Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-06-30

From the Fort Scott Monitor, June 24.l
RICH HILL, Mo-, June %, 1888.
Your correspondent expected to send this
letter from the new city of Walnut, on the
line of the Fort Scott, st. Louis g. Chicago
railroad, but arrived here too late yesterday
TO make the trip last night, and this morning
the weather so threatening as to COM
pei I'M abandonment of the visit to Walnut
for the day. @
But fortunately for those wanting infor-
nation about the new city, it is easily obtain
ed in Rich Hill, and it ought to be fair for
you certainly get both sides. That a goodly
Of the' people of Rich Hill have no
friendly feeling toward the new enterprise is
manifest by the evil opinions you hear ex-
pressed about it.
On the other hand, that oar believe in it
and in its success, is equally manifest, not
only from the favorable opinions they express
but by the fact that they are rapidly investing
money in lots, preparing to build and begin
business. Hundreds of people visit the site
Of the new city every day, and yesterday
over one hundred lots were sold at a price
aggregating upward of twenty thousand dol
lars. Fully two-thirds of the purchases were
made by Rich Hill parties. B.. j. Hurry Il
Co., are already on hand with q lumber yard.
Craig & Co. will commence making brick
next week, and a lumber of store buildings
will be under way within a few days. The
answer made to the croakers is that the peo-
pie who have made the first investments are
among the most respectable ard most sue
ooccfsp1 hppaSnnSc r,or nF pofna M
who generally know their business. Besides
the force of the opposition is greatly weaken
ed by the evident fear of Walnut as & rival.
II these gentlemen know it is going to be a
failure why are they so much exercised about
it? Is q pertinent and forcible question which
none of them can satisfactorily nswer
Of course one hears all kinds of rumors
about the new railroad. Those hostile to
Walnut insist it is only 4 spur from the Gulf
road, and that it will never be. built any
further south than the Gulf crossing nor
further north b Walnut. The force of this
charge is greatly weakened by the fact that
the men who make it, so long IS there was q
prospect of che new road going TO Rich Hill.
were loudest in its praise. Their new light
about spurs and switches and the incapacity
of the management of the company only
broke upon them when the Rich Hill route
was abandoned. On the other hand, Mr.
Nichols, Col. Pace and Judge Waters assert
with the utmost positiveness, that they have
no relations with the Gulf road, which, they
say, will be verified by the officers of tha
company, and that the whole line will b.
built from Fort Scott to Odesss during thu
summer and fall. Mr.. Nichol says the rail
road is not an incident to Walnut, but Walnu
is an incident to the railroad. He says he ha
the best of evidence that hundreds Of peopl,
believe in the road and in the Walnut Goa
fields, and the development of q good town il
that locality, and that it is in response to
, popular demand, after careful investigation O
its character, that he consented to the layinl
Eoff of q town site. That the anticipations Q
those who favored this plan were not mis-
placed is proved by the unprecedented sale 9
over twenty thousand dollars worth of lot
the first day they were offered. With such
! disposition so manifested to purchase lots an
a go into business on the company's lands
was certainly good sense to get the road int
that point IS early as possible. At preser
all building supplies are being wagone
4 from Rich Hill. The company are determine
= to take supplies into Walnut and carry co,
. out within sixty days, and doing it will NJ
. delay the construction of other parts of I'll
road q single day. Whatever the result ms
be, at present in spite of all opposition Wa
= nut Is having q boom equal to, ifnot surpassir
anything of the kind ever witnessed in eith'
Missouri or Kansas. With the railroad a
sured there Is no reason why fortunes shou
not be made in the enterprise just as the
were picked up in Rich Hill two and thr'
years ago.