The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-08-09
Inierastinr Letter from Kansas.

STRING Hill, johnson Co,
Kansas, July 2lst
DEAR PARENTS :-Sinco the mails nro
stopped, wa have ceased looking for letter
/ fro2l YOU. | have received our Eastern
papers up TO Jelly 10th, but nothing since
! All is excitement here now. | suppose you
! have road Of tho battle at Carthage, also
! tho one at BOonoviie ie, both terminating badly y
| for tho Socessionists. Wo have two com
panes organized hero at Spring Hill. but
they are in no condition to ontor service,
not one in either company understanding
tho manual OF arms. Our cavalry were
never pai AIDED except on foot drill. and ycs.
torday they wore summoned to meet tho
! forces Of Ben. McCulloch. | had neither
arms nor horse suitable, or | should have
gone A company OF cavalry, detachment
OF McCullOch's army, arc reported to DO
only IL miles from hero TO dav. l just
came homo from town, and saw body Of
about 20 horsemon who wore leaving Ia jnin
| tho Union forces against thom. | should
/ feel much better il our mon were well
mounted. but, as thoy are armed with only
shat guns or common riflns and old muskets.
With niraincd horses. they arc far inferior
to we'll drilled infantry. hold commits.
sion MS first Lieutouant Of an infantry CON-
pany. and would not 10 surprised to ro.
coive orders within threo days. to appear in
tho fold. 1t will depend altogether upon
tho succuss of Con. Lyons forces, whether
wo arc ordered out or not.
Tho troubles Of 1876 and 81. nro not for.
Cotton by tho MissOurans, aud thoy only
Eeed half IN excuse to come IN hore and
rob any ono who has anything they want.
Only -four days ago party Of about u dOzpn
mounted uncn appeared in the little town Of
MaysvilIe. only six miles from us, add took
property and money To tho amount OF $500
with n protenso that the sufferers were
against the Union mon. They did not hurt
any ono. but wero making preparations to
hang Mr.. James Boots, when Mrs Boots np.
puarod with doubIe-barrellod shotgun. and
drove thom awny. She says sho would have
! shot ons of Ihom il sho had hcen acquainted
with tho uso of tho gun Sho tried to pull
il off whom only half cooked. We expect
to hoar of such times now and then, here
on tho bordor. When wo first came hero,
Kansas was tho first place in Importance,
aud tho greatest business place within our
reach. but since tho attempt To raise nnd
preserve tho Secession flag, tho place is
really dead Kansas people go elsewhero
to trade. md greater part of tho u ,ion
men of Missouri sock Il moro loyal part to
trado in.
But, though political matters socm To on
gross tho most of our attention. it may be
no roasoa why we should say nothing olso
to you. llualth is genorally most excollont
oyerywhoro. although have boon predicting
| that tho ngue would soon break out rs il
never was known before. Ii seOns | am
not u good prophet. Tho reason why |
predicted il was tho uncommon amount of
tOct Utdth,T, heavy growth of vegetation.
Ne. and then add to this tho fact that the
weeds and vegetable matter generally, in
tho fields, docomposo so rapidly, when
plOwcd up, that thUre is n constant stencil
about tho cornfield. But, us yet, wo have
hoard OF only ono case of ague. and that was
cured long ago. The wheat crop hero is
gonorally good where the chintz bugs have
not destroyed it. Thoy have destroyed
mine till will hardly make A bushels on nh
acre; aud this l wonld not mind, but when
thoy loft tho wheat, they attacked tho corn,
and already u strip two rods in width, Dor.
doring on Tho wheat field. is utterly ruined.
don't know whether any Of you ever saw
any OF them or not They somewhat ro-
semblo II bod.bug in size aud smoll, and
are so thick that, in places in my folds. tho
corn stalks ur0 perfectly covered with them,
|
gonorally kill tho stalk thoy inhabit, but
suck tho sap till it produces no grain
Where they are so very thick, however,
| thoy kill it entirely Oats hayo boon OK
tromely good horo, this year.
Many of Us would have boen glad to SOW
some buck wheat, but thero was no seoG,
and, owing to the blockade of the Missouri
rivor, we could get none hore. Corn will
| m ta "A f..sI mill hn
much don't know what will be done with
il. Ono thing is certain: | think, if we
arc allowed To harvest it, wo will not need
to bo fed another winter soon by othor
people.
| Wo have had three mOnstrous rains during
tho last ton days. Tho last one commenced
about 2l hours ago, and has Just stopped
IL rained hard throughout the night and
day till since noon. Tho creeks are still
very high. l just wont down to show a
man whore to cross this little branch with
q buggy. lle said he had crossed creek
a couple Of miles from hore. where the
water washed his trunk out, aud he had t0
swim sOme distance before he recovered it,
The Marias dos Cygnes, as il ia called in
Kansas, Tor Usage in Missouri.) must be
very high. 1t has boon quito high all
through the present month. and now this
heavy freshot among its hond branches
must raise 1t uncommOnly.
This would be great season to come
and view Kansas. l havo often thought
OF trying 10 describe tho appearance OF
things as they seem to compare with similar
things in your State; but, whom lock gu,
upon the broad, unbroken prairie, dottod
here und there with littlo Improvement
Ia house, n field of growing corn, and .
string Of Shanghai fcnce,) between whict
arc broad strips of rolling prairie covoro'
with high, waving grass, crossed OCCASIONAL,
by sho OF pure water, along whos'
banks arc either stone or timber in abund
anco, think | can draw no picture fit fo
you to look at, and there will be no otho
way for you to know how this country look
but to crmo and soc it,
July 25ih.-Just to give yon an idoa o
tho excitement that prevails hero. ia rcgar,
TO tho war, will toll YOU of what was dom
on Monday. 22d inst. ..'
, Capt, NanhOrD. with l75 mon, and Capt
, JenniSon, with 25 picked men. wore en-
campod within IL miles from us, just OI
our side of tho State line which separate
1 Kansas from Missouri; while whole rcgi
ment Of SeccssiOnists, 900 strong, were en-
. camped on the other side Of the line, no
: | mara than z niIea diatant II waa rnnort