Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-11-27


New York theorist, c. B. Hoffman, of
Enterprise, and others has attracted
much attention. Not only has it been
watched with interest by the people Of
this section because of the presence
there of many KanSans but because its
promoters promised the most perfect of
earthly happiness and represented that
life there approached that supposed to
belong to the millennium.
How far success is browning the the
oretical Utopia OH the barren western
coast of Mexico, eight hundred miles
south of Arizona, is told by lady of
Dickinson county who one year ago
left a pleasant home in one of the
neighboring towns and induced by the
1attering reports went with her hus-
band to the new colony.
She returned last week and to the
REFLECTOR representative related her
experiences in that wild and far away
region, the first authentic report that
has been given of the actual condition
of the people
A YEAR OF SUFFERING.
ut was" said she, "a year of suffer
ing and priyatiOn of which you can
form no conception. Our troubles
commenced at the custom house at
Guaymas where we waited weeks for a
boat to transport us down the gulf.
The Mexican custom house officers
were no respecters of persons and our
goods were badly ransacked and some
were taken. My husband and L had
taken the precautiOn to carry with us
some preserves and fruit. Enormous
duties were paid on these and indeed
on everything.
After stormy five days voyage in
the little steamer or schooner we
reached the harbor of Sinaloa. There
are scores of these harbors along the
coast and it hardly seemed necessary
to go so far from civilization. How
ever, we landed and the schooner left
us to return once a month and form
our only communication with the out
side world.
"Two hundred cOlOnists out of form
erly 500 remained at the place and
greeted us joyfully. The women look
ed haggard and worn and the children
lonesome and neglected, the men
formed about half the number and
were standing the hardShips better.
About ten miles back from the coast is
the farm of the colony. 1t consists of
400 acres and is in valley almost sur
rounded by mountains. Mexican peonS
and Indians are everywhere, dirty, lazy
and ignorant, living on cornmeal and
wild fruit.
LITTLE LIKE HOME.
ITO our surprise instead of the
homelike dwellings which had been
pictured in the prospectuses and lee
lures there were nothing but adobe
huts matched with long grass and
doors and hard clay for floors. Not a
pane of glass or board exists and the
rank tropical vegetation which springs |
up everywhere makes the settlement |
seem like wilderness. Two of the
buildings'are larger than the rest. One |
is the commisSary building tand the
Other!the hall, but they are built like
the others. The commissary building
or store contains the products of the !
farm when there are any. Each colon
list takes stock in Owens Credit FQn-
cier company. The money is paid
into the treasury, which Owen and the
directors guard and for all work done
on the farm the colonists get script |
payable in food at the commissary, or a
portion of the farm products. AS the
farm has produced littleor nothing the |
commissary ispr I;ticIAy abI1d oned |
and the colonists subsist upon what |
each can raise. The unm arried men
club together.
CROP FAILURES.
"The -four crops a year told of in |
the prospectus have been found to con-
sist chiefly of corn, beans and a little
oats and as most of the people have
sunk their all in the expense of getting
there, (about $3.50 per person. they are
compelled to live on such variety as
can be coDjured up from the list. All
food is quickly injured by the extreme
heat which causes worms and ants to
literally swarm over the houses and in
to the food. Cornmeal must be sifted
before cooking to get out the animal
life and then it eatable only with avert
ed eyes and thoughts. Fruit has not
yet proved success though oranges
will be raised in time. But with eX-
treme heat the year round fruit will
not'keep and there is a part of the year
when the people are entirely without it.
EARLY SUFFERING.
1.-The first colonists did not know
this and made no preparation for the
rainy day. AS a result starvation
stared them in the face and for the last
weeks before aid came a small allow
ance OF oatmeal kept the healthy ones
alive while the weaker me MIXERS died
OF hunger. There is no danger of that
fate now but the lack of palatabIe food
-G SWEARING Nv fret meal oe4o- -o.-L