Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-04-06
NOTES OF TRlyEL.
4 Missouri Man on thr Road.
Texas and Ohl0--iOathfR'
Scenes.
Graphic Correspondence

| Graphic correspondence
BETHESDA, Ohio. March "a, 1883
As some time and distance has Inter.
vened since last wrote. I am afraid
that can't make connection. should
thavc written sooner, but my health has
been in such 4 condition that | could
not. However as I las: wrote from
Temple. Texas, l will commence there
went from Temple to Morgan and
stayed some time bit found
nothing there 1bu- very poor
country. There took the
Houston & Texas Cettral tor Cisco at
its junction with the Texas. Central
The part travelled avcr is the poorest
part of Texns. 1t is only fit tor sheep
range and not very well adapted for
that. l then went some distance up
the Pan Handle. thinking to take up.
some school lands but found that al
the best off as far as went had been
taken up by land sharps, and that they
had surveying parties out in every di-
rec,ion taking all the good land that
vas on the market, so that stranger,
single handed, had no chance, though
l had offers Of chances to 60 into
companies that I thought was organ
lied to swindle the state and emigrants,
but declined and started for the north
east. From what 1 saw and heard 1
think the northeast fourth Of the STATE
can't be beaten taking everything into
consideration. There are other parts
of Texas that are COED, but they have
more local causes for objection. l
came back to Fl. Worth and stopped
there a few days to learn more of its
resources and prospect for becoming a
future great city. l left there about
the 15th Of February and left the far
mers plowing and sowing and in many
places oats were up and the weather
warm and pleasant. and saw no ice
until l crossed the Arkansas river at
Parsons, Kansas. 1t was sleeting and
when l got to Appleton hailing, and
too cold to walk about with pleasure
and had been all the time was absent.
The change caused me to have
10 stay by the stove for several days.
and when l got to Boonville Mo-, l
had to take my bed with Catarrhal
fever and was laid up several days.
AS soon as l got able to travel start
ed for Ohio by the way OF St. louis,
indianapolis. Dayton, and Columbus
to this place, 22 miles west of Wheel
ing, have not got to ilcok around
much on account of health and bad
weather. 1t has stormed nearly all of
the time since I arrived here. I have
not seen promising field Of wheat in
all of my travels. Here l would say
that it was from one third to one half
dead, but then a farmer can console
himself here, from the fact that if he
loses his wheat crop, lie has not lost
much, from the fact none Of them
have in more that a good garden
patch. How any one can content
themselves among these hills, is sur
prising to western man, and to heae
some Of the blood curdling tales told
about the west by some of the fel.
lows here, that -have been west and
got home sick. and did not like to ac.
knowledge it, is truly amusing. l don't
see why every farmer here is not try
ing to go west. They have their farms
already rolled up, as though they IN
tended to move soon. went to see
the scenes of my childhood as fond
recollection presents them to view, the
orchard the trees all dead and the
ground they stood on, has slipped into
the hollow; the meadow all slipped out
of shape and grown up to briars, the
deep tangled wildwood, all cleared out
and cultivated in corn and tobacco !;
every loved spot that my infancy knew,
the mill dam, fishing pond, swing, pools,
all obliterated and gone. Thirty two
years absence has played sad havoc
with all of my fond recollections, noth-
Ing to welcome me or to recognize,
but two old sycamore trees. and the
old brick house, and that was all tater-
and torn. One thing l must say for
old Belmont county, that she contains
4 dense population Of the most con.
tented happy people that it was my
NY fortune to meet with. All the
rouble they seem to have, is that each
one is afraid that his neighbor will
make a greater show than he does.
Ohio has white elephant on her
hands, in the shape of her whiskey
avs. Every little town you go into
,ou can find both nrohihifionist and