The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-02-04
GhagnteIIigerfe1,
LETTER FROM KANSAS.
,,,o C;raSshODper PIague-Desti-
~ sI',ion Of tho peOple-Weather'

EIltoa Of the Il,ellEencsF.
We were once an inhabItHut OF you
fnir Ohio Valley with all Its comfort
aud beauty but are now Fe a.Sal,
lie many that the grasshoppers mad
destitute and left to the mercy Of some
,b;rg that must "turn up.", Beginning Il
h rather light fed, and knowing most o
Tho others To be in the same condition
/ am inclined, ii not q little pushed, Il
write somewhat OF the affairs that are be
ginning SO rudcly to affect our inner
man. II there is any surplus charity IL
your goodly land, We would attempt. Y
direct it Kansasward and have some OF /
spilled around in our vicinity. To TN
end that you may know our peculiar
condition, with some OF the attendant
circumstances connected with our sac
situation, will give you short OUTLINE
that will embrace only our own ittlt
neighborhood Of homestead settlers ant
their misfortunos.
We arc beautifully located on divide
between the Neosho and Cottonwoot
rivers, thirteen miles from COTTONWOOD
Falls. Our neighborhood consists o
twenty.ono claims mostly entered twt
and three years ago. The settlers being ii
limited circumstances the process Of got
ting their farms under cultivation hal
been quite n long, tough and labOFious I'M
dertaking, Hard times, scarcity OF money
all OUTLAY and no income, has stranded
them on very inhOspitable land, aud as
general thing "llat.bOkG" expresses theiI
condition. And unless their Is help from
some quarter there Is bound to be untold
sutfaring-withou ii Il scatter will be the
result or sTARvE, This country being
newly settled, there is
NO SURPLUS TO FALL BACK UPON
in case OF failure as was this season
Those acquainted with tho starting Of
farms upon the open prairie will readily
understand the progress to b. made IN The
short space Of two or three years, Moth,
ing is counted upon for tho first and
second year beyond n little fodder and q
few nubbins Of corn. The third year re0
sonable Drop may DO expected upon al
two year old brcakings, This was OUT
season for expectations; and how far those
oxpectations were realized will DO but .
short story to tell. The simple fact Ii
that on our twenty.one claims oats, corr
and wheat were entire failures. Nc
failures with tail end to them, where
something was saved that might serve ioI
winter feed for stock, but tGGtOtal, slick
clean failures, first dried up, then eat up
and last TO be seen
FLYING AWAY IN SHAPE OF GRASS
lI0PPERs
towards New Mexico. l want you to gel
the full idea that everything was eaten
I'M smooth, from corn down to snap-heans
That you may know how yoraciOus theil
appetites and unfastidiOus their tastes,
will mention that peach'trec leaves anl
walnut leaves and tomato vinea-all bu
castor.beans-thGy devourCd with III
much gusto US a boy taking his sugar
candy. Our whole crop upon my owl
farm consisted Of a few bushels Of earl!
potatoes and one or two bushels Of onion
that had matured before tho dry weather
and Craashoppers took possession. AL
Jared tho same, "lust and unjust" :.
About the middle Of July we found GU
that agriculturully the zig was up" will
us for this season. And there was cOnsid
cradle speculation among US as TO what
next All that remained upon this par
OF Goods fair earth" for US was the some
what dried'up prairie'grass, to which w
turned with all our power to COlIGc
enough to winter our cattle and teams
Itcai most readily DO figured out by anl
farmer how cattle and teams will CONT
out in tho spring on that poor hay
Most likely pelts will be more numerous
than living carcasses. It seems most nat
ural so say, "Oh; don't let your stocR die
Better 20 in debt for feed" Ycsi "
have been vcnturing little in that di
rection for two or three years, and whor'
are wei "Elat broke" and duns NOR
common than Gospel exhOrtations. O4I
only redemption, II seems to me, IL II
standing behind our income aud begging
tho balance, or else Courageously starY
ing We have economical by dropping
oil one luxury after another, such as tea
coffee, sugar, tobacco, papers, books, etc
until we are down TO the solid scant sub
stuntials OF bread and meat, and the pros
poet Of their continuance OF some consid
able uncertainty. There Is no great Calam
ity, however, III having TO throw asid
some Of the unnecessary trappinga Of civ
iiization, and learn plainly what root
hog, or die" means, and what good lesson
Il will teach us, II tho game don't go taI
or continue too long. But can we get out o
this difficulty with the lessons It teacher
alone? We must conclude that w
have learned tho lessons right wei
now. But still the game goes on
But say that by some good fortune o.
kind Providence we nll-StoCk, teams ant
all--live through the winter, what kint
ola programme can we act onl In the spriDl
towards getting In crop2 llay-tet
teams will not draw pillow very spirit
clly or empty purses purchase much Sce'
for sowing. Il,
but to return somewhat, and state tn
particulars as regards our neighborhood
We have but to SUN up by stating thu
Of the twcnty-One families one year ag
NINE HAVE LEFT THEIR CLAIMS
and gone east to seek employment anon
their friends. The heads Of seven othe
families arc out Of the county and som
out Of the State at work to support thei
households. Only five whole families re
main, and they arc, to Use common eN
preston, "tOo poor to got away" ID.
All Of US having been brought up !
the East, In homes surrounded by a tal
share Of The comforts Of life, II seems har
10 be pinched down 30 long TO the yer
Iunsoiare" meal Of bread alone, apd a
other comforts ditto or worse, But Ill
plain fact IL that there are very man
eases Of actual suffering for the want
sufficient clothing and shoes.
Land agents and railroad reports woul
make out that Kansas has such a mild e.
mate that shoes and clothing are hardl
needed. I will let you judge Of this U
givihgyo the weather report oil anuar
4.h aud 9th: =.
January Ath--Thcrmometer at day
break, zero noon, 81 above; night 3 b'
low. -.
january 6th-,ThctmOmOter at day
break, s. below; noon, zero night, IL
above. - .
This letter will but lightly impress 70
With the sad condition Of many on th
frontier Of Kansas, for only to see on
children with theirtattered clothing, bar