The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-21
OTTAWA, KANSAS, Dec. Is, 1877.

OTTAWA, KANSAS, Dec. Is, 1877.
Editors IntellIsencsr.
l have thought that a few words
written By one who until recently gloricd
in the fact that he was West Vlrginian)
about Kansas and the inhabitants thereof
might interest some OF my friends OF the
Panhandle. We left the good old town
of WelIsburg on October Sth, and travel.
ed by the h. & Q. Railroad 10 Chicago,
and. thence to Kansas City, and then BY
the Galveston & Lawrence Railroad
down TO Ottawa, In Franklin county,
fifty.three miles southwest from Kansas
City. We found Ottawa greatly i'm
proved in appearance from what
it was last spring when ". W.
Clendennen and myself were here.
We remained in town until November
LIST, when We moved out two and a
half miles, and took possession Of our
country home, where we are learning to
like Kansas better every day. Ottawa
claims a population Of four thousand
souls, has one Of the finest school build
lngs in the State, costing thirty thousand
dollars, seven or eight churches all well
attended every Sabbath, fine public
square, and large building thereon,
constructed Of stone, used as a jail, Sher-
ifs residence and for some oil the county
Offices. They have never built n Court
House, but use Sheldon Hall az n Court
room, the rent thereof being much less
than the interest upon the cost OF n Court
House. Sheldon Hall was built eqpecially
for theaters, concerts and lectures, and is
occupied almost every night for some
purpose or other. 1t is a very fine hall;
will seat 900 very comfortably, and
would be easily emptied in case Of fire.
We have been highly entertained during
the past week with the rendition Of
"Esther, the beautiful Qneen,' acantata,
given by chorus Of eighty trained sing.
era, with Miss Zella Neil, Of Lawrence,
as"Queen." The other ladies' and gen.
tlemen, who participated, we're residents
Of the town, with the Presbyterian Min.
Ister as "lligh Priest" The singing was
remarkably fine, especially that OF Miss
Neill and Mrs. Judge Sears, OF this town.
The entertainment was given for the ben
eft OF the Presbyterian Sabbath School.
Ottawa can boast OF at least fifty busi.
ness establishments, including dry goods,
groceries, hardware, drug and book
stores, boots and shocP, furniture manu-.
factories, all kinda OF machine shops, and
two very large Touring mills. The farm.
ers OF this portion OF Kansas, as Clasa,
are very intelligent and respectable, and
largely engaged in grain and stock rails
ing. Eighty thousand dollars have been
paid out in Ottawa for castor beans alone,
aud large shipments Of hogs and cattle 90
up to Kansas City every day by rail. The
climate is nil that any one conh desire,
the thermometer ranging from 80 to 75'
at this time, and the roads rs good as in
summer, being perfectly dry aud dusty.
The politics Of Kansas, and particularly
Franklin county, suit me entirely, the
county being about 1000 Republican.
can appreciate il fully after voting for
twenty years in Virginia where my vote
never seemed to do any permanent good.
Our friends in West Virginia thought we
were going beyond the limits Of Civilila.
ton, but we think we are just beginning
to live. K.