Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-12-28
The aulsaa Famine - Heartrendine
Details.

A correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
writes from Atchison, Kansas, under date of
Dec 9th
l reached this city vest terday morning. On
! landing at the levee from the railroad ferry
boat the first objects to be seen were long
string of wagons, with numbers of gaunt and
hungry oxen standing near. | was told they
were from the interior, driven here to be load
ed with the provisions sent for the relief of the
people. The first men saw were, Mr.. Pom
eroy, the general dlshursing agent Of the Re
lief Committee; DR.. Ayers, of Linn county ;
G. B. Lines, of Wanbonsa county, and Mr..
Graham, of Doniphan county. 1 was ilnme-
diately piled with questions to know how the
people East were sustaining the efforts made
to relieve the destitution, / gave all the in
formation of which l was possessed, and in re-
turn was told that the destitution had been
ufftfeYrated entirely. The Rev. Mr.. Graham
said that there we're $4,000 who must be sus-
tanned for some months DIR. Ayers, one OF
the most intelligent and well esteemed citizens
of Linn county, said that at least forty thou
sand must be kept from starving for siE months
to come. These gentlemen l know and have
every confidence in.
walked up to the office wherein is transact
ed the bnssincss of relief. 1t was crowded
with the men in charge ef the teams standing
in the streets and on the le9ee. As camc
along l counted twchty-three and was told
that at least forty We're in town. Such a
scene! Great, stalwart men, garnt, lean, hun
CRY, looking weary, sad, tired and dispirited,
poorly clad, and in all respects filling one with
the conviction of suffering patiently borne and
I. d J.l
nized and all of whom bore the unmistakable
character of sturdy industry and independence
common to our western pioneers. To look up
on those faces and read the sid tale Of suffer-
ing within, told the story far more forcibly
than my feeble words can.
Mingling among them, took down in my
notebook the statements made by some dozen
of them. 1 give you few, that your readers
may see this is no fiction.
The first l spoke to was poorly but decent
ly clad middle aged mana respectable look
ing farmer This is the substance of his
story
"My name is Water Cain; l live in Jeffer
sen township, noftll part of Jackson county
about 30 miles west of Atchison. l have
been here four times without obtaining any
aid. My orders from the local Committee rep
resent about three hundred voters, (about
twelve hundred persons.) There has been lit
teray nothing grown in our section and many
must suffer. ] planted % acres in corn, wheat
and potatoes. have no corn, no potatoes,
and only aboM 80 bushels of wheat, as the
harvest AIy son-inl law had fourteen acres
siarted- in corn, but did cot hafvest a single
ear"
By this time many had gathered around me
and were disposed to tell their stories. pick
ed out small. Keen eyed, intelligent appear
ing man, and asked him what part of the in
terror he came from. He said
My name is A. v Saunders I am from
Whitewater creek, Otoe county" Whitewater
is in the extreme southwest Of Kansas, ahH is
at least 200 miles from Atchison. Our coun-
try is somewhat new. Judge Norton took the
census. HE reports about 400 persons in the
county Our settlement is about specimen
of all. OF eighty-three acres, planted in corn
by six of my neighbors, (the narrator at the
same time telling the proportions planted by
each Of that amount) we have not harvested a
single bushel. We have no breadstuffs. We
have some buffalo meat, no potatoes, no vege-
tables. Have Been here ten days.. Il is two
hundred miles to our place, and only get for
my wagons, Gwo think he said) twelve sacks
of meal and eight of potatoes"
A grave, earnest looking midAe-aged man
said, in reply to my questions that:
His name was w. K Beech f; livedon Mis-