ee
;. IL. l,aJ n,anto1 +7vo,t, ,o,o. ~
WHEAT. lad i,a+xestcd e%ey a- aStes o. corn and
noth;n., else mt c.r W cor,, o. waea1'
.Tos Ij,rs 1,,d % ,',,n.,S - +S;a I9u. neignoor;
,.ronni IN c.,rn pnd i'a-,.nsts1 1eg 1n s u old
Th;s ~. ~ so.u, anu atsehttu !oo ons1e!s.
4 ,rrayr % EARNEST ' ia1l;n,[ [IsGM ,s'i!,.,,, .,
x,;d 4, r",,,,, ~ s,s. 'uontns nanule-asea man
- ii;s nan;,. y ~ ,yos ~ ~ 4ostns: Rasa, .n1!:
sion Greek. Wan,,ans;a co,,nt, nsfu ahas. IN MS.
t''.'.., 1Wm "aeo..e!a eounty, aDout one
,nnrt sonta .i,ey .tom a t1fa place The settle