Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-10-09
Calamity in Kansas.

The accounts of famine in Kansas are
distressing. A correspondent makes the
following statement:
AT this mortal hour, as sit here pen
ming these lines, people are starving!-
Whole families have literally nothing 10
eat. Other families are subsisting Who'll
ly on mere bread and water, and corn
bread at that, and death from starvation
has actually occurred. The hunger fiend
sits enthroned In Kansas. | asked the
census taker what he thought of kansas2
And he replied: Now listen to wha, the
census taker, a man who has visited ev-
cry cabin IN the country, says; a man
who TOR two whole days travel had for
his horse only parched grass, and for
himself nothing. In Walker Township,
Anderson County, be found family
with nothing to eat; their drink was the
milk of one cow-this was all their sub
sistence. In Ozark Township, on Il SIN
gle section, he found five families living
on corn meal and water. Another fam
lily of four living wholly on the milk Of
their COW; not crumb of bread in their
house-no,hIng whatever 10 eat. And
he found one death from starvation. The
neighbors bore sorrowful testimony to
the fact, accounting for 1t on the ground
that they were all circumstanced SO near
ley alke-all SO near starvation, that
they did rot realize the poor womans S
actual danger until she had got beyond
the reach of aid, and beyond the need of
il.
The census taker also tells us that in
this country, Anderson, the most promis-
ing of all the interior counties in the Ter
ritory, but 300 bushels of wheat have
been harvested this season; that there
will be no potatoes ana no other vegata-
bles, and that not half enough corn has
been raised 10 feed the population of the
county, even with all the old corn added:
l asked the preacher of the gospel
preacher says: Il have preached three
months along the Neosho Valley; the
people on the circuit are responsible for
my support. Tbs year they are all
poor; the crops have failed. | have not
the heart to ask for my salary. All | have
received for my twelve weeks labor is
this two bits" And the preacher took
from his pocket and exhibited in his hand
exactly twenty-five cents!
The preacher talked of leaving, but
his poor parishioners wept. They told
him to stay. That though they had no
money and no food scarcely, yet if he
would stay, they would hunt buffalo meat t
for hun, and pay him with that. The
preacher consented.
l asked an old settler, What of Kan
sas?' Hear what The old settler SAYS
Things are worse now than than they
were III '56. Then we had money; now
we have none. | believe that if all the
money in Linn was distributed out even,
It would not count three dollars to a man.
have been here since early IN Sc, and
gone through the troubles then; was ia
ken prisoner and dragged away from my
FANNY; saw my neighbors's house
burned and robbed; but, sir, this hour is
a darker one for Kansas than even that!
The crops are an entire failure. | plant
ed "a acres of corn and will not get %
bushels. There is not vegetable IN my
garden. Everything is gone. "Over
there (polnting TO a neighboring farm
"llves an Illinois farmer, he came In
here with $4,000 In 81 and has a
splendid farm; to-day be cannot command
enough cash to pay trifiing debts. He
understands farming well, and has pu, IN
one crop after another in succession,
hoping tor rain with each one-but all
have failed. He has gone TO Missouri
with some cattle TO sell for ready money.
We regard him as one of our rich men
and yet he is that hard up for CASH
Down on Nine Greek | know eighteen
families who have left for the States with
in the past week"
Such is the statement OF old Father
Reese, Of Sugar Mound" near Mound
City. | know him well and endorse him
Mr.. Clark, CT Paris Township, SAID:
Il planted 20 acres of corn, and, if the
worms will let 1t alone, shall raise enough
TO bread my family. Bu, know of four
families IN the southwest corner of
Mound City Township who have left for
the States 10 lock for food"