Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-06-22
A Western Letter
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, June s,

. KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, June s.
Editor Rutland Herald While coming
from Independence to this place, I passed
through, for part of the way, very
beautiful country, which will be, when:
improved, also very rich country.
came by stage to Thayer, then by the
Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston
Railroad to Humboldt and from thence by
the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad
to this place. The latter road passes
through the Washo River Valley, where
we saw very large fields of wheat nearly
ready for harvest, The corn in this valley
is also looking we'll, and as they are now
having plenty of rain there, the prospect
is good for a large corn crop. ....
The Kaw Indian reservation is. also upon
the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad.
While passing through it a Kaw brave
got on to the train and rode with us for
few miles. He had all his hair shorn
from his head, except a tuft extending in
the shape of parallelogram from just be-
low the crown to the forehead, having
braid in the center of it. His head
around the tuft of hair was painted black,
fringed neatly with red. He also wore
large earrings, and coli of silver wire
upon the top of each ear. Although 1t
was very warm, besides his buckskin
suit he had large woolen blanket wrap
ped around him reaching to his ankles.
He carried small looking glass in his
hand to aid him in adjusting and making
his toilet, and evidently thought himself
beautiful. -.
Desiring to stop before we reached the
next station, he jumped off the train while
the cars were running fifteen or twenty
miles an hour. Instead of jumping for
ward with the train he sprang the other
way, in a very dignifed manner, with his
blanket around him, but as he struck the
ground he was thrown head over heels,
and would have broken his neck II the
ground had not been soft where he
struck. This raised great shout from
the passengers who were looking on,
which, have no doubt, wounded the dig
nifty of his Kawship.
The government, few years ago, built
stone houses for these Indians upon their
reservation, but they will not live in
them, and use them as stables for their
horses
The squaws do all the hard work and
will not let the men do anything but
hunt. They say the men are too pretty
to work, and take pride in being thel'
servants. Most of the Indians who were
in this state few years ago have been re
moved to the Indian nation, but some o.
them are 10th to go and are still lettering
about the different parts of the state
Some of the Indians in "the Nation" ar'
very wealthy. The traders among th'
Usage Indians told me that the Osage
were worth thirty eight thousand dollar
each. including women and children
Their funds are in the hands of the gov
erpment, else it would last them but
short time.
Junction City is situated at the juno
ton of the Smoky Hill and Republican
rivers, where they meet and form tn
Kaw river, and is town of about thre
{ thousand inhabitants. 1t has fine tow
site and is a good business point, Ih
q state District Court is in session here, an
1 for few days past they have been tryin
, a murder case, but as murder trials ar
! frequent here it does not excite more II
terest than dog suit would in Vernon
= Shooting is altogether too frequent in TIL
state, but it is now mostly confined to lie
g uor saloons and houses of i'll repute. !
r man who minds his own business an
keeps away from drunken brawls, is
t safe in this state as in Vermont, althoug
a there are a great many rough men er
= gagged in the Texas cattle trade, VIII
, when drunk, are very dangerous.
3 W. c. D.