The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-09-02
towards the development of that
beautiful and fruitful land.

| ~ Il
written Kansas City NO., had onl.
three brick buildings. The neares
post Office was Fort Scott, and tn
nearst mill one hundred and twent.
miles by the usual course of travel.
To obtain the mails for the few set
tiers who were then widely scattered
in different parts of the county, it wa
customary to make up purse of fiv'
dollars to be paid the man who wOulC
go to Fort Scott for the purpose. TIT
man who made the first trip and wh'
first brought the mail into Allen
county, was James Barber.
Mention might be made of severa
instances related to me concerning
the difficulties which many encount.
cred bv reason of high waters, and ig.
norance of the nature of the streams,
and of many remarkable adventures
and hair breadth escapes; but they
are quite familiar stories which nearly
all have heard and which are like the
experiences of all first settlers of new
countries.
Yet, as specimen of the many diff
ficulties which attended the early set
Element of Allen county-especially
as to those difficulties connected with
the procurement of the necessary food
to sustain life-it seems proper to re-
late that during the winter of 1856
four persons-H. Bennett, E. Copeland
Anderson Wray and H. ii. Hayward
joined together for the purpose OF
going to mill. Nearly all the settlers
were out of food, and it was only after
difficult and tedious travel of sever
al miles during a winter of great Sc
verify, to the nearest neighbOr that
they could borrow q few ratiOns OF
corn meal, or enough to last until the
return of these who had gone for sup
plies, and who were daily expected to
return. But it was not until an actual
absence of forty days and forty nights,
in a wilderness of snow and in the
midst and fury of the severest winter
which probably ever visited Kansas,
that they succeeded i'm making the
return trip.
And yet, for years afterwards,
many newcomers complained of hard
ships-of the many Inconvenience
Of the difficulty experienced in pro-
curing luXuries, and of thousand
and one other thingss concerning
which, if they had just to their own
notion, they would grumble. Many
would seemingly complain because of
the physical exercise necessarily TAX
en- in order to perform with comfort
and pleasure the act of eating and
drinkingthe dailyfood brought to their
doors, and each contend that sit was
so different where came from"
Many times and oft has your cor
respondent witnessed the conduct of
such persons. While the "green
squirrel" was devastating their corn
crop at the heighth of its prosperity,
they would leave it to visit lola or
Humboldt-to perch upon the nearest
and most comfortable dry goods box
in sight, to discuss politics they know
nothing about, curse their country,
damn the administration for all their
failures, sneak into the nearest "dive"
and stagger home at midnight and
swear thut "'s'no use for-hic-
sr-man to fryer earn-hic-'nOnest
living. Times 'stoo id hard"
Such hardships!
With reference to my adopted home
let me briefly add that the work re-
ferred to in my last is progressing
vigorously, and with employment of
the same number of men. None are
disconnected because of severe heat
the mercury at no time during the
season having reached-as reported
by the United Signal Service officer
above so deg. The use of fans in the
churches and at theatrical entertain
ments is n rarity, and are more for
show than utility. have never seen
anywhere, such beautiful designs and
such expensive ornaments in that
line. OF course they are kept spread
because they are beautiful and are
convenient for making a sort of sub
teranious passage of soft nonsense be-
tween lovers while the curtain is
down, and during the howlings of
the orchestra. The crops have been
very abundant so far, and the grape
crop (raisin grape) bids fair to exceed
fnrr,or ronrS IL w TAIcnrr