The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1880-02-26

INTERFERING RHMrxSscgNcHeAM D A0RANn
Coon TDG9 At rae AxxUAL
REUNION.

----a-.----s-.---z-s- -zs--s.1--l-.----s5.
INTERESTING ARD GRxHI
Coon TMs At Tae ANNUAL
REUNION.
The Old settierx organisation o. 6edgwscl
county held their third annual reunion II ~
Opera Hou.e In this cisv inss Thundsy. Froa
ssssll begiasisgs tie Assecia.Ioa has grown
in number and enthusiasm until Il h secoat
to no other II these particulars 10 this State
The want Of space forbids more than bFie
no Ice of the ceremonies and festivftie~
Eight hundred and stxty-four ant down 4
the sumptueus repast spread upon fourteen
tables. This count does not include the Va
rious committees and their helper, agyrr
eating ut least one hundred and any more
The dinner was servsd from o'clock till ;
p. m. three hundred and seventy i've plste'
being lard each time. The tables not ouI.
contained al Of the luxuries and substsnttsis
afforded BY the country, but were tasteiulis
garni-hed and ornxmented. Fine vocal and
Instrumental music was discoursed fr0m the
Opera House stage and hundreds Of i0Okers-
on occupied the galleries during the Discus
sion o. the dinner. When the announce.
| snent was made that AL was ready = process.
zion Of several hundred, headed ny Mother
Mesyher aud Auntie wat~r.on marched
around the auditorium. through the stage
aud back to seats. After prayer by the Rev
Hewitt. Hon. Jane. X. Mead, the ir.t STATE
senator from the Crest Southwest. read =
sketch Of the frsI white settler VI Scds wick
county aud Of his unlilnely tate, which wa-
| listened 10 with the deep.st Interest. Aitet
the dinner hour Judge Campbell delivered =
"a utatory address Astounding In well-timed
| congratulations. He wa, followed by Mr.. j.
T.. Allen in t. felicitou- remarks which
| :ie drnpuIiRated his ''niaidcn address," bu.
ahich brought down the house. Mr.. ,
King. well nsmrd Tie '.mot.ier Of u ali In
| deeds Vi charity" read an ersay o, merit.
". I. Jcwett, wmO,e home place |. that re-
erred to by Mr.. Mead. made the closing talk.
io oceup. tne oldest isrm IN tine valley is a
distinction that many Well envy.
The Opera House at night presented the
II, elie.t scene no doubt ever witnessed IN
tue city. r. irty-seven coliiliou sets occu-
pied tue floor ut one 'ime-or rather oil the
time from So'cIock In the evening till 4
O'Clock next morning. Gray-hsired men o;
sixty led rhrough the may dance blushimy
daughters OF SIXTEEN, and white-hzired ladies
danced with grsndsons. Two hundred and
u nciy-six dancers tripping 10 the same mu-
sic was u ~cene mot soon u lie i0ry item.
Prof. Cupicy. Mi.s Ella Fuller. Miss Patty
Todd and Cnxs. Caldwell, assisted by Mrs.
Copley ut the Instrument. furnished tine chV-
rails and songs aud the Benton Brothers or
chestra the dancing music. John Martin had
general charge OF the dining tables and kitch-
en- assisted by at least fifty ladies. while Viii
Kirhcy did the carving. Especial praise IL
,!ue Mrs. Vim. Gr~ihem.t-in, Mr.. Ferry " Il.
kin, Mrs. Vim. Matthcw-0n, Mrs. J. Il. MexJ,
Mrs. 4. Frchl,~ilner, Mrs. Hunter, Mr.. Kate
Martin aud many oiher- Tor their unseifi-h
labor to make verybody happy. To. DR.. u.
X. b. Gr--nlee. Perry Wi.kin, WIN. Matthew.
ron and W. h. lutchi-on t.ic honor I. due
tor all the preliminary work aud Hnai sue.
,~ss Oi this grand reunion. In tact 1t seems
=" have grown to BE- the most popular organ
.zation in the county May it live long aud
never fail of an annual reunion.
