The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-11-14

lFrom . Citize Of wheeling.
NJ WITcHITA X ANsAs. Oct. 80

country and taxing In It's Oeautiee, ono
having my cash on hand constantly re-
duced BY hotels and their attaches.
From Wheeling to Chicago, thence to
Kansas City and Topeka, and from there
here; and am free to confess, II con.
fession is necessary, that some OF the |
country have passed through is as good
as any part of the "lootsteoW that ever 1
have seen. The lands in this part OF |
Kansas resen. BILE the lands of the Shenan-
doah Valley in fine laying and limestone
peculisrities, and their richness is at once
apparent, when a look is taken at the
grass all over the prairie and crops
generally. THAT great bugaboo, the grass
hopper, does not concern the people mere
much more than the wevil and other pests
known IN the east. AS hne crops
are produced mere as ever l saw any
where, and for cattle country 1t certain
ly has almost, was going to say, unlim
tied advantages. Miles ON miles OF as
fine prairie land as ever the sun shone on
for pasture and hay, short winters, ana
corn at sixteen to twenty cents per
bushel. Fur crop raising the prairie
"breaks up into loose, rich soil, easily
worked, and producing abundantly, L
met Hampshire county, West Virgins,
man out here, who speaks from expert
ence, and he tells me that he can success.
fully work forty acres of corn here, and
only wants one horse 10 help him.
Roads are secondary consideration, Out
are fine; and then # one like he can
simply drive across the prairie and have
road of his own choosing.
The great Republican business OF "land
grants to railroads obtained here In
great perfection, and the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fee Railroad Company
.sgobbled up" alternate sections Tor
twenty. five miles on each sido OF their
trick, and now have couple
of milliop of acres of the choice lands
of the Arkansas valley. By the way
that same railroad, being new road,
is splendidly equipped and travellers on
this line have very little reason to com
plain OF lack of comfort or accommoda-
tions.
The Russian Qaakers, the "Menonites"
are coming into the Arkansas valley IN
colonies of from 200 to 600 at time.
About the only thing that l can see
that they are remarkable for-aside from
their conceded industry-is general
combination, un-American nominees
and barbarious dress, and-and-smell
Their principal articles of dress are made
up of uuworked material, such as sheep
skins, etc. Added To this is the peculiar
ity of having the goats and the pigs, cows
and horses uuoer the same roof, graded
according to stinks, the horses
the furthest from the room OF
the family; and the beautiful state
barbarian simplicity is so complete that
whenever Mennonite community
turns its sheep skins, the Americans, tor
fifteen miles down the road, hold their
noses.
That srrant fraud and much reserva-
tionized, fed, clothed and armed at the
expense of the government, with which
he is perpetuslly at war, the noble red
man, is not extant any more in Kansas,
with the exception of a few of the
Osages, VINO are all livery good Indians
Speaking of "good ln1ians," however,
Col. Hereford, OF Denver, brother Of our
own Third district NJ. G, who met on
the train at Kansas City, tells me that
all "yood Indians" are loved of the gods,
and without exception die young.
l have seen the prairie fire in all its
grandeur and its: terror, and l could
write you narrowing story of how l
was caught ont on the prairie and how
the fire lcaped and roared and came on
scores Object high, and at arate OF speed
faster than my horse could travel, and
how tore the grass up and cleared
space from grass just in the nick OF time,
and made my horse lie down and then
Law down myself with my face in the
ground, gaspIng for breath IN the smoke,
while butfaloes, and deer, and antelopes,
and snakes, elephants and wild animals
run ever me in their terror to escape
from the fire, and how, when the fire
swept past and staggered to my feet,
nv ewes wearied OF the sight of roasted
hippopotami and camelopards, &c, that
had been overtaken by the fire. say L
could write you all this in keeping with
all the accounts Of praarie fires that ever
| read about, were it not for one thing
and that is, that kind of pararie fire
never occurred. Why the railroad hands
fire the grass along the line on purpose,
and whenever it crosses u given line
they simply hit it spat with
a shovel and stop it. A gentleman
and myself drove through the line of
| fire and tacn 1T cur cigars by 1t md
thought no more rpout it. That the
prairie fire, so full terrors, that used
to read about in I'd Biographies and
novels was myth, coined IN the brain
fertile with extravaganza ideas and things
that never occurred.
From Pueblo l will write up the
Spanish Don and beautiful Donizettos,
I'm not sure of the last namo) and
possibly be compelled to explode another
myth, but for the present, l am, with
true Turks devotedness,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES PAsHA.