The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-08-24
EARLY "REMINISCENCES OF EN-
PORIA
Interesting Letter from r. w. Randall,
OF Springfield. Missouri.
GpnTNn usTEy~R 40 A., II

/
a PORIA.
/, Interesting Letter from z. W. Randall,
7 OF Springfield. Missouri.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo, Aug. IA
4 EDS. NEWS: An old Americas friend
f conferred high favor by sending me a
. late copy OF THE News, which con-
: tanned J. C. Fraker's "reminiscences of
the founding Of the NJ E. church in
Emporia. Reading this, brought back
to mind many of the old struggles that
; Emporia and Emporia men had in lay
Ing the foundations of the now prosper
Gus city and its most successful inhabi-
tants, and it may be that some of the
"Old settlers" will relish a review of
some of the incidents of those early
days.
My first knowledge of Emporia was
gained in Lawrence in the early spring
of 1857. l landed In that town at
period when Lawrence was Kansas
and no one thought of trying any
other part of the territory, until
crowded out of Lawrence by the
steadily increasing throng of "free
state" immigrants that poured into the |
place. Wyandoite was the favorite point |
of landing on the Missouri, among the |
newcomers, and our crowd had to con-
tract for stage accommodations twenty
four hours in advance, SO crowded were |
all the conVeyances inland. Every hotel |
in Lawrence was crowded TO overlooking
when we arrived there and every kind |
OF employment greatly overdone, which
co2ditlon CT things to party like ours,
that was out OF money, among strangers
and depending upon work, was anything
but encouraging. However, power
press had just arrived for the old Herald
OF Freedom and the man who had been
sent out from the manufactory to set ii
up had taken sick ON the way, and as
the writer had lately run the same kind
of press an application resulted
in getting the job Of putting
this machine in working order. At the
same time my brother, Dudley, secured
the position of foreman in the Lawrence
Republican Office, which was then is
suing its first number by T. Dwight
Thatcher.
Old G. w. Brown, of the Herald of
FREEDOM, was sort of tyrant in his re-
lations with his employees. No one was
allowed to talk during working hours
in the composing room except strictly
in relation to the work In hand, and mo
admittance to visitors except on bust
ness" was cOnspicuously posted on the
door and about the office. Any printer
who violated any such rule was promptly
discharged, and visitors who had the
temerity to venture in were sure to be
unceremoniously "fired out" Imagine
my surprise, therefore, on the second day
Of my employment, to see young man
stalk into the composing room, cody
read the "proot," chat with the foreman
and compOsitOrs, and even when "Old
GCsty" came in, enter boldly with HIM
into discussion of the newspaper bust
ness. as well as of politics. He was
boyish and to my notion little green in
appearance, but he talked alike one
having authority" and those who list
ened appeared deeply interested in his
speech. AT noon ventured to inquire
of one of the printers who this young
man was, and was informed that it was
Capt. p. B. Plumb, who was there
working up emigration for the new
town of Emporia, in the NeoshO Valley
and further, that he was expecting the
material in few days for a printing!
office at Emporia. The next time he
called he painted so glowing a picture
of the future city of the NeOshO valley
that both my brother and myself decid-
ed we would go there. When the said
material arrived Dudley did carry out
the resolution thus formed, but another
engagement having in the meantime
been offered me, went to Prairie City
and did not bring up in Emporia until
the following winter.
l shall never forget that first winter in
Emporia. N. S. Storrs kept the hotel
and afterwards turned it over To Z. p.
Bancroft p. b. Plumb published the
NEWS, and a half dozen of the best fell
lows in town made the printing office
their headquarters l sometimes won
der il Col. Plumb remembers that dreary
old office and the old straw mattress
that constituted our bed on the floor.
What helped 10 make it less intOl-
cradle, however. was that there wasn't
much that was more inviting outside
the Office. | don't believe there was at
that time tree in Emporia. Many
times l strOlled down TO the Cottonwood
and gazed upon the water as the most
cheerful thing TO be seen anywhere.
Leigh McClung, Jake Stotler, J. l. Cat
terson and Ace Bancroft often met in
the evening in the printing Office and
sang out of an old choir singing book,
and thus managed to make the hours
hang good deal lighter.
notice by the paper last received
that w. T. SOden has built steam
yacht TO run on the Cottonwood. am
exceedingly glad TO know that this gen.
tleman is enjoying the fruits of his in
domitable energy and perseverance in
the past years in the face Of formidable
obstacles. / remember that when he
commenced building the dam for his
mill the Cottonwood river bed was as
dry as the street leading to 1t, and one
could cross it without wetting the sOles
of his shoes. Many of the old settlers
predicted for him a signal failure, and
few persons would have invested their
last dollar as he did in an under
taking Of that kind. There are many
things that occurred in those days, each
OF which was supposed at that time 10 be
The turning point in settling the destiny
of EmpOria. What shouts went up the
evening John Hammond struck the first
vein of water in the town well! Every
body wss wild with joy, because EN-
poria would now surely make town.
Such events we're important IN that day,
as tending 10 strengthen the faith of
the doubtful ones. Now, EmpOria does