News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-10-08

| hEOKUK, iowa, OepG. IL, 1859.
! Messrs. Editors:
I see letters in your paper from
absent residents in various parts OF
the country, but none from this vicin-
ity, and thinking perhaps it might be
agreeable by way of comparison, con-
cluded TO let you hear from the Mis-
sissippi valley. Keokuk stands upon
a bluff 100 feet above the river, and
the feelings of Vermonter on enter
ing the city are pleasurable, for in
stead of the level streets usually met
in the west, we have hills and valleys
everywhere, and the city in summer is
scarcely discernable at an elevated
lookout, it is 80 filled with trees. The
view in walk along the bluff is one
of the finest | have ever seen; below,
the mighty river, freighted with the
commerce of nation 10 the west,
in a graceful curve, sweeps the Des
Moines, mingling its waters with those
of the Mississippi, beyond which rise
the shores of Illinois, green and beau
tiful. The river here takes curve,
completely encircling the city on two
sides, while the Des Moines comes
down on the third, meeting it short
distance below the city. We can at
one point see the three States OF lii
nois, Missouri and Indiana, with
their rich valleys, fruitful hills and fer
tile plains, and the spires and domes
of some of their villages. [ need not
tell you of the bountiful harvests of
these wonderful valleys with wheat
and corn, not only for home consump-
ton, but sufficient to help supply the
needs OF our poorer sister States, but
In the immediate vicinity of the CITY
we do not see much but market
gardening, which supplies our ia
bles with fruits and vegetables. FIRE
unusually cold winters of the past two
years have deprived us of peaches,
but all other kinds of fruit are abun-
dant. Just now we are feasting on
grapes, apples and melons, and such
melons, great watermelons as much
as you would care to lift, for five cents.
Everything is abundant and cheap,
except money, and that exists chiefly
in the memory of our older residents.
Keokuk has been the home of some
prominent men. Justice Miller, of
the Supreme Court at Washington, is
from Keokuk. He was once a poor
carpenter and finished his studies with
his book on his bench. EX-Secretary
Belmont, of past notoriety, is also a
Keokukean, and Samael s. Clemens
MARK Twain) received his early
training and education here. His
mother and brother are still residents
here, his brother being an attorney.
Then there is ex-Secretary McCrary,
Secretary of War under Grant, if
am not mistaken, Gen. Williams, At
torney-General under Hayes, besides
quite list of lesser celebrities. So
you see the healthy air Of these bluffs
gives some encouragement to our
youth. All through our city are scat
tered palatial residences, neat cottages
and grounds which challenge alike our
surprise and admiration. But there
are some things here which make a
Vermonter feel out of his element, =
more as if he were in the South, ard
these are the mule, the two wheeled
dray and the negro. We have $4,000
inhabitants here, and of these about
5000 or 1000 are colored, giving one
at first an uncomfortable feeling on
seeing so many dusky faces to pass.
But after a residence of two years
one becomes accustomed to them and
withal finds them very convenient
appendix, for they are faithful SER
wants, respectful and mostly neat.
They have shown themselves more ca
pable than many foreigners, for after
few years of freedom you find but
few very poor ones here. A large
share of them own their homes, usual
ly small, to be sure, but their own, all
the same, and many of them dress
t'o-.- Ill ond ,.i-l-.ss~txscif =
riages, and altogether they do honor
to themselves. One of our postmen
is colored. Many of them have a
high school education and the parents
show unusual zeal in the education Of
their children, who have equal advan-
tages with the whites under our ex-
oellent school system. Last evening
we had the pleasure of listening to an
eloquent speech from our gifted Gen.
Weaver, and | wish all of my Repub-
lican friends in old Vermont could
have helped swell the large audience,
which numbered some eight hundred.
Yours truly,
GREENBACKER.