The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-03

The ladies' of Ivy Leaf Chapter q. E. s,
No. IS, will give a graud ball at Garfield
hall April -, for the purpose of aiding the
Towanda sufferers. DR.. Godfry, one of
the parties killed in the disaster, was a
member of the order and was patron of
Chapter IS 1t IS 10 be hoped that the date
will be kept in mind and that every large
hearted man in Wichita will attend it.
The ladies of the chapter number among
them the finest ladies in Wichita and
they are to be sincerely thanked
for their efforts In this line
Thanks, however. is not what they
want; thanks will not feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, or put roofs over the
heads OF the homeless. What they need is
money and, as heretofore stated, 1t Is TO be
hoped they will be given it in abundance.
The Home Minstrel company, which
will play in this city Tuesday evening,
have kindly offered to give 70 per cent Of
the gross receipts to the sufferers. For
this reason. if for no other, the play should
and no doubt will be well patroniz7d.
The ladies who are collecting clothing
and provisions for the sufferers are work
ing hard aud are meeting with success
They traversed the city yesterday and re-
turned to their homes tired aud weary,
but tbey are in the noble cause Of charity
and they do not mind the troubles which
have beset them. Their reward viii be
the prayers OF the unhappy people whose
cause they have espoused.
r MEAD on TowAYDA.
As all the talk Yesterday was about the
terrible devastation at Towards, a re
porter for the EAGLE called On 3Ir. J. +
Mead, whose early connection with the
little town Is well known. Mr.. Mead
said:
In the spring of 1853 located al To-
wanda. bY the BIZ spring, as c71venIent
point from which 10 carry on my business
OF collecting furs from the hunters and
the various Iad.an tribes Of the plains and
OF the Indian Territory and also following
my own fayorite pastime o. hunting. I
found ~Towauda % consist OF Big fine
spring OF pure water. rude log school
house OF the hiIl. a small unoccupied log
house near the spring aud the residence Of
Mr. c. l. Chandler and bis family who
occupied d story and 4 balt hewed log
house. be also had a small fed cultured
aud fenced Mr. Chandler also kept 6
United States pcstofiCe, mails arriving
and depaTting once 4 week supplied from
Cottonw wood Falls 0y horseback service.
There were two settlers south n the
valley. and along tbs river Ess a heavy
b~ls OF OAK sad blackberry timber almost
untouched By tae ak, this was al there
was OF Towards on June !. iss5 During
that noata / crested building which
with is additions answered the
various purposes Of trading
post. dwelling. postoffce, Church,
wayside Inn and Indian AEe-cy
and soon became the general supply POiat
and csuter % interest Tor TIE southwestern .
frontier and was widely known 5 ~fezd'
Ranch Ia the spring oiie74 he W.cEi,s
and allied bands OF Indians, refugees from
their homes in the Indian Territory. SCI
tied along the White Water, Walnut and 1
Little Arkansas rivers. 70 sabsist ca the !
Buffalo then very Abundant. In ta= fall
Of 1854 the government sent an agent,
Major Milo Go4kjns. who established bis I
agency for these indians - Tow41as- &C +
cupying o8e Of nag buildings ual5l the
winter Of 1857. when the Iadiaas were r.
moved 70 their Old home on the WsSagE4
river il the Indian Territory
DuriaE tie summer q - buffalo came +
into Sae valley aoeut Towards g zzazs- !