Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-11-25


especially to Trego county teachers and
necessarily to Trego county schools in
which we all have deep interest. The
exercises will be of more than ordinary
interest to our citizens generally and We
advise all who can to attend these ses-
sions. For further information read
notice in another column.
One of our farmers living on the Sa-
line had quite an adventure few days
ago. A party of seven men travelling
east, presumably for the purpose of find
ing corn husking to do, stole some chick
ems and corn from the farmer and camp
ed short distance from the house for the
night. The farmer took his revolver
and went to their camp and ordered
them to give an account of their pro-
ceedings. One of them seized gun but
he was not quick enough and, being COW
cred with the revolver, was told to hold
up his hands which he did, dropping
his gun while the rest of the party took
to their heels. The captured one con-
fessed and begged for mercy, at the same
time pleading poverty, upon which the
farmer relented and after settling for
the produce taken allowed him to go.
This may have Munchausen flavor to
it but it is plain, unvarnished state
ment nevertheless and our readers may
discover the moral for themselves. The
farmer is well known in Wa-Keeney
but, being of modest disposition, pre-
ferred not to have his name mentioned.
The general opinion, which we ad-
NIT is as likely to be wrong as otherwise,
is that we will have an unusually hard
winter. Be that as it may it will pay
our farmers to prepare plenty of good
shelter for their stock and see to it now.
The last six or seven winters have been
unusually mild and but little shelter
has been required, but the older settlers
remember that we do occasionally have
the most rigorous winters when stock
must be either sheltered or perish. We
have been here long enough to remem-
Der the winter of 1885 and, while we
may never have another so severe, our
idea is that the farmer should be pre-
pared every year for just such an emer-
gency. Common humanity ought to
prompt those owning stock to keep them
from suffering even if experience has
not taught them that it is profitable.
This is a plea for the dumb animal
which cannot plead for itself as we'll as
an admonition which, if needed, may be
of financial benefit to it's owner. We
trust that what we have said is unnec-
essary and that everybody is provided
with nice, warm sheds.
"A failure now and then in the East
is looked upon as matter of course and
excites no special comment. An occa-
sional failure in western Kansas is her
aided all over the country and the inn
preston given out that it is very COM
mon occurrence-in fact that it occurs
almost annually while the reverse is
true. It is so with all undeveloped
countries where the farmers are poor
and cannot stand single failure with
out much suffering. 1t will take time
to overcome the prejudice now existing
against western Kansas, but it will not
be long until many who. have in their
ignorance said the most will be wishing
that they had taken advantage of our
temporary depression to make few
iudicious speculations. Land can be
purchased to-day for One-half its actual
value in western Kansas and that man
does not live, in our Judgment, who will
ever see it SO low again, and it is all on
account of one crop failure in 1893.
Other older settled sections of the coun-
try had partial or entire failures this
same year of grace without depreciating
the value of land single dollar. The
time is near at hand when a single crop
failure in western Kansas will not be
considered a sufficient excuse upon
which to serve notice upon the rest of
the United States that this is yet part
of the Great American Desert and that
failures are inevitable and universal.