Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-06-05
County Affairs.

west part of the county, was in the city
last week, purchasing summer supplies
for his ranch in sold Meade county. :"
The Captain seldom comes to Dodge,
and it is pleasant to run across him
once in a while, for he is an agreeable
and interesting talker He is an old
school Democrat, but takes kindly to
new ideas politically. The Captain set
tied in Meade county (since absorbed
into Ford county, during the year of
the Indian raid, in 1873, and little
episode in that memorable and brutal
incursion is still fresh in our minds.
The Captain and few companions,
had built neat cottage, and were pio-
neering in fine style when the Indian
band came along. The town of Meade
City had been laid out, town lots were
appraised at fine figures, and the incor-
porators were in high expectations of
future developments, when the hostile
savages destroyed all hopes of Meade
City future and fame and fortune of its
inhabitants. The subject of this sketch,
by his quaint Quaker manners turned
the numbering indians into peace max
ing, fraternizing excursicnists; the gem
tie savage, with the pipe of peace Of
fered by the captain, taking only the
supplies of the peaceable denizens of
Meade, leaving scalps and carcasses to
be consumed by the Time-destroyer and
the fell-angel of death-in the natural
way. This stroke of Quaker-policy has
always left kindly remembrance in our
minds of the gallant Captain, who
bravely, honestly, fearlessly "stood off"
the Misunderstanding Indian. While
the prospects of Meade City and Meade
county have been threatened by raiding
Indians, terrible drouths and wise or
unwise Legislative enactments, the stur-
dy pioneer lives to dwell in comfort and
peace and prospective grandeur in the
grand old Ford county.
We know the Captain has q fund of
information in volume as large as the
water in the roaring Arkansaw river,
and to use familiar expression of his
own, we pumped him. We were
about to write it up in the conventional
interviewing style, but plain narration
of facts will reach the truth as we'll serve
a great deal better purpose. On the
proposed court house and jail addition
the Captain said the people in the
county would vote against any such
scheme. We contended that the county
property ought to be made secure, the
comfort of the prisoners looked after,
and the county officers supplied with
convenient and sufficient standing room
and seating capacity for the county
guests. Our interlocuter smiled bland
ly, in that simplicity which would have
touched the heart of a Cheyenne or
made Choctaw turn in his grave, and
drawing his index finger alongside of his
nasal appendage, said Dodge City might
do these things, the people Of ''Meade
county sought to be invested with
their former rights and the next legisla-
ture would readily undo what past
legislature had unceremoniously done.
When it comes to voting bonds the
Meade county settlement would be con-
pactly against the scheme But we
suggested that there were other con-
siderations than a mere prejudice to the
town-the property belonged to the
county, and must be cared for by the
county. The inmates of the Jail be-
longed to the wide expansive country
and not to Dodge City. The officers Of
the county did not all live in the city,
either We trust the Captain s opinion
is not the prevailing sentiment.
We knew the Captain had lately sur
veyed a route from Garden City to the
Meade settlement, with view of open
ing trade in the land Office city. This
scheme is still-born Judging from some
hints which fell from the loquacious
Captains lips. He informed us that
for his services in this survey of the
Garden City trail he had been paid
nothing, but the Landlords and livery
stable-keepers had been very kind to
him." From the Captains unlimited
intelligence Office, we gather the idea
that Cimarron had been dropped upon
as an outlet for the southwest trade,
and as soon as the Cimarron bird &c was
repaired the connection of the south
with Cimarron would begin. Here we
begged leave to inform our friendly
conversationalist that the Cimarron
bridge was being repaired with Ford
county money; the bridge was the pro-
perty of the county, like the court
house and Jail, and was under the sur
pervision and control Of the county, and
needed its care and protection.
Our mutual intercourse dwelled
slightly on county politics, and We we're
left to judge Of the Captains position
from his position on the other matters
spoken of. There is always exhibited
a hostile feeling against the county
town by the country, and while Dodge
and Ford county are comparatively new,
the old-time spirit prevails in this do
main We should be glad to have a
harmony Of feeling, as there is really a
compatibility Of interest, with our south
west neighbors, and we have taken this
to present the question,
hoping our old-time friend, the Cap
tain, will pardon the liberty we have
taken with friendly conversation.
Henry Mootz has established cabi-
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