Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-05-20
For the SPECTATOR
An Interesting Letter from Missouri.
NEW LONDON, RAILS COUNTY, Mo-,
NTor, 1904

local habitation since you last had any in
telligence from me. I am now in Rails,
another river county, north of Lincoln. |
have been here two months, and fiEd this
a. very rich county. The land is smooth,
but not great deal of prairie. The prai-
ries are adapted to wheat, grass, oats, corn,
ti&e. The timbered land will produce any
thing ahundantly. l have seen the finest
bluegrass, surprising any | ever say in the
: Valley of Virginia, where is the noted
country Of the bluegrass. This land is
principally adapted to stock raising. Cat
tie, mules, and hogs are raised in album
wheat raised in this county is of superior
Equality, and ranks among the first counties
of the State for wheat-raising. The land
produces from twenty to fifty bushels Of
wheat per acre. This is on the timbered
Hand; OF course, the prairie does not pro-
duce 50 much. Wheat is selling from so
cents to- 81. 10 per bushel, and the first-class
wheat th1jags more than that. Wheat is
Hooking splendidly now, and is green and
rank. The farmers were very fearful that
! the wheat was injured last winter, but
they say now they never had a better pros
pect for good crop. A very large crop
was sown last fall, and there is every pros
pect of a bounteous harvest along the Mis-
sissippi River. The wheat now is twenty
inches high. Any amount of corn raised.
The land produces from forty to one hun
dred and twenty bushels per acre. 1t is
now selling from 40 to so cents per bushe,
and seed-corn is selling for as much as 81. so
| farmers were backward gathering their
corn, and consequently it was injured by
the cold weather. 1t has been SO very wet
this spring, that the farmers have planted
but little corn, but now the sun shines as if
we would have some pretty weather, and l
know all will be glad, as the roads have
been SO bad that there was very little trav-
cling. Very little oats sown on account of
the wet weather. What was sown is look
ing very green and nice.
| have been over nearly the whole county,
and find the people good and kind-;ust as
hospitable as the people of Virginia. Nearly
all the people were formerly from Virginia
or Kentucky, who, you know, are the most
hospitable people in the world, though,
occasionally, l meet people from Ohio, Ma
ryland, and North Carolina. When I find
a neighborhood of either Virginians or
Kentuckians, find good, clever people;
but I cannot say SO much ior those Of other
States; though, of course, frequently we
find good people from anywhere. The Vir-
| ginia people here always welcome me kind
| ly, and always have great many questions
to ask Of old Virginia and of the people; but
| find most of the Virginians are from East
| Virginia or West Virginia. l was in one
neighborhood where there were fifteen fam
lilies from Clarke county. They had only
been out here a few years, and they said
! they would not live In Virginia for any,
thing, as this was so much better country
and land was SO much cheaper. This is
one thing all ask me: "What are the Vir-
ginia people going to do with Mahone?''
| They think he is a disgrace to Virginia,
and if they had him here, be would not
have much show. I have seen one old gen
tleman since have been herefro Aug usta
county. Some of the readers of the SPEC
TAToR (old ones) may remember him. His
name is James Kerr. He came to this
State in 1924. He is the Oldest man in this |
county-99 years old He has lived in this
county since ha has been in the State He
is very feeble now, and remembers very
little of Virginia. | have met a great
many persons from Rock bridge and Bath
| counties-Kelrs of RoclSbridge county and
McCiintics of that county and of Bath
county. Some of them live III this county
and in Monroe and Marion counties adjoin- |
ing this. was TO see a gentleman for
merly of Bath county, Va, now of Marion
Of Augusta remember him, as he asked |
after a number of men of Staunton. His
name is Hamilton Bird He lived near the
Warm Springs in Bath county. He came
! to this State in 1910. He has been quite |
prosperous here George II. McClintic, of
Marion county, l have been to see He is |
also OF Bath county. He has only been
here seven years. He is well acquainted
about Staunton. They were all glad to see
me in the true old Virginia style, and asked
more questions than | could answer
have been to Hannibal, Marion county. !
1t is q large city of 10000 inhabitants. It |
is situated on the banks of the Mississippi
River, and the greatest lumber market on
the river. All the lumber from Minnesota
and those northern States lands at Hanni- |
bal. | have seen RATS of logs, plank, and |
shingles coming down the river that would |
cover three acres-quite curiosity to me- |
Five railroads run through Hannibal, c. |
B. u O., FL. & St. Joe, nj. K. s. t., St. L. |
K. & N. W., St. L. II. & K, and they all |
have great deal of travel on them, and |
great amount of freight goes over them.
took trip to Quincy, Ill, ON the steamer
"War Eagle" and enjoyed myself hugely.
Quincy is only twenty miles from Hannibal |
1t is situated on a hill, beautiful place of
3d. OOO inhabitants, and every thing on the
go 1t is live place. | was all through |
the city, and l saw much of interest to me. |
The courthouse there is a fine one, built |
of cut stone. 1t cost $3.50, 600. 1t is
beautiful building-the finest structure I |
ever saw, and the buildings all through the |
city are nice The steamer ran from Han
nibal to Quincy is less than one hour. The |
river was very high. At Quincy and Han
nibal there are bridges across the Mis-
sissippi. When the water gets out over
the banks at Hannibal, the Mississippi is |
seven miles wide. It is one hundred and |
forty miles by water from Hannibal to ST. |
Louis. A good deal of goods is shipped by |
boat. 1t is much cheaper than by rail, and |
the fare on steamer is not near so much as
by railroad. have been to Monroe City |
in Monroe county. 1t is a lively town of |
1900 inhabitants, and it is growing very
fast A great deal of stock is shipped from
there. There are two railroads running
through It'll. & st. Joe and M. K. 65. T. |
great many Virginians are in that county. |
Land is good there, and it is right cheap
from $50 to $50 per acre-and it is nicely |
improved. All the farmers have good |
houses in these counties, and they all live |
well. They have the Virginia way of cook
ing, and they can cook as well as in Vir-
ginia. A great many negroes here, but not |
quite so many as in Virginia, and they are
very nicely fixed. Some of them have
large farms, and all good citizens; and,
strange to say, they are mostly Democrats |
very few Republicans.
meet many good kind of people here,
just as good as those in Virginia, but it is
not quite like being in the State of my
youth, and with those whom / knew and |
was attached to. have been in this State
nearly twenty months. It does me good to
think of my friends in Virginia, for it seems
SO very long since have been away from
there, and | think of Staunton as being the |
same as when | left; but, no doubt, there |
have been great many changes since |
came away. have been away some time,
and l may never go back to old Virginia
again, hut will never forget the home of my |
youth and the many kind friends left there;
and, though away, hope they will some
times think of me. I get the SPECTATOR
every week, and always hail its coming
with delight, for am always so glad to
get news from dear old Augusta. May it |
long prosper. l hope old Virginia will