Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-16
TopoLoBAMPo's DECEPTION.
The Hard Experiences of a COlOnist in
Taat Land.

The Hard Experiences Of COlOnist in
Taat Land
A number of Dickinson county peo-
pie, among them G. B. Hoffman, of En-
terprise, and n. Thurstin, of Hope,
have been deceived by the great Topo-
lobampO scheme " hich has lured them
TO the far off Mexican Utopia. 1t will
be interesting then to read what a re.
turned colOnist who went out with last
springs party says of the dismal region
10 be found there.
G. G. Remley writes to the Tulare
(Cal.) Sentinel that himself and TWEEN ty
others were inducediby aowery repre-
Sentatives of the A. K. Owens Co
operative Colony at TopolObampO and
La Logia in SinalOa, Mexico. to partake
of the wonderful blessings of life in
that land of the sombrerO. Our, he
says, party was composed of people
from Phillips county and Ottawa, Kas.,
and some from Chicago. We left
Strong City, Kas., under the leader,
ship of G. j. Lamb, and with flying
coloIs and buUyant spirits started fol-
the new dispensatiOn. All went lovely
until we struck the custom house at
Nogales with two carloads of freight.
Here we were detained nearly week.
having to unload one car three times
within the space of ten rods to satisfy
the curious gaze Of the Spaniards; and
the custom house broker, being friend
of Owens and the colony in particular,
only charged us the small sum of $86
for stamps and service.
At last we arrived at the famous bay.
Well, to say that we were all diSsp-
pointed with the appearance Of the
''city by the sea" would be putting ii
mildly, judging from the actions of a
majority of the party. The men cursed
and the women cried. The bay is sur
rounded with high mountains of solid
rock. The city is constructed of shan
ties made of poles, brush and mud and
covered with earth, and rough stone
building about l8x2g0 feet and 10 fee;
height, forming square Surrounding
an open court. TIE building has open
ings, but no doors Or windows. The
surface of the land surrounding the
town is covered with boulders of all
sizes.
At this lefty by the sea- they have
five or six men and two women who
have no employment except t. prepare
black-eyed beans and corn meal fol-
mastication. and to bring water in d
canoe from Los Copass Island, distant
seven miles. where they procure it by
scOOping holes in the sands, when the
water SeepS in. The men then carry il
in n-gallon kegs Gu a stretcher from
quarter to half mile to where theil
canoe is moOred.
Having finished transferring our
freight from the schooner Lucifer tC
the wharf, we bid the cO-0peratOrS at
the bay adieu, and, with our goods on
our wagons. wendell our way over d
level country, barren of grass but coy
cred with scrubby mesquite trees,
thorny brush and a variety of the cac-
tus, thirty-fiYe miles, when we arrived
at La Logia, which means III Spanish
1.-The place" where We found about ! IL
colonists, mostly Ole men, women aud
children, occupying dlIapi dated tents
and shantieS on farm of 400 acres,
about fifty acres of the upland being
cleared OF this farm about 100 acres
are very fertile, but being subject to
overflow about twice a year renders it
unfit for agriculture.
The numbered colOnistS on this farm
during the two years of occupancy has
varied. Having no system of irrigd-
ton and short rainy season, also be-
ing without means, with a mortgage
of 81 300 at per cent. semi-annual in
terest, these people labor in vain. Dur
ing the past season the colOnists have
not been able TO husband a crop of any
consequence.
Several Sundays since the chief di-
rectors and scribe5 called a meeting, IN
which they figured the average produc-
ton for each days labor to be &c.
Therefore no member should draw on
the c0mmisSary to exceed that amount.
Often there was nothing to draw. The
coloniSts have become selfish, mOrOSe,
very anxious, often hungry, and many
withaut clothing, and it is very dis
agreeable to live among them. The
resident directors were appointed by
the founder, A. K. Owen, and can not
be displaced by the members, conse-
quently they rule as Gar, and have
things pretty much their own way,
handling what money there may be,
rendering no account of the investment,
living Oh white bread and labOTing not.
The writer and family were with them
iour months, and during that time
drew from the commissary $40 worth
Of provision, everything being rated at
&c per pound, the company now owing
NC fnr Inhnr q &c fnr r,hinh ,rn dnrn