The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31
STARVING FAMILIES.
The Wolf at the Doors of Da.
kOta FarmhOuseS.
Pitiful Destitution in the Far
Northwest.

The frost which came in August, destroy
ing a very large portion OF the wheat crop
in a dozen counties of North Dakota. and the
prairie fires which have been sweeping over
that region during the past three weeks
have wiped out houses, barns, grana-
ries and almost every means of sub
sistence. leaving hundreds of families on the
verge Of winter withou. provisions or fuel,
and in many cases wholly without means.
So bad has the situation become that COM
mittees have been appointed at Grand FORKS,
Fargo, Devils Lake, jamestown and Dun
Beith to visit st. Paul, Minneapolis and Chi,
cago to solicit aid in money, clothing and
provisions.
Mr.. Jonathan Harpman, was sent from
Devils Lake to investigate the condition Of
the suffering people. A week ago he went to
a settlement Of seventy families OF Hebrews
living in Cleveland township Of Ramsey
county, and of them he says: "The people
are absolutely destitute Of food and fuel,
and something must be done, and immedi-
Rtely, or they will starve to death.
'The real condition Of the people beggars
description. Men, women and children are
in rags, and they haven't cent of money in
the world. Their crops were totally des-
Eoyed. Their land, stock and farm
implements are mortgaged up to their
threatening foreclosure. 1 spent Friday
afternoon, Saturday and Sunday in going
from house to house giving encouragement
and promise of aid. The most absolute dis.
tress prevailed everywhere. Women and
children were crying. and men were going
barefooted and in rags. One place l called
at was the home of minister who had just
come from Europe. The people told
him that he must not stay,
that they could not support him and
that he would starve Hereplied that he had
no money to leave with and would have to
remain and share their lot. His house con-
sisted of only one room, with nothing but a
and two small children. One of the latter
was wrapped up in a crib in order to keep
warm and the other was blue and shivering
with cold and emaciated with hunger There
was no fuel, with the exception Of a little
dry manure which is ali that any of the
families have to burn. and all they had to
sat were dry crusts of bread, which were
lying upon an otherwise bare and empty
shelf.
"All of the houses" said Mr.. Harpman,
'lacked not only the modern conveniences,
but all of the ordinary necessities of life.
Six of us took dinner at the house OF the
only man in the settlement who had saved
all his crop, and were compelled to eat our
meal with one knife, three forks and three
spoons.
1.-THE people have lived on potatoes since
August and now their supply Of them is
about exhausted The potato crop in most
cases did not yield the seed that was planted.
The Manitoba road has agreed to carry sup.
plies to the settlement free of charge, and
now what we want and must have is instant
and immediate relief in the shape of fuel and
food. They can get along without clothes
by staying in the house, but they cannot
live without food. The people will starve
unless they get help at once"
Mr.. Harpmann then enumerated some of
the cases which led to this usual suffering in
this particular colony. 1t seems that this is
the third year they have been located here;
the first year was devoted entirely to break
ing land and getting it ready for crops. To
do this, the settler who is without means
must mortgage his presumption in order to
obtain funds TO buy cattle aud machinery and
provisions for the first year, during which
there is no return from the land. The
stock are usually mortgaged for supplies and
year the crops are generally light and the
farmers don't expect to much more than
pay their living expenses and the in
terest on their mortgages. Last year
the crops were a good deal above the
average for the second year, and the farmers
were greatly encouraged for the outlook for
this year, and consequently made big pre-
parations for an unusually large crop, eX-
pecting to be able to realize enough to pay
their mortgages and have enough left to live
on until the fourth year.
The frosts which came in August COM
pletev destroyed all of the wheat there was,
as we'll as all vegetables, even those which
are as hardy as turnips. 1t is claimed that
the frost was sufficiently severe to freeze
quarter of an inch Of ice in low places