The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-08-13
WHEELING, WEST va, FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 49, 1869
ATRIponT Krsr,
General Features of Kansas and Mis-.
souri,.
COrresponLence ofthe InteilIQancer.


General Features Of Kansas and Mis-.
BOuFl.
Correspondence otthe 1ntellIgenter.
KANSAS.
FoNTANA, MIAMI Co. KANSAS,
August 9Th, 1869.
The prospects, for q good crop Of corn
ticlpAted a few weeks ago. The rains
have ceased falling except when need !.
ed. The weather has been very warm
during the past four weeks. The
nights have changed to warm, and, the
result is, every vegetable is coming out
rapidly.
There are objections 10 Kansas, which
most Of the people have not been ap.
prised OF, and that 10 high winds ut
least two months In q year, prairIes
large, and timber scarce. The water Ia
good In certain locations: springs are
numerous, but the water 70 hardly ft
TO drink; the land In many places looks
we'll, and at the same time will not pro.
duce good crops, The State has been
subject 10 drouth, one season raining
one-fourth the time, while the next fol.
lowing will be very dry. The country
10 bare Of money, bare Of produce and
In fact everything else, except In the
city or railroad towns. In my opinion
the newspaper reports haYe diSappoint.
eda number OF emlgrants, or at least
they all report to lne In this way.
have seen In my travels many poverty
stricken families, living In the most
miserable huls, and In some localities
no business Rstir, nothing 10 do 10 sup.
port them. have thought, and have
heard them express the same, LhLt their
circumstances were worse here than
where they moved from. This Is no
doubt true; and l fear that some OF our
MarshRL county friends will find the
country other here than they ex.
peCted. understand that forty fam-
lilies expect 10 move to Kansas In a
short time. The climate IL not what 1t
Is represented. The weather seems al.
most as changeablO to me as In West
Va; the difference 10, not quite 90 cold.
They tell me among the stock men,
that they feed four months In the year.
Some OF our West Va. friends think the
time for feeding stock will not exceed
six weeks, (enurely mlsLaken
INDIANA. ....
While passing through this State I
found everything backward on account
OF wet weather. The roads were worse
than Ohio, iu many places lmpassable.
In the Hat portion OF the State water
could be seen standing II inches deep
for miles along the roads.
.. .5au ILLINOIS.
This State seemed 10 suffer worse
than Ohio or Indiana. In many places
the people failed 10 get In their corn,
and the result was In those flat places,
no corn has been raised this year.
a IOWA.
This State suffered greatly with the
wet, however, the land being rolling,
and u persevering set OF citizens, they
worked In mud, planted corn, and the
result has proven success. I like the
move OF the people In Iowa very much.
They all seemed TO move as though they
meant something.
Travelled through the southwestern
part Of Indian, Southern and Northern
Illinois, southeastern part OF Iowa,
North and Southern Missouri, East and
Middle Kansas. l have been places
where nobody lived, saw Il great deal
OF Wild country, met great many pe.
culiRr people, and saw all styles Of liy-
Ing. rga... .r. ,
MISSOURI.
The people In Southern Missouri are
u great deal like West Virglnians,
They are 'Old f0gles,' entirely behind
the times. Among the 'old fogiea' In
Missouri land can bA bought cheap, and
In very good neighborhoods, except
poor society. In those places they told
how long they had been living on their
farms, some mentioned thirty years,
and they still live In log houses, and
from hand 10 mouth. Kansas has a
more wide awake set Of citizens and the
improvements are better, but land Is
higher In price than In Missouri, and /
can't think but what Missouri is, and
always will be, the best State.
The southwestern part Of this State Is
as good as represented. The
prairies are small, There Is timber In
many places, OF large oaks, and gener.
ally plenty. Land IL cheap. Impruyed
farms can be bought tr $l2 TO $40 per
acre; raw lands from S3 90 10 90 per
acre. The water Is good, aud springs
are numerous. Stone Is plenty, Creeks
are numerous, and every few mIles and
clear running water. The land is SANDY,
ana not quite as good for corn as Kan
sas but oats, wheat, barley and yege-
tables can be raised. For pasture, no
country is equal to Missouri. The ell.
mate is milo, and there are no contlnu-
oas high Winds, as In Kansas. think
Missouri 10 . very desirable place for
poor man: mean where the country
ls rollinR-no swamps nor aRue. But
where 1t Is Nat, there Ia considerable
sickness, and l will not recommend
such places. ..ur. ..1 .r..
l Travelled along the State line bet wean
Kansas and Missouri, first on one side,
then on the other, until reached some
distance south of Fort Scott, The
further travelled from the Kansas line
east, the more timber. found; also
more spring aud running water. In
Cedar, Hickory and Polk oounties, the
country reminded me OF West Virginia,
The people along the line are bitter enc.
miles 70 each other-the Border Ruf-
hans and the Jayhawkers.' had the
satisfaction Of hearing both sides OF lhe
question discussed, and the proceedings
generally during the war. The 'Ruf.
mans would come over to Kansas, and
rob, murder, and commit all kinds OF
depredattons on Union men. The
'Jayhawkers' retallated and, I Judge
from reports, there were about equal
depredRLionse committed. lodged In
families where these difficulties occur
red, and would like TO relate some of
their reports. but l have not space nor
time. .u .--
THE FORT SCOTT RAILROAD TROUBLES.
A man by the name Of Joy, now lIy.
Ing In Chicago, Illinois, and President
OF the Fort Scott, Missouri & Gulf
Railroad, has caused considerable ex.
element and difficulties among the
people: lie has claims OF neutral lands
trom the government, and has under
taken 10 run "A railroad through this
land to Fort Scott. The settlers are
driving oil the railroad hands, burning
all their works as fast as. thew buIId.
DO. Now they are fighting here be-
tween the contractors and work hands.
The hands want their money for the
work-the people along the line want
their pay for boarding hands, finding
grain. &c., SO, and they are now fight.
Ing about two miles from here; by irY-
Ing TO stop the cars, and also preventing
any further business on the road.