Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-03-19
lntcEestiny Letter from Kansas.
2 LAwRgscr. March sth, 1851

| RI REv AND DEAR Srn ~ took . moment
= day or two since, 70 ackD Wedge our fsvors
Of the 18th, 22d. 25th and 27th ult., but mol
TO thank you. IN fitting tens. for the great In
terest you have taken 10 our suffering condi
! ton, and for the great assistance you have
been to our distressed people.
The money which you have sent me from
time TO time has enabled me to furnish relief
10 may. Az in duty bound. have looked
after the people Of our own fold fret, and
have thus lar bssn enabled to relieve every
Episcopalian that | have known to bs dis
trs,sed but the aid kindly furnished rne by
yourself and others has BY no means been con.
tined to them. The outside calls that l have
had have been very us,-sometines -
many as twenty pea day An honest old
Wsshman has called since began this letter.
gave him SOHO seed-wheat and oats. and
some provisions. He Thanked me with tears
in his eyes. and Informed me that he had had
no meat for weeks, save the little he had re
ceivsd from me-
in seed wheat, oats, dc are making our peo-
pie feel very hopeful. Not one Of them. now
in distress, that wot OF, Who has few acres
Of land. but will rase HE next winters bread,
II all the whsst that you have sent gets
through safely. and If the season be halt as
favorable 40 II now promises. many not Of our
fold will also be reciLiants Of . portion Of the
seed you haAe sent.
You were more than fortunate in the selsc
ton Il oil tho seed that l have thus far re-
ceived from you. The wheat 10 far better
than any that could bs purchased here even at
Q high price. and the oats and beans are un-
surpassed III quality. The few farmers who
are "sbovs-aboard" would gladly have given
two dollars per bushel for the wheat; but
your kindness IN paying the freight to Atchi-
son on the whole. viii enable me to give it all
TO those who are unable to purchase The ex
pense from Atchison to this place ia forty
seven cents per bushel; but | have funds on
hand from which l can draw to meet this
charge.
As to the present distress. I would say that
cannot see much change. Mechanics and
laborers in our large towns, are beginning to
do a little but our farmers must live from
hand to mouth until their gardens begin to
yield little. see no relief for them. before
the middle Of June. but the assistance from
friends. save the lnesgrs sustenance they may
get from very poorly-conditioned poultry and
cows.
the General Relief Fund being distributed un-
nv personal know ledge goes, | am iguorant Of
any facts that would warrant such statements
The Committee OF Aschison have . most
or orous and thankless position. and that they
sometimes make mistakes that are distressing
to portion Of the people, can readily imag
inc
regard the statement OF Mr.. Hyatt. msde
on the 4th Of February. as Overdrawn. But
am rot surprised that gentleman fresh from
the abundance Of the city OF New York, should
err on that side, after being closeted night
after night for q week with fifty or seventy
tesmsters, nearly hsrefootsd and unclsd, who
had travelled during mid-winter, two hundred
miles. with ox.teams, that they might procure
food for starving wives and children.
The statement from Leavenworth. on tho
other hand, was In error in the opposite direc-
tion, and gave wrong impressions My esli.
mate la.t September was that thirty thousand
people must reccive aid or perish. At times
since then / have thought this estimate too
low; but my last calculation. based upon fscts
obtained from our worthy Governor, causes
:" fall back upon my first figures, though the
Governor himself places his estimate at twenty
have just returned from short missionary
tour into Franklin county and the lower part
oJ lOukih6o was nSUto out an NOuf before
the first load of Your wheat arrived, and since
then | have been very much engaged An
exaggerated rumor had spread through the
community as to tho quantity Of wheat re-
ceivei. and you can imagine how was beset
| could do nothing but answer the door the
rest Of the day. Ny barn was my store house.
and slept but little that night. 1t was nearly
all distributed before the close Of the next day ;,
Soma being eent to Prairie Citv Linn countv
dc, dc. l would not advise you to send any
more wheat. Our season is 60 far advanced,
in this point of Kansas. that it will be too late
to SOW after next week. Seed-corn and pGia-
toes would he very acceptable and useful
Again thanking you, not only for the great
interest you have taken in our condition, but
alec for the judgment you have displayed in
the mode Of relief, l subscribe myself
Your affectionSte Presbyter.
CHARLES REYNOLDS,
Bishop H. W. LEE. Davenport, Iowa.