The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-09-13

Mr.. EDITOR: Your Reading cor
respondent seems to make himself very
merry over very serious matter, and
according 70 his philosophy everyman
who falls into a river and gets drown
ed, or more luckily saves himself by
swimming, must, as matter OF course.
have beena s1eetIe. drunk, Or else why
did he falffn? Any stranger who falls
into any of the numerous fording traps
with which the streams of Kansas
sbound, and especially If he fall into,
that 'dead shot" of g thing called
"Savery's ford" near Dowdell's, how
could he have been otherwise than a
''leetle worse for liquor ?" Was there
not safe pathway across the river?
and does not the man ''Typo" and all
the citizens of Reading and vicinity
who have crossed there a thousand
times, know just where it is, and
whether "leetle" drunk or ever so
sober, can they not steer safely across
avoiding the deep hole on this side and
the fifteen feet of water on that, and
land safely on the other side every
time? Why, SIR, "big nose on a lit
tie mans face" is scarcely palmer.
But,sir, if the drowned man was not
drunk then he must haYe been leetIe
''crazy." There must be some way of
accounting for accidents. It will new
er do for the people of Recalling to
acknowledge that they have danger
GUS trap of thing called ford, which
every now and then catches an unsus-
pecting traveller, ''takes him in and
does for him." and leaves him, If he is
so fortunate as 10 escape with lis life,
to 90 on his sad and sorrowing way,
only to be laughed at and ridiculed
and slandered by the people of Read
ing (taking Typo as tpye) as one
who must of necessity be given to in
temperance or insanity.
Sir, IL would be much more honor
able and humane; nay, sir, it would
even be much more creditable for your
Reading correspondent to address
himself to the talk of abating such a
dangerous trap, which ought to be in
dicted forthwith as thing threaten
ing to the lives and property of all
travellers and discreditable to the town
ship in which it exists.
Sir, allow your correspondent TO
suggest that it may even be found in
the end more profitable in the mere
matter of dollars and cents, to the |
parties concerned, to build a proper
and safe crossing place at the so called
ford, than to allow travellers, one after
another, to be decoyed, at the risk of
their lives and property, into ''fifteen
feet of water" or more, out of which
they must swim for their lives, of if
this be impracticable, must stay in
and perish. s .!ii..s;8A
Our doctor, sir, is not the only man
who has lately been in fifteen feet OF
water at Savery's ford, and been |
Obliged, himself and team, 20 swim out |
as best they could to save themselves
from death. One of the livery stables,
of Emporia has had two teams go
swimming in this model ford, within
the last five weeks and the first time
that women and children, or other |
parties that cannot swim, are caught |
in this trap there will be loss of life,
and mourners will be going about the |
streets; but ''Typo" will write ySW ~
jecular epistie from Reading and tell
you that they must all have been a |
''leetle'' drunk or crazy, and sit would |
have been better ov they'd looked a |
leetle Quit, don't it, TRAVELLER.