The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-22

gentlemen who laid out the town first,
some eight or ten years ago, selected
by far the prettiest site, as it lies con-
siderably higher than that on which
the city is built. The original propri-
etors, we suppose, made the mistake of
too many town companies. To use a
forcible expression they thought they
had "soft thing" They moved too
slow, and as consequence have acres
of vacant lots. Ia some way the COM
pany raised the ire of VIM. Griffen-
stein, who was an old Indian trader,
and who was better known as So Dutch
Bill" He had concluded to quit his
ing life and "locate." He was
pleased with Wichita. A misunder-
standing arose between him and the
company and the idea struck him that
ne also would have a "soft thing.''
Possessed of a large degree of two i'm
portant ingredients of the successful
western town builder, liberality and
shrewdness, he bought a quarter sec
ton just south o. the old town site and
Esailcd i'm The balance of the story
is brief. The town stands on his
land, while the old company took
theirs out in ''scoop."
The thing that pleased us most about
Wichita, besides the wonderful dis
play of "pluck" to be seen on every
hand, was the attention which is being
paid to the matter of identifying the
town, and rendering it attractive.
Nearly all the wide and level streets
arc lined with young trees, which
grow very rapidly in that soil, and
which already begin to make quite q
show. Some of the places about the
looking orcharls. And right here let
us mention one thing which is COM
mendable and which forms an exam
pie that Emporia would do well to fol-
low. Old NANCY, dirty, destroying
COWS and hogs are not allowed to run
at large, and trees are set everywhere
without the enormous expense of
fences. The people there take the
sensible ground that the poor p man
who wants to keep a cow can build a
little pen for her much cheaper than
his poorer neighbors can build fence
around all his premises for the purpose
of keeping other peoples COWS from
running him. Had this policy been
pursued in Emporia at an early day,
and kept up till now, we would have
had plenty of fruit and forest trees.
The most noticeable feature OF
Wichita is the ''pluck" spoken of above.
You can get into muss there quicker
than at any place we ever saw by
shooting Off your mouth in the wrong
direction. They rush things. You
can go on the street there for any
thing that benefits the town and '.raise
the wind in short order to the amount
of thousands OF dollars. Everybody
believes in Wichita. The fellows alb
soiutely pity you for living anywhere
else. You receive an Introduction to
one of the go-aheads. He asks you
where you are from, and with SYM
pathizing and patronizing air he asks
you if it is not iawful dull" there.
He says, s'look at that street, You
look, and must acknowledge there are
a good many people moving around,
and a good deal of business going on.
1t is notify crowd you see. Broad
brimmed and spurred Texans, farmers,
keen business men, real estate agents,
land seekers, greasers, hungry law
yers, gamblers, women with white
sun bonnetS and shoes of q certain
pattern, express wagons going pell
nell, prairie schooners, farm wagons,
and all rushing along after the al
mighty dollar. The cattle season has
not yet fully set in, but there is rush
of gamblers and harlots who are ely
ing in wait" for the game which will
soon begin to come up from
| the south. There was a
struggle for awhile which should
run the city, the hard cases or the bet
ter people. The latter got the mas
terry, and have only kept it by holding
a slight grip Pistols are as thick as
blackberries. The taxes are paid by the
money received from whisky sellers.
gambling bells, and the demi monde,
and thousands of dollars are obtained
besides to further the interests of the
town. Wichita fiourishes OFF the cat
tie business, and these evils have to be
put up with; at least that is the way g
large majority of the people see it
But Notwithstanding this man is as
safe in Wichita as anywhere else if he
keeps out of bad company. The pur-
iieus of crime there are no worse than
in many eastern cities OF boosted re-
fnement and good order. But wo te
to the ''greeny" who falls into the
hands of the jewellers therein, es'
pecially If he carries money. From
these come most of the stories of out
rage at Wichita. They are entitled Il
r little sympathy because they can fint
plenty of good company if they desir'
it.
But there is better and pleasante
, side to Wichita. She has her churche
and schools and christians at work
They are making good Roadway goo
t people are settling there. The city
J, improving rapidly, and already ha
! many beautiful and substantial bust
: ness houses and residences. James B
a ! Mead, one of the Oldest inhabitant:
: has a residence which alone cost hir
5 $1,000. He is surrounding himsel
: with trees and flowers, and his plac
T is one of the finest, in every way, 3
: be found in Southern Kansas. J. {
9 Frakcr, former resident of Emporis
: also has beautiful place. VIM. Gril
e fenstein has put up eommodious re:
E idence. Many others are planned an
), in process of construction, anon
e which is that of 81. II. Murdoch, I
Is the Eagle. On the business streets Al
II the Occidental hotel, the First Natter
Il al bank building, the Eagle block, an
n others, as fine and large bushes
Il houses as are to be found in any ives
e ern city. The evidences of relinemen
le solidity and permanency exist on ever
IS hand. AS these last interests grow
e and as the good gains ground crime wi
l. take back seat. The dead beats az
t, gamblers who live of the condition
things which necessarily exist the