Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-08-11
AFFAIRS IN KANSAS.
LARNEp, KANSAS, August /,


about six miles east of Fort Larned, and
named after it. The fort at present has only
one company of u. 8. troops. Two compa-
MES have gone to look after the lir-lifters,
/ am told. But my accoun ut of what have
seen and done in the state of Kansas would
not be complete in interest, any more than
I'm statement, If ia led To historically epito-
miZe the sights and incidents of my trip Ill
r.cily away from the railroad for over fifty
miles south, in the direction of the embryo
town yclept
One might think from it's hgh-sou ming
name that il was peop!ed by the almond
ey ed celestials; but ii is not, and its deniZeas,
by their deeds, do as msch to establish the
hateful doctrine of total depravlty" as any
Other community of American citizens; they
are not c, lestials Suci trip as am about
toCesclIbe requires PREPARATION and AN outnt.
There must be private means of transporta-
ton, ana the same for caravansera enter
tainment. Our motive power was pair OF
Texas horses. not mustangs, but about as
large and hardy, with dispositions less dia-
bOlical. but they need about us much beating
and try ones patience quite as much a. The
mustang. they are what an able but eccen-
trle Methodist minister in Ohio IN an early
cay described after d horse trade % which he
Was party, "CeIg fJTgetCi" Taey forget
blow with the whip very soon; aye, "th-y go
one better than that they ignore the fIt
half-Gozen that comes IN rapid succession
TIE wagon is stored with blankets d ii edi-
bles. aid SO equipped we moved out For
the flst five mlle> We saw in the distance.
very much scattered, ad )zen-Ihdr know
what 10 call them-farm houses. Did your
proud society deniZens of WaSniug tou ever
mink, DO you think, what sort OF "A residence
large body of farmers in this cuu utry are
contented and happy to live in? They never
heard Of chamUer SET; nave no wish or
place for one, If they had We stopped at
one, and the last Ose we saw after We left the
rollrOad settlements until We hal made a
long, tedious drive. Ii was what is called in
elegant (?) nomenclature
This sort OF farm house is made thus: a
hole about half Of the depth of the proposed
story is made in the ground, then prairie sod
is cut and laid up for the balance OF the
wallis. Rafters are then raised AMI roof
boarded, and the covering Is made tight with
sOds. think there was only one room. Tnen
for twenty miles we had no sign OF a human
hs biIatloD. Nothing but prairie in its priIn-
live condition, and i think i saw In one
place, during that twenty miles drive, the
10 gest stretch of Gods green earth" at one
view that | ever saw in my life. | saw
enough, i know, all want TO see without a
human hsbitation. At the end Of this drive
W. saw a house. a Kansas house. and man,
tn | he had family, l was told. His house
was originally "dug out" Now he has
made of boards shed with gothic or sharp
angular roof, giving him another story al owe
he dug out" A piece of board Is left off
about four feet above the ground at one cor
Ier Of the house as an opportunity for egress
ard irgress for his two dogs. What a place
for human being to dwell in! He hal sew
eral stacks OF wheat and pe rhaps other grain,
some may have been hay. Tnere wa
reaper, a sulky hay rake, ky corn cul
tivatOr and some other implements standing
out in the weather, aud no barn. That M An
probably wastes enough every two years for
the want OF a barn TO pay for one. H3 had
corral and, presume, herd of STOCK. There
was garden near. His cultivated fields
was away as far as one could see. These were
estimated a range" more than any other
circumstance they know of. Possible, the
usual surroundings of civilization are not
agreeable to him. THIS mau is notable more
for what he has not done than for what he
hts done. Iei, l would do what could 10
make him famous Tor what he has me.
kreels nd-f n that is his name has pILcied
nus W. etcIed old shed in this remote soli
tary spot and called il home. AS looked
u hlm aud the place he tenants, l askei
myself in the name of social human
alUr 3, i'll the name OF the brotherhood OF
man, what has kneeland deserted his kind
Tor AID planted his family in this lonely
prairie for? and have racked my mind ever
since for answer. L give il up.
Leaving Kneeland's, on the Rattlesnake
Gle. k, We drove about 10 miles and camped
cooking our birds, coffee, etc, with "butfalO
chips (dry buffalo or lure } for We had neg
lecIed Ia bring wood. The next day we mate
"oldier's creek, the end OF our trip. 80 miles
south of Larned. Here, two to three miles
APART, were three or four settlers. W. saw,
going down, some three or four small droves
OF antelope, but they were too coy 10 allow
us TO draw sight on them wi h our Remtng
ton breech loader. There, we were only
about % miles from the Indian territory. On
the Medicine Lodge river TO which the Sol
dier is tributary, there are lodges of gypsum.
A little further on, Oh the CimerOne river,
there are numerous springs so strongly Inn
pregDated with salt thaG the bottom OF the
streams flowing from Them are coated with
pure salt from inch to inches thick. Wa
gon loads OF the salt are hauled away by
herdsmen and settlers L saw some or the
article.
STORM ON THE PLAINS.
Two acqualntances, a little boy three years
old. ard myself made our party. We had
made about eighteen miles from the soldier
on our return, when we went into camp and
commenced 10 prepare supper from prairie
chicken and plover. We hai observed before
halting that there was below the sun an APP
pearance OF clouds extending round into
northeast. The supper pot had scarcely
begun 10 boil when the sun dippei below the
Clouds and we saw what was IN store for Us.
Just above the horizon, reaching around
from the northwest 10 the northeast, lag a
continuous, dense, dark cloud, howtDg that
O. heavy storm was prevailing there. Tue
vIvidness and frequency, and the th1nders
10 roll with heavy, continuous, fearful
sounds. You may conceive that the situa-
ton, with its probabilities and possibilities.
was not very comforting 10 one who has but
recently concluded nearly twelve years OF
life at the capital of the nation. From neces-
least poss bic time. A scanty, common mus
lin cover was drawn over the hoops of the
wagon clear down in front and on the right
side, leaving one third Of our vehicle in the
left front corner open two-thirds of the dis
lance from the box up. Guns, ammunition,
larder, culinary utensils, blankets were
hurriedly packed in, and eve four. no
more" piked up compactly on top. Tnis
was but barely done. when Eolus leo sed boz
reas, which bore upon its wings the storm
TO speId its fury on us. We had
beaded the wagon quarterly into the storm.
The wind led around from the north to
the me-; east, Sc; south, and s.w.; thence
back into the south and the southeast, giving
us with each change q powerful shower, and
We were compelled to change the position Of
the wagon with each change Of the wind and
storm; sometimes we were obliged to do this
In the storm; sometimes 1t was done in the
lull. Not until the "wee sma' hours of the
night" did the rain cease. We burned then
our small stock Of wood to dry iaim emit and
to boil pot of coffee In the mornings gray
dawn Our provisions were almost exhaust
ed, and we started early for Kneeland's to
replenish for breakfast; but Kneeland was
out and was at Larned for q supply We
Quartered our single ration each one eating
part, and started for Larned, twenty-fly,
miles of, arriving late in the %. m, glad To
get back TO the habitations of men. During
the storm the play of the lightning was aW.
fully sublime, aud the sound of the thunder
was frightfully heavy. Sometimes the whole
n mamaDf ii With ia