Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-29
DROUGHT SUFFERERS.
Something About The sufferers from
the Drought inst phcna County by
Resident OF tho County.
ono Hundred Families HSistinE on Dnna
tions- othsTs subnstiuE ON Corn iiread
hnn MIX Court Proceedings.


Glanced 10 inset MIR, u, l.. 0rrick Of
stephens county in the city yesterday,
and as Mr., orrlek was At one time resi-
dent OF TArfant, TnE GAZETTE presumed
On old acquainianceship and said "Mr
Orfpk, tell us all about this suffering ia
Stephens eOpntyh Mr., Orrlck replied
IN / he would do 30 willingly II TnE Ga
2RrTR would furnish seat and warm
tire, The conditions being complied with
InE GAZETTE called MIR Ofrioh'a atten-
ton 10 the statement on ihe ono hand
that hundreds Of thousands Of families Ia
Texas were In need Of aid and, and the
statement on the other hand thai there
was no suffering Ia any county that lustl'
fed appeals 10 tae general public, Mr..
Orrick being a constant reader Of 1HF
GAZETTE knew that this paper had en-
deAyOrcd TO portray the facts as they
we're, and lnR GAlETTE asked him
''Now, Mr.. Orrck, from what you know
VI this matter, is II not true that the sui
ierlng from the drought, that which calls
for aid, ID limited 10 ten or Twelve cOun-
ties, say 10 Jack, Paio Pinto, Shaokel'
ford, Btephena, Eiath, Hood, Throck
morton, baylor, Eastand, Callahan,
aud Jones, and that Ia one,hali OF these
ability 70 relleye2n
'such IL my information, said Mr..
0rfick, "bdt my actual noaleGae eS-
tepds solely 30 my own course, n oonrse,h
"pell us what you know Vt that, Mr..
| 0rliok,n asked THE GAZETTE
In reply, Mr., 0nick gave Tm GA.
lETTE the following information Ia ef-
troIl The population OF Stephens county
was 1900 In 1880, and IL now,
pprhaps, 5000 70 1000 OF this number
there are not more than 100 mpn who are
able 10 assist any one, There are 100
families now depending on donations FOR
TODD 10 preserve life, aud many othele
who are living on corn bread and milk,
The donations are distributed by q cen
trail committee on tho raGOmm' ndatinn ar
certificate OF neighbOrhood committees or
agents Some men who owned goats
have killed the last Of them for i0Od.
There was no mast IN Stephens the past
year, aud the hogs IN the county are IN no
condition 10 be eaten, The great bulk 81
Stephens county people We're dependant
on advances from local merchants, and
having failed 10 make crops Wers unable
70 pay up, and the merchants are unable
10 carry tpem longer. The drain
on those ia the county who are
able 10 assiHt their neighb0rs has
been great, and their ability daily les-
sened by The demands on II Mr. OTriok
further said that he pat IN crop OF wheat
in the fall OF 1885, which failed lla planl'
cd oats IN ~ rtead IA February, which
crop failed IN April no put IN corn, aud
in jane he spwed mlllet, both crops iali
ina and In September be- planted rye,
which may or may not yield return
Aud this is fair sample Of thu production
~ Stephens county Mr. Orflck liYes
eighteen miles east OF breckenridge aud
mas done all in his power 70 iprnirh
work TO needy neighbora In addition 70
This testimony Oi MI, OTick, Thk "a
zErIE adds the following from The last
issue OF the breckenridge feXiap
Atg call term q said court, held AZ
breckenridge, Tuesday, December ~,
1876, present aud prshlding, ! ~ nhep'
ara, county judges j. NJ Bryant com
missioner precinct No ~ W. w tlpntr
Rny, commissioner precinct No, IS y
Meadefa, commissioners preelnet NO =
Is n Walker, commissioner pfeGlnnl NJ
B The following proceedings we're had
The caurt, having under confederation
The distressed g ndiflOn u many OF me
nitzens Of Stephens county on account OF
llt lhilhib W. NfNiN ANAANH Wv 49,
. n, deem II proper Ia view Of tue fact
tina certain repo y have gained piFeula'
ton through the press and other
Misn 10 the feet that Ste
phena county IL In prosperous con
dilion and needs no further aid from the
oharitably disposed IN other sections Of
The country, 20 make public the following
statement showing tho real condition "
this county ~ this time,
1tisa fact we'll known 70 all who have
taken the feast trouble 70 inYasllsAle,
thai crops u every Kind 10 THIS eonasy
during lie past year we're d total failure
On account Of lOHg-pfotfaelsa drought
that the range has failed ana that lnostpi
ms stock Ia HE oountY have of necessity
been driven 70 other portions u tps
country mat most Of or people afs
poor bul Industrious, dependent ~ may
lnstanc6s alone upon the product 81 theii
farms Tor snstenanee and snpppfli ah'l
thai many families have been es'nprilsa
10 abandon theiF homes ~ heafeh
of employment aud food iof tbslf
families, while many o. hese