The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-10
PROGRESSIVE WESTERN WOMEN.
Making Fortu nes in Mining, Land
Speculations and Horse-Raising.

Speculations and Horse-Raising.
Kansas City Letter to Denver Republican.
A Mrs. Augustus Wilson is at the head of
land syndicate in the Neosho Valley.
Besides engaging in a number of public
spirited enterprises, she conducts news
paper and has skilfully laid out town. 1t
is not a little amusing to see one section of
it labelled widows Colony" This has q
decided smack of the princess Idas" terri
tory. AT this writing the library building
at Parsons, Kan, is up for sale, with every
probability of its being purchased by the
city. Mrs. Wilson has donated $4,000 in
money and 5000 volumes of her own col
Letting to the founding of free circulating
library, to be controlled by the municipal
authorities
Another western woman who has stepped
out of the line usually laid down for her
sex is Mrs. W. NJ. Dills of Springfield, near
Independence, Mo She was originally
from the bluegrass region of Kentucky.
and is known as the "best Judge of horse
flesh" in this valley. She is fine looking
woman of 45, with beautiful soft, black
eyes, and a gracious manner. She is an
enthusiastic horsewoman of the progressive
type, and talks and writes knowingly of
trotters and 'solid bays"
Although Mrs. Dills is most thoroughly at
home among the valuable stud of the sta
BILE, she has reared creditable family and
was known as a beauty in her younger
days. Like most of the western women of
business she is a southerner all through.
Indeed find that these children of luxury,
when pushed into the world, make greater
success of life than the harder women
further north. 1t has grown into fashion
to suppose that woman must come from
New England if she shows an aptitude for
business. This is certainly not the case.
Mrs Dills' sister. Mrs. Fannie A Kerr, is
one of the most interesting of the enter
prising women about here. She Is strikingly
handsome, with large. brilliant black eyes
age, but might easily pass for younger, only
that grown son calls her mother.
Mrs. Kerr received a high school educa-
ton at Louisville, KY, and began turning
her attention toward mining seven years
ago because she believed there was money
in it, She is bent on getting rich as fast as
she can, and is already quoted at 500, 600
Her mine, the Sylph, is located on Battle
mountain, near Leadville. 1t is the only
mine managed entirely by women, there
being fifty stock owners, most of whom
live at st. Louis. Recently Mrs. Kerr was
present at conference of representative
western miners with the Kansas City Min
ing Exchange. and took part in the pro-
ceedings just as a man would have done.
When Mrs. Kerr originally purchased the
Sylph she hired a man to attend to the
business, but when she found this
did not pay at all she under
took the entire control herself She
employed good engineer and superintend-
| ent, and they have already worked tunnel
| 600 feet into the mountain, and are taking
out ore right along. The general run assays
high, and four pockets have yielded 81, OOC
a ton. found the lady at her home, 1920
Charlotte street, Kansas City, and was
shown at once into her office A large desk
stood in the middle of the room, which was
further supplied with a few chairs Maps
locating the mine hung upon the walls.
The apartment was evidently parlor, office
and reception room, and was guiltless of all
feminine adornment Mrs. Kerr believes
in the power of money, and that it is just
as possible for women to make it as for men
to do so. She says mining means sure for
tune if you go about it right, and that the
secret of success is to apply yourself to
business without ceasing.