The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-01-07
A Story Of Want and Misery
DAvENroRr. IOWA. Dec. 81. 1s7I

DAVENPORT, Iowa. Dec. 81, 1874.
EDITOR EAGLE: 1 enclose . communica.
ton that appeared in yesterdays Ga.etse
Of Davenport. From this it appears thai
about half Of your citizens in Sedgwicl
county are IN a state Of great destitution-
many likely to perish from starvation. Is Il
so. or is the statement of the party ''author.
lied by the governor" ETC., an exaggeration
For one l believe the statement is not q cor.
rect one. As you are acquainted with the
facts and can easily obtain the history of Mr.
j. G. Valentine. think you would do the
community good service by publishing in
your next EAGLE the facts in the case. We
are giving here literally when assured ouz
contributions will reach the needy.
Respectfully yours, Z. MEAp.
"At the meeting of the board Of trade, last
evening, there wa1 present Mr.. j. G. Valen.
tine, OF Sedgwick county, Kansas, authorized
by the governsr Of Kansas as agent to gather
articles TOR the relief Of the people of his sec
zion who are suffering for. want Of food and
clothing because OF the grasshopper deyasta.
tion. And Mr.. v. told his story. 1t was inn
possible he said, to picture the suffering he
had witnessed in his portion OF Kansas dur
ihe tuN past tbitC iuOutuSs llc u3u 0lttueN
his own with sufferers about him. az had
some Of his neighbors who were little better
on than most OF the sufferers. He mentio ned
cases In which whole families had almost
nothing to eat for whole days-as sample a
woman, and daughter of twelve years, who
walked four miles to see him. who had not
eaten mouthful Of food in three days before,
and all her five children had was the milk OF
one COW which was fast drying. The woman
and her daughter had not raitnent enough to
properly cIOthe an infant six months old.
They were shOeless, and the day was quite
cold. This was one instance OF many like IL
in southwestern Kansas. Cows. horses and
hogs have died from want Of food. These
people had received no aid whatever up to
the time Of his departure. . rev days since.
Sedgwick county contains 5000 Inhabitants.
and Of these l 200 are in need Of assistance
And they must have 1t soon, or many win per-
i>h. He hoped some assistance would be
rendered IN Davenport, although he was
aware that he was not the first to ask IL in be-
nall OF sufferers from grasshopper devastation.
On motion, MIR. j., NJ. Davies was requested
TO accompany Mr.. Valentine to the chairman
81 the executive committee on relief of sui
ierers In grasshOpper regions. The state OF
things in southwestern Kansas, as represented
ny MIR. =, Is perfectly appalling, and his mis-
sion to Davenport ought 10 be well rewarded"
The above letter OF inquiry was written by
Mr.. Z. Mead, of Davenport. Iowa, father OF
Hon. J. Il. Mead, of this city, and the extract
is from responsible paper. We can only
answer that Mr.. Valentine was regularly
authorized to solicit for the grasshopper suf-
ierers, but that We cannot urqualifedly en-.
dorsc such story as the above. Mr.. Valen-
tine was very bitter against the EAGLE for
the course 1t took in reference to the
restitution Of this country, consequently we
see the matter different. No man, woman,
cow, horse or hog has died in this portion Of
the state for want Of food, that we have heard
or The people are receiving aid every day.
Sedgwick county contains three times 5000
inhabitants, that any one will die for
want OF food in the county, we have no
such idea. We reed aid in this portion of
the state, and all that charitabIy inclined per-
sons will give will be thankfully received and
properly distributed. We haze no doubt Of
Mr. Valentines honesty. End We have no
doubt but for the assistance of more fortunate
states there would have been vast amount
Of suffering in the grasshopper district, but
we now hope and confidently expect through
the generosity of friends of other states, to
safely carry through the unfortunate new set
tiers, who lost everything by grasshoppers,
without the loss Of single life in this portion
Of Kansas.