The following is the brief essay read by
lion. Jane. Il. Mead OF the first white set.
icr Of the county aud hi unhappy tate,
which we shall forward to the State Historic.
nj Society:
TIE Fir~t Settler Of Sedyriet County and Ais
Cstiasely fats.
Since the day when the Pilgrims landed
upon .Plymp ruth Rock aud the Cavalier found
Ell u town IN ne'n,ry OF gbsL King James,
tire pioneer hts been the araat-coarier Of civ
ilization. With thei' live. In their han Is,
leaving kindred and irienl- and ho,n., tread
ins upon the heel. Of the retiring -avsge.
they pushed forward into the " il.lernes-.
battling with the elements, with hung r. iood
and lire. the freezing blasts Of winter. with
wild beasts. and savage men. stricken by
the arrow of the Indian. aud the no les. fatal
that Of fever anl peStilrncc. tn y one ',y Que
laid down their lives. Il sacrifice upon the al
tar Of civilization. ald til. cir scattered bones
and unknown anI un,nsrkei grave, would
form parallel lines o. rniic stones from Tee
uUtr Co'>t 10 TIE crest VI tue hocN.
Mountains.
a. it was ordained that the fir-t.born of the
fiocks and the first fruits o: the land should
lie offered sacri e by t.ic c',il lien Of L.
rael, 80 in our nwm lad tae pio1.cr-. vino
first. since the dava OF time. proclaimed the
coming Of civilized man in every valley. and
on every hil. ini ~ the side al every dow
ing stream. have laid iDSn life sacrifice
I" the genius of cvilix ,,ion.
Our own county Of Seig wick is no exc.'p-
ton to this rule. her soil l. eon-ecratsi by
the blood Of her first pioneer settler. and "a
part o his ZONES are burie IN the bank of
the river which dow. past our homes. OF
him woIli tell YOU .nn-t hing to-day:
In the early prng E the year lSSD-twen-
~ years as,-J'ha Ross. a farmer. moved
from Wilson county. k,n>as. aud settled on
the eat bank Of the Arkansas river. Oh what
I. now the southeast q trtrr u section four,
township tw.nty-.x. range ohe. west: his
family consisted Of " &c AMI two small chill.
dren. lie brought with him teams. some
farming i'm, lie meats AMI hou..h,li effects.
He rho e a beautiful -prt for his hone. At n
bend OF the river aIi,inn, grove of timber
He built house II logs. lix.J. the ro,
torn of poles split AMI ,o,sreI with earti.
fireplace ocsipiei the west end of the
building. and uear his h m.e he bait stable
tar his horses. A. soon ~ this was done hr
commenced pionghiug ,n.i planting corn, and
such garden sec l. IL pipn.ers usually carry
with thrm. To assist him he had man
hired and his faithful who WAS happy in
their new home. For nri g,iburs, they had
unrount.d tin,a-lni. ~ ift.o antelope and
wolves, with oc,asiona'l. elk an deer.
Th corn planted by Mr.. Ross grew a. rap
idly Snd luXurialt!y a. il does upon the same
grounI nov. IL the month OF June the
Usage Inlian. with their chief. '.Mint-sho-
Shinka." "r Little Bear. came out on their
annual summer hunt to the Arkan-as, whic,
had been their cl,o' and allotted hunting
ground from tim- imsneinoriaI. Their trail
started I om the Ne ,>ho river, crossed Wal.
nu, Creek nj the old town site of El.iorado.
two miles south Of the present town OF that
nsm.. crossed Whitewater halt mile above
T"wanda aud reached the Little Arkan-a-.
or ''Nr-Shut>a-Shinka." AT the point where
l.. 4. rhoinp-on'> farm j. now >itus:el. Here
scattered along the river. they established
their camps. This couaty was then . hunt
er'> paradise. and ss buffalo were plenty on
all sides. the O-age- lived on the fat Of the
land. tanned skins for lodges. cured Quanti-
ties OF meat for future Use, and were happy.
ba>kinx in the summer sunshine. Following