The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1871-09-14
From BARfoH COUNTY.


To the Editor OF the Times:
Nov that your citizens have walked up to
their own Interests on the subject of railroads
I desire to submit for their consideration,
through your columns, q route which would
bring to them permanent business 20 long
- the plains remain, a. they now are, open
a. the feeding ground of herds Of native
stock, cattle and sheep, instead of the buffalo
and antelope, now in procession, soon to
give way as has The Indian to the white man
and civilization.
An airline railroad, a near a practicable
/ from Leavenvorih to Topeka, thence in .
southwesterly direction to Council Grove,
Moore's Rancho or Marion Center, and from
there direct to Zarah, on the Big Bend of the
"Big" Arkansas, on its way crossing the
head waters of the Little Arkansas, the
finest stock range to be found in the State,
next to Zarah and vicinity.
The proposed route, from actual estimate
BY the map, is fifty miles shorter from the
Missouri river to Zarah, than any other pro-
posed route.
l: il hardly necessary for me to say to
your intelligent readers and citizens that dis
lance tells, especially when it reaches twent-
ty-five per cent. or more, as in this case, OF
the distance traversed.
The route designated would nearly follow
the original Santa Fe trail, and my expert
ence is that the pioneers who were the first
to designate lines Of travel were more correct
in localities than those who have subsequent
ly attempted to improve upon their lines Of
communication.
As to Zarah, as Daniel Webster said Of
/ Boston, "There she stands-God bless her. /"
Now she is in state Of nature, but ere long,
aye, very soon, she will emerge
from her present condition and become the
town Of Southwestern Kansas, and a great
railroad centre. An examination Ofthe map
will prove this: that lines Of communication
to New Mexico, Arizona and Southern Cali
fornia from the East must run through here.
We have now our herd of cattle here num-
bering 3, 400, for the winter, and more to
come, and to be kept without any feed what
ever, except what they can get upon the lux
uriant prairies and bottoms. From past ex.
perience We predict that they will come out
all of them in GOOD condition, and many Of
them make good beef in the spring.
The Zarah Town Company is now in sue.
cessful operation, and was organized in June,
under the laws of Kansas. with James Mil.
Ter as President, Perry Hodgin, Treasurer,
7. J. Buckbee, Secretary, and also postmaster
of our town. They have already erected
the pioneer store, Of Barton County, and
have filled with fine stock Of new goods,
THE postmaster Of Boston has just issued
a circular, the main points of which might
be pro6tably studied by the business men in
this city. 1t appears that the habit of open
ing their letters in the area Of the postof6ce,
and throwing the envelopes on the floor, has
been turned to account by sharpers, who thus
learn the number of boxes Of firms, and de-
mand their letters. Quite recently an en-
terprising youth was arrested while in the
act of collecting letters from as many as six
teen boxes, all (which he had gone through
in a couple OF hours. After giving the pub
lie an idea of how such tricks have been
performed without detection, the postmaster
goes on to say, that out of an average re-
ceipt of sixty thousand letters per day, at
least one hudred are found to be without
stamps, or insuficiently paid, and that he is
obliged by law to forward them to the Dead
Letter Office. To avoid this, he advises bus
iness men to have their names printed on
the envelops, so that in the event of mistake
the letters may be Immediately returned to
| the writers.
and have the post Office and express office
there also under the management of our new
postmaster, "Pete" Buckbee, who knows
how to keep a store. A number of other
buildings are to go up soon, and among them
hotel, 40xSO feet.
Parties fond Of hunting and fishing, can
here be gratiied to the FULLEST extent buffalo
and antelope, almost in myriads, particular
ly the former, roam within gunshot of our
new town Ducks upon Walnut Creek, and
fish in its waters, just opposite the town site
are to be found in abundance.
A visit to this interesting locality will
convince the most skeptical Of its future i'm
portance, destined, as it is, to become thu
metropolis of Western Kansas, as your city
is par excelance the metropolis of the State
on its eastern border. SAN DIEGO.