Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-03
Another Fool Letter Writer.

with almost entire failures, 80 far as y
corn crop is concerned. In 1887 there
was hut little corn, wheat or oats
raised, and in 1883 the wheat crop was
! light, making on an average not to
exceed eight hundred bushels per acre,
and oats were almost an entire failure.
/ Most farmers did not get back the seed
sown. 1 think I can safely say that
the corn crop throughout the entire
county north of the river would not ex-s
. coed 900 bushels. Barton county has
!, had no rain worth speaking of since in
June. The ground has not been thor
oughly soaked since | came here IN June.
1887. Hay is also scarce article IN
/ this county The only feed the average
| farmer has is corn fodder and wheat
straw (corn, If he sees fit to buy it, or
rather, if he has the wherewitll to ex-
| change for itl. The fall wheat looks
somewhat sick, on accout of no rain.
Some of it has just come through the
(. ground, and there is not sufficient
moisture to make it grow, and unless
/ there is plenty of rain or snow this
! winter, it will certainly be a failure
next year.
Many have left this section of the
country to seek employment in some
other county that has not been SO un-
| SdOIIO nbtO OOOAA WY ~"
| for the past six months. Good mich
COWS range from $40 to SIS per head.
Horses are also cheap. Taken altOgeth-
CT, if there's anything grand OF fasclnat-
| ing in Kansas, have failed to find it.
| AS for myself, have long since dis
carded the idea Of making my way
through the s'Wild Vest by farming,
and am at present trying the profession
OF pedagogue. AS an evidence of the
condition of our surrounding country
to-day will show as follows:
| This district was organized in 1881,
and the register shows the total enroll
ment of this school to he at least so per
cent. less than any winter school here
tofore; all on account of people having
left the neighborhood.
| We are having fine. weather so far
this winter. We do not have the usual
blow There are few Logan county
people in Barton. county. w. A.
Hanger is still living in Great Bend.
| There has been Il great deal OF sick
ness in Great Bend the past three
months, and great many cases result
ing fatally. During the months of
October ard November they more than
averaged one interment per day in the
cemetery at Great Bend; most of them
from the city.
/ think one wanting home in Kan
sas should first come and see the coun-
try for himself, w. r. MCAFEE.
The above from the Lincoln, Ills,
Herald, contains so much of the false,
unreasonable and uncalled for virus
from diseased brain that we repro
duce it just to show the people of
Barton county what mean, vindictive
Unreasonable people it takes to make up
a community. If the fellow who signs
his name Nv. II. McAfee" has any
sense of decency remaining he will
pull up and get out of the ''Wild West
as quickly as he can. 1t is understood
he is teaching school in district No. II,
Clarence township. The people of that
vicinity should be proud of having the
possessor of such a wonderful visionary
mind to instruct their little ones. The
letter from beginning to end is full of
falsehoods and exaggerated statements.
| 1t does not deserve much attention,
considering the source from which il
/
tie facts-that the country had sui
| tered from drOuth no more than nnmer-
,us other states in the Union; that
The average yield of corn was as good as
the average in thirty other states; that
numerous shiftless and imprOvident
:'eople had not provided against IL par
,ial failure of crops and were pulling
nut of the county. to do no better in any
other country; and various other u,a-
denidbte facts, he would have retained
the respect of the people and probably
got his name In the ''hOme paper just
the same. But when he states that
there were only 1000 bushels of corn
raised north of the river, in the entire
county, that Barton county has had no
rain since June 1887, or that burials in
the Great Bend cemetery averaged
more than one a day during October
and November, he is stating the most
bare faced. unmitigated and unreason-
able falsehoOds that were ever written
or uttered by the yilest poltroon in the
land.
From the general tone of McAfee' S
letter one would infer that he was So
poor a teacher that he could not COM
mand large enOugiissalary to winter
him over and sold his wonderful ca
letter writing ability to the enemies of
Kansas; or that he. had probably been
Tilted by some sensible girl who wise
~ gauged his character at a glance and
he thought to ''get even' by malign-
ing tile country and the people who
gave him food.
81