The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1861-02-16
Sec. Cent. Kan. Relief Association.
To W. B. DAVIS,
Cbm'n Board Com'rs Breckinridge Co.
EMPoRIA, Feb. Is, 1861.

EMPORIA, Feb. Is, 1861.
W. F. CLOUD, EsQ-DEAR SIR:-I have
the honor to acknowledge the receipt of
yours of the 14th inst. The expression of
sentiments in the communication to which
you refer, was prompted by sense of duty
to those of my Eastern friends who had
made repeated inquiries concerning our true
condition. Reports were current among
them, calculated to awaken an unwarrant-
able ympathy-reports which, from all the
information could gather, believed must
be greatly exaggerated-such as ''parents
supporting life on walnuts, in order to save
meal for their sick children - ''men sub
sisting upon roots, acorBs, and the bark of
trees" Hundreds unable to obtain salt for
their corn gruel:" and especially an extract
from private letter of one of my own neigh
bors, published in the Recorders paper
which circulates among them-representing
that sickness and burning fever were upon
them that the last crumb of bread had
been eaten, with no neighbors to assist
them, &c. This was subsequently cor
rected, as referring to the time of the first
settlements of the county, Knowing this
to be a gross perversion of the truth, and as
Breckenridge had been in the same paper
represented as one of the most destitute
counties-while was sure that the bulk of
the remaining population, being old settlers,
were in position to provide for themselves
is itall surprising that should conclude
that ''starvation, like the late border war,
existed only in the newspapers"
When 1 inform you that the Society con-
corning which the inquiries were particu-
lary made had received, from public and
private sources, hundreds upon hundreds
of dollars that knew there had also been
shipped three thousand pounds of flour,
barrels of beans, and considerablequan tity
of clothing believing as did, sir, that they
were abundantly supplied, you will readily
see why should have thus written a pri-
vate letter to a brother in West Jersey
where the existing national crisis, with
severe drouth, had rendered them pecunla-
rily strapped ''-and thus endeavored to
appease their consciences in the matter of
Withholding their contributions.
Until my attention was called to the fact,
did not discover that the words ''that there
has been, nor is, any probability of suffer
ing" were liable to misinteTpretation. The
idea intended was, that from all I could
learn from reliable men of different portions
of the county, there had been no suffering.
And in view of the fact that every one had
left friends behind them, generally some of
which were in circumstances to enable them
to assist those of their unfortunate friends;
that nearly every religious society was re-
ceiving considerable quantities of produce,
with the proceeds of the Hyatt fund, which
was thought to be large, together
with the amounts being obtained by the
many agents and friends operating in behalf
of your association, l believed, sir, and still
think, there is no probability of suffering.
Now, if 1 have erred in judgment, and
you can assure me that, notwithstanding the
combined efforts of the many societies and
associations, together with the untold pri
vate donations, there are still well-founded
of suffering in our midst,
then. sir, I will cheerfully exert the little
influence may command toward its allevi-
alton. Respectfully yours,
W. B. DAVIS