Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-03-20

CARLETON. NEE, Mar. 1,

CAHLETOND NEE, MAJ, i. ~.
EDIroRs COURIER Thinking per-
haps a- word from this part Of the
world might be Of interest to some Of
your numerous readers, hereby give
the following:S
We have had mild winter here
compared to what you have had in
Iowa, Judging from accounts in the
COURIER, and from private letters re-
ceived from friends back there; altho'
we have had some extremely unpleas.
ant weather, cold piercing dry winds,
but not such freezing weather as has
been experienced throughout the
Northeast and South. The first three
weeks Of February was first-rate
spring weather, and great many of
our farmers sowed their spring wheat,
but for week past we have been hav-
ing some very cold weather, attended
with some snow; and tits my opinion
that wheat would be as well, if not
better of in the granary than in the
ground, although at this writing it is
warm aud pleasant, and thawing quite
rapidly.
The all-absorbing topic of discus
sion with us here is, what we are to
do for fuel? Wood is next to an i'm
possibility, or will be after this year,
and until we can raise it, which will
be some time yet !; aud coal comes so
high (when any can be had) that not
one homestcader in ten can Afford to
buy it. The price ranges from $40 to
$l4 per ton on the railroad.
Coal has been discovered in our
county (Fillmore) but whether it will
prove to be paying vein or not re.
mains to be tested. A company has
been organized to prospect it this COM
ing spring. It lies 100 feet below the
surface where discovered and should
it prove workable, it will be expensive
mining it owing To the scarcity OF
timber for cribbing and propping pur-
poses. Further east Of us, at Crete,
they have discovered it within 80 feet
of the surface, SO the paper states.
suppose we will have to depend
chiefly upon corn, as great many are
already doing. If we only had a few
sections of Wapello county coal out
here we would be all o. X.
AS far as anything else is conccrncd,
l think we have splendid country,
and one that in the near future will
rank among the foremost in an agri-
cultural point Of view.
Internationally our county il making
rapid strides in the right direction,
having been organized into townships
and districts. The Superintendent is
at present engaged in having district
officers elected, and getting every
thing II Gpe TO have summer schools
ell over the county. There are now
fourteen school houses IN the county,
erected at Q cost Of from $4,000 to
$4,000 each.
Politically, we stand decidedly Re-
publican, there being more Of Uncle
Sans boys out here than any body
else, and still more coming, as see by
the COURIER that SAINT kirkpatrick
and others are. preparing to emigrate
in the spring. That's right; come on
boys; we have plenty Of room and
you are the kind we want.
Inoticc by the papers that the names
of some Of our most prominent pub
lie men are getting quite an airing
this winter, and doubtless some of
them need and deserve it; be that as
it may, it seems as though if an angel
from the pure realms above should
come down and accept a position in
our government, that some scallawag
of Beelzebub would hatch up some
charges against him and try to prove
them by referring to some Of the numcr-
GUS journals who seem to have no other
means of filing their columns, than by
resorting to the low practice of abus-
ing their betters; but Us investigations
are the order Of the day, and l may
accidentally tread upon some ones
toes, and thereby have to answer to q
charge, / had better close upon that
subject.
The name of our post Office aud sta
ton has been changed to Carleton,
Thayer county /; SO please change my
address upon the COURIER to Carleton,
so that it may come all right, for when
I miss it one week feel like one lost,
and eagerly wait for the next number.
One number lost entirely, both Of the
COURIER and the Inter Ocean, and that
was the one containing the Presidents
message. Speaking ofthe Inter Ocean
reminds me that they still persist in
sending my paper TO Kansas, although
l have written and rewritten to them
upon the subject. So ] get the news
from Chicago through the COURIER
before l do by the Inter Ocean.
More anon. Ever yosrs,
J. II. SPRINGER.
Friday, the terrible severity Of
the law was inflicted upon three per-
sons guilty ofmurder, BY hanging them
by the neck until dead. These cxecu-
tions have of late become more FREE
quent, the result no doubt Of repeated