St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-18
RoUDfEz,s PECULIARREPo
One of Uncle Sam's Soldiers Says
1here Is no Destitution in Walsh

1here Is no DeStltutlOn IN w aISh
County.
Special to the Globe.
PARK RIVER, Dak., Jan. T:-Last
Monday John Nicholson and K. Leving,
county commissioners, in company with
Leon s. Roudiez, lieutenant 18th infan-
try, sent out by the government to in
vestigate the alleged destitutiOn in this
county, commenced their investigation,
and after three days travel returned
to Park River Wednesday night. Lieut..
Roudiez has. furnished the following,
which, in substance, will be Lieut..
Roudiez's report at headquarters:
Together -th Courty Commissioners
j. Nicholson lid K. Leving. | visited
the townships of Vesta, Silveska, La
t0na, Adams and Norton, and. with the
exception of few individual cases, |
found no general destitution or distress.
The majority of farmers are hard
up and should be assisted in
procuring seed wheat. The houses
we visited, some fifty or more in num-
Der, were found to be warm and as COM
PORTABLE as could be expected in a
country where the settlers are new
corners and generally start farming
without money or means of making a
strength. The people we met were
warmly clad, and lived as comfortably
i'm their small houses as their national
ity generally do, and certainly much
better than these same people live in
their own country. We found sew
erai farmers whose stock of pro-
visions was reduced to one sack
of flour. These were not in immediate
want. One man was out of wood. He
had no team to go to the timber. He
was at once relieved by the county
commissioners. will cite one case
among others, Iver I'll. Holman, south
east quarter section 10-156- SO, reported
by Mr.. Riches as destitute. We called on
this man, went into his house and found
everything surprisingly neat and clean,
and his wife and four children cheerful
and happy. Mr.. Holman told us in
fairly good English that he was all right
and would pull through. Being pressed
with questions, he said that he had
3,oxen, cows and 6 head of cattle, 100
bushels of wheat, so bushels of oats and
IL bushels of potatoes. cow giving
milk and coming III very soon, 2 pigs
and sheep. MIR. Holman told us that
he was winter .ng four horses for Iver
Strand, for which he received 81 a
month. The land and cattle
were mortgaged, the grain and
sheep were free from incumbrance.
In conclusion, Mr.. Holman said he
didn't thank any one for meddling with
his business, and that when he needed
help he would let people know about it.
| may say that there is no excuse for
making the reports which read in the
papers concerning the condition of the
farmers in the western part OF Walsh
county. or at least such portion OF it
that personally visited.
DISTRESS HAS BEEN RELIEVED.
Special to the GLOBE
BISMARCK, Dak., Jan. 17.-SOme days
master. at Park River regarding the re-
ported destitution among settlers i'll the
western portion of Walsh county, with
the view of extending aid 1t necessary.
To-day he received reply by wire that
the whole affair had been greatly ex-
aggerated. Only few families were in
need and the county commissioners re-
lieved them. Walsh county is amply
able to take care of all of its unlucky
citizens aud wouldn't accept outside aid
If it were extended.
FOOD FOR THE STARVING.
FARGO, Dak., Jan. 1.-TWO dray-
loads of goods were sent to the Walsh
county sufferers to-day, notwithstand-
ing the protests from Park River that
they were not needed. Soliciting com-
mittees are still at work, and will soon
make another shipment. Parties from
that section making the appeal are too
well known that their word or judg-
ment should be doubted.