Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-29
TRULY THE WONDER OF THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY.
A Cosby Letter to the Leayen-
worth Times by One Of Its
New Proprietors Who
Visited Wichita.

little Old building painted red, L begal
to look around to inquire where the cit,
was. In answer to an inquiry the con
ductor said; Yes, this is Wichita, ant
you'll have to hurry to get out" l gath
cred up my traps and jumped off tn
train just as it hauled out of the depo
on its way to Galveston and the gulf.
''And so this is Wichita, murmuret
to myself as I gazed rather increduously
to the depot. ''Why expected to fine
an imposing structure IN such metrop
oils as Wichita.
This depot most assuredly has rather
| chilling effect On strangers and will un
doubtedly give way to another very soon
But as turned my back On it and walked
up Douglas avenue toward the center OF
the city, my expectations began to be
family realized. The Wichita that ]
had heard of, read of, dreamed of, and
longed to see, was gradually unfolding
itself before my eyes. Up and down the
handsome broad avenue l gazed in adj
miration. Horse cars, elegant buildings,
crowds of people, hotels five stories high
and cross streets with imposing struc.
lures and busy stores, all built right on
the plains within dozen years. Truly,
Wichita is the wonder of the Nineteenth
century.
There are buildings in Wichita that
would do credit to any city in the north
There are streets, straight, level and
shaded, that fairly capture the eye of a
stranger. And as l rode up and down
them and out into the suburbs and
doomed additions, dotted with pretty
little homes, l said to myself: '!What
built this city way out here on the
plains?" The only answer is: "Pluck
and indomitable energy" There is no
reason under the sun why Wichita
should be there today. There are no
natural advantages to warrant
the building up of the city. But it is
there all the same, and there to stay.
Rival towns all want to point to Wich-
ita as badly bankrupted city, and sig
nificantly speak of a collapse sure to
come. There is no doubt that Wichita
has, like some boys, grown so fast as to
lose strength and vim temporarily. But
will wager great deal that
she Will, before many years,
be a big city. There is too much
there already to permit of general col
lapse. She may have slight relapse
but will as sure as fate forge ahead
again. She has, as one of the prominent
members of her board of trade says, built
herself poor, but she will come out all
right.
I found Marsh Murdoch in his sanctum
(Which, by the way, is fitted up very
with all sort of knick-knacks
and has a very comfortable and cosy APP
pearance) busy writing some of those
boomers" for which he is famous. His
plug hat was cooked on the back of bis
head and his eyes glared through his
gold-bowed spectacles as he forged ahead
with his literary boomer.
Marsh is cordial to every member of
the craft, and everybody else as for that
matter, and chatted about politics and
society in gene raj in his well known
pleasing manner. / rather think that
Marsh expected boom this spring and
that is why he bought his big outfit last
winter. This reminds me, by the way.
of a story they tell Of Marsh. 1t was
when he bought his perfecting press.
He and his brother proudly watched the
putting up of the press and fairly clapped
their hands with delight. EVERYTHING
was in readiness to run off the paper from
he new press for the first time. The
ever was turned, the wheels reyolyed
ike lightning and the EAGLES were
urned out at the other end fairly flap
ping their wings with delight. In about
en- minutes (more or less) the press
stopped.
whats the matter" cried Marsh in
treat CONSERVATION. whats broken"
Nothing, sir,' replied the pressman,
Only the edition is all off,"
Marsh lowered his glasses and rubbed
lis eyes in amazement. True enough.
ne edition was all off. The next morn
ng this side-light appeared on the first
age: The largest circulation in the
tate of Kansas"
Marsh, as | have said, rather expected |
mother boom this spring. But the boom |
las not come. and | rather think by the |
one of the EAGLE and its editor that a
'ig one is no longer expected. "What |
ye want and what we must have" saws |
1urdock, sis a good big CROP"
Some saythatMurdock is losing his hold !
n Wichita, but don't believe it. Some |
ay Wichita has done as much for Muir
ock as Murdoch has done for Wichita. |
ut | can't believe it. Some say that |
Iurdock received bonus of $1,000 a |
ear for several years from the CITY, but |
cannot vouch for the truth of the
tatement. Some say that he tried to /
own the Journal of that city. and /
hereby made many enemies in the CITY.
ut / know nothing about this either.
1t is, unfortunately, human nature. to
e jealous of the successful. This. | an
rehend, Is the origin of the feeling
gainst Marsh. Everybody predicted
is failure He has disappointed them
u and won, hence the jealousy. In my
umble Judgment, Wichita owes her ex-
tence today more to Murdoch than to
~ one man. and she cannot forget it.
Wichita has had remarkable set of
len to boom her, has paid dearly for
me of her enterprises, but will 'get
lere" all the same. See if she don't.
1t is little dull in Wichita now COM
ired with a year ago, they say. But it
not quiet by any means. The big
icking house and several handsome
lsiness blocks and flats are in process
erection. There are some vacant
buses for building has kept ahead OF
,pulation, but the city is bound to ;
ow and vacant houses will soon be i,
known.
The leading business men of Wichita .
e confident and hopeful Their pluck
Id energy VIII overcome everything.
WEST KANSAS.
odge City the Capital o. a New State. {