The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-07-25

to the rivers for water. At Liberal
they have great difficulty in that
respect have to drive their wells
over TWO hundred feet in order TO
get good water.
After arriving at Liberal, / soon
engaged private conveyance to
bring meto Grand Valley. Leaving
Liberal at4 o'clock, we turned our
horses southwark and soon passed
throughsthe here famous Beer City
which is a settlement just over the
Kansas State line, in the neutral
strip 2 miles from Liberal. 1t is
composed entirely of saloons, billiard
rooms and gambling hells; about 90
houses in all; it is tough place.
A man had been killed there few
days before, and fights are the rule.
We gave it n wide berth Kansas
being aprohibition State these peo-
pie hs got as close toit as possible,
and are driving big. trade; it being
situated in the strip. it is controlled
by no government, no court has ju-
risdiction over it, no eyiminal can
be arrested, and the revenue col
lector has no terrors for the dealers
in the articles upon which he col
lects taxes. We soon lost sight of
Beer City, and came to quite large
town, but there were no houses or
human beings in it-itw a Prairie
deg town These little dogs always
congregate in settlements: where
you find one of their dugouts you
will find close by a good many 9th
ers. There is generally an owl lives
in each hole with them; they seem
to belong to the same family. Be
fore getting close to their town you
can see them run to their holes and
start to barking and wagging their
tails, and the owls set up a terrible
boot, which they keep up until we
get close, then both jump into their
holes. After passing this dog town
l asked the driver how far it was to
the next house and he very com
placently informed me that it was
% miles l looked at him in sur
prise and sized him up, as / did not
know but what he had evil inten-
tions upon my bank roll, but as he
was a much smaller man than l, and
as he had no six shooter with him,
l thought best to go ahead and risk
it. / thought at least it would be
good joke on him as only had sew
enty-fve cents to my name.
Just imagine, dear readers, riding
25 miles without seeing a single hui
man habitation, or being on the
broad open prairie and not even
tree, shrub or bush in sight Ever
since leaving Liberal we had, /
thought, been climbing gradually
mp hill and 1 asked the driver how
far it was to the top of it. lie bIated
out in big laugh and said look
behind you, which l did, and found
out we We're coming down hill all
the way; we were just continually
in a hole and trying to climb out.
rNLo la,j ,,.,o ;,,.+ ~ Iox,ol ~ "a ,,,r,
possible for land to be. On the trip
over we saw several miles away a
herd of wild horses, and directly
came close to small herd of ante
lope, but they galloped off before /
could get good look at them. We
saw several wolves and cayotes;
they are numerous here. Before we
reached our journeys end night
overlook us, and it was terribly
lonesome travelling the dim trail.
We had to keep our eye on GER
tain star in order to keep the right
direction, and several times we lost
the trail entirely, and had about
come to the conclusion that we
would have to make our bed upon
the Buffalo grass with the cent?
pedes, tarantuIas, rattlesnalles, &C.,
and with nothing but the starry
declsed heavens as a covering. But
all at once a dim flickering light
came in view and tell you it looked
larger to me than one of those big
arc electric lights. 1t was sign
that some human being lived around.
! afterwards found ont it was about
three miles away, but it did me as
much good as if had it close to me.
We soon crossed the river hills and
down into the Beaver River valley,
which we crossed about one mile
from the foot of hills, and soon drove
up in front of the residence of Geo.
Scranage. This residence is one
story high, thirteen by twenty feet,
and built of sod; but 1 want you to
know that had the best nights