The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1871-08-24
LETTER FROM SOUTHWEST
MISSOURI.


.vBz--J uolzi5B
Springfield -''LiRcOIn GaVe''--
e Carthage, Jasper Goa Nest
Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. City
Baxter SpTings-SoiL GFPPs,
Climate, etc. ....f,.-
MOUND CITY, No, Aug. 14r 1871,
A few days. ago I was in Spring.
field, Mo-, a little city claiming a
population Of 1000, situated 24Q
miles southwest of St. Louis, on the
summit Of the Ozark Mountains,
and on the Atlantic & Pacific R. R.
Springfield is rather a pretty place,
tand expects, soon to be an important
point in the wholesale. and jobbiBg
trade with. the )cnuntry southwest Of
it. "a large hotel has lately been
Ierected to meet the increasing de-
mand for accommodations of that
sort. 1t will be furnished and KEEP
in the most modern style, with all
the appurtenances and cOnveniences
/ known to the best hotels in the
| country s5 .g 5.. aa. g-lu- .g
/ About six miles from the city IL
found the famous "Lincoln Cave"
and under the guidaneeof the cOur-
teous and gentiemaniy proprietor,
Mr.. D. @. Stapp, and in company
with a party of ladies and gentle
men from various places throughout
the country, I explored It to its far
thest exteht. h ..'aio
No words of mine can convey a /
just idea of the magnifeence of the
FORMATIONS, that here rezceL anything
Qf-they kind an the Enown aoorld. A
distinguished Professor is my au
lthOrity for this declaration aai yG
There are columns 5reacRing from
kAoor TO ceiling-ten 70 twelve feet !
land twenty and thirty five feet in
Ecircumference; snne fiuted, others
Sparkling as with diamonds, and |
Others again looking like pillars Of
isnoW Stalactites and stalagmites
! by the thousand, and of all sizes,
from that of a pencil to that Of
man, are distributed throughout the
icave, besides many other natural /
curOsities A fine spring of clear,
running water starts out of the bot
tom at the extreme end, which is
nearly half a mile from the entrance
The roof or ceiling varies in height /
from 2 to 30 feet, and the width Of
the cave from 80 to rs feet. 1t was
discovered by accident about four
years ago, the entrance then not be.
ing larger than a barrel. It has
since been enlarged, and now the
visitor can enter and walk erect
throughout its extent. No one pass
ing this place should fail to stop and
visit this cave, to see the natural
wonders that exist here in such pro
fusion.
After leaving Springfield, I Wis
tied Carthage, Jasper county, Mo.
Here 1 found Rev. Il. Turner, Rev.
Wesley Stone, and a host Of High
Iander5 from Hillsboro, Lynchburg
and other towns, settled in Carthage
and the country around. Here you
will find the town, par excellence, of
Southwest Missouri.
Although 25 miles from a rail
road, the inhabitants have built up
one of the handsomest towns in the
West. A fine, large brick School
House, Of fmOdern style, with Man
sard roof, a large FIGURING Mill,
and Woolen Factory, built in the q
best manner and painted, add much Z
to the appearance of thrift and en-
terprise that one observes as a char q
of the place. In short, af- r
ter visiting this and other towns OF
Missouri for now nearly
two years, I am free to maintain
that for an intelligent, moral and a
enterprising class Of citizens, Car
thage and Jasper county are not
,qualed by any other town and o
county in this section of country; 81
and for health, beauty of country
and fertility of soil not surpassed. NJ
l was received and entertained d
during my stay by the Mayor of the Al
city-a distinction not often accord NJ
ed to a ''drummer," but Mr.. Turner NJ NJ
made an exception in my case and NJ
took me in. 5z..-ssl.
You reach Carthage by stage from
on the A. & P. R. R., and ~,
you leave by stage when you go to
Baxter Springs, Kan, a distance Of tn
25 miles, which, considering the til
neat Of these August suns, is not nj y.
very desirable mode os travelling. Sc
Great excitement exists at present he
n Jasper and Newton counties, ow- T., +.
ng to the discovery of new and tn
'ich Lead mines. At Jacklin, Is Dp UD
niles from Carthage, two men in tn
wo weeks dug out of hole in the IN IN
ground over $500 worth of ore, H,
rs per cent. of lead. \,
At Baxter Springs we found our y
I'D chum, Col. VIM. March. He MI
las lately fitted up new Office for hi. hi
he transaction of his real estate and WI
Insurance business, his old Office be- u"
coming too cramped on account of
Is rapid increase. eli
Baxter is a fiourishing place Of
ome 5000 Inhabitants, and growing
laily Quite a number of fine brick in. m
torres and residences are in process
# erection. This is the terminus OF it,
he famous Joys railroad, the Mis- n.
Ouri River, Fort Scott and Calves