The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-12-09

the best, for the stock of fuel was near
ly exhausted and the strictest economy
was practiced upon the painful of coal
To pass away the time
while the mail is changing we will
take a birds-eye view of the interior Of
the building. The family consists of
husband and wife-the family name is
Boget. The snowy whiteness Of the
wife's hair would indicate the frosts of
seventy winters, but close examina-
tiOn of the features would lead to the |
enquiry of the mind, was it not grief
and heartaches instead of time that
have done the fearful work? There is
no floor in the building. With the aid
of blankets one apartment of the house
answers for both kitchen and bedroom
both being very small. The ground
floor is covered with oil cloth carpet.
The bedstead, bedding and other arIi-
cles about the apartment indicate that
they were purchased when the pur-
chaser was living in a1fluence and ease.
There is another apartment to the
building and only one. We are invit-
ed in the ground is covered with
worn brussels carpet, ,marble-tOp stands
and bureaus, richly upholstered sofas
set of chairs upholstered in
hair, another in pink satin, valuable
lamps. the finest oil paintings that it
has ever been our fortune to see, all
indicated that they had once found
place in more spacious apartments.
How strange the contrast! The low,
dismal hut of dirt, and the elegant
furniture found within. Our curiosity
is excited and we enquire further into
the history of these elderly people
who have bravely resolved to cope with
the misfortunes of this uncharitable
world. We learn that they have re-
Gently come from the Empire State,
where they once owned a large prop
erty, SO miles from the City of New
York. Possessing largely Of this
worlds goods, and being a man Of
mind as well as money, MIR. Boget was
elected to the State legislature. But
adversely came, unfortunate invest
ments, depreciation in value of prop
erty and the unfaithfulness of friends,
in a brief period swept away the saw
ings of u lifetime. And here, among
strangers, in this thinly populated
country, upon wild lands and with no
help but their feeble hands, these peo-
pie hope to regain their fallen fortune.
Leaving the Boget family, we drive
south across a continuous prairie, as
level, nearly, as the floor of q house,
| when we arrive at Center Creek, a
deep, irregular gulch or ravine, skirted
on either side by a small growth of
ash and elm timber. The valley of
the creek is about three-fourths of a
mile wide, and in this valley are To-
| Gated the fine farms of Sage Phelps,
son of Isaac Phelps, and Elbert G. and
Newton E. Phelps, sons of the late
lewis Phelps. Here We halted for a
few days, and from here we write,
"What are We doing ?" you ask. Well,
Daniel Booneing around among the
quail, prairie chickens, jack rabbits,
and wolves or coyotes, as they are call
ed. Prairie chickens are to be found
in great numbers here, and as to jack
rabbits, they are not SO numerous but
it is. fine sport to hunt them. They
are three or four times as large as the
common rabbit, and in running re-
mind one ofthe kangaroo. When they
halt they stand erect upon the hind
legs and make a fine target for the
sportsman. The coyote is a specie of
wolf, about half way between the
prairie wolf and the gray wolf in size,
they are a great pest to the settlers,
robbing chicken roosts and doing
much other damage.
Some one might ask what we think
of the country here. We will answer
that, with sufficient amount of rain
it would be the finest country that we
have ever seen. Although from the
Platte to the Republican rivers, dis
tance of fifty miles. there is no timber
except what is to be found upon the
creek where the Phelpsboys are loca-
ted, yet the settlers here do not appear
to lament the fact in any great degree
Wood is to be had in abundance in the
river valleys. Hard coal is worth $li
per ton and soft coal 50 to $ll, with
from five to twenty five miles to draw
it. The strictest economy is practiced
by the settlers in the consumption oi
fuel, and many of them consume moth
ing but weeds and corn stalks for fuel
The Messrs. Phelps referred to have
each comfortable frame houses, but
nine teuths of the houses in this cOun-
try are built of sod. Some of them
have shingle roofs with board floors
! but more of them have sod roofs anu
mother earth for house floors. AS the
pant of The I" dug out'' will say
p" have "a man-sod roof to my house
and blue glass lights in my windows" "
Owing to the d-outh Of the last sea-
son crops VI ere very poor and the far
mer received very little reward for his
! toll. Many families who came here
very poor are now suffering for the
necessaries of life. We are told that
the condition of a majority of the set
tiers here is more lamentable one
than it was in the noted grasshopper
year" The people are intelligent, 40
cial, generally Industrious, and of a
contented mind. Stock raising is a
number one business here. Ready sale
for sheep, horses and cattle at good
prices. There is no corn or wheat for
sale in the drouth section, but by go
ing 90 miles, good corn can be pur-
chased at 1Sc to 20c per bushel of 10
pounds; wheat zoe per bushel. The
quality of butter is equal to that made
in Ohio. We think this grand open
ing for live butter and cheese man
with large capital.
Local government in tho new coun-
fias r1ndpr Ropnhlioan CONTROL ia cor.