Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-29
NEBRASKA PEOPLE IN DISTRESS
THEY ARE on THE VERGE OF
STARVATION.
No Fuel and Many subsis,ing on
Food Insnmcient for Half Their
Nnmber-Deserted Farms, But some
Cannot Get Away.

Omaha, Neb., Dec. 2s.-A stan cor
respondent OF local newspaper has
been I'M the western part of the state
investigating the reports Of the desti-
tuition which prevails in that section.
The restitution belt is the southwest
ern part of the state. including the
counties west OF Buffalo and the city
OF kenrney south to the Kansas and
west to the Colorado line. 1t reaches
somewhat TO the north, Including parts
OF Custer, Logan and Lincoln counties.
The counties which have been thus far
visited are Buffalo. Custer, Dawson,
Lincoln, Keith, Perkins, Chase. Dundy
and Hayes. In some of these counties
the destltutlon Is terrible. In Perkins.
Keith, Chase and Hayes counties ma
jority OF the people need help. Only
IN the irrigation ditch portions OF
these counties is there anything OF COM
Tort. The people ARE living OH almost
nothing. Their provisions consist OF
scnnt supplies of potatoes, flour, and
coarse meal. They are almost without
clothing. and their fuel comes from
COW chips and railroad coal. In Hayes
county three-fourths of the 1000 people
are destitute.
81 tell you, the situation is about us
bad as II can be-" said u resident.
we have raised no crops; no, sir, none.
l speak from bitter experience, for you
can see for yourself that there wasn't
an ear of corn on one OF these stalks.
"a "a tla aA
fodder. And | am no worse on than
my ncighbors. The stock has been
driven out of the country and sold FOR
whatever It would bring. Cows brought
as low as SO or S., although today they
are worth SIG. SO we have no stock.
Oh, you'll See from one TO fifteen head
TO n farm, but oftener the former than
the latter number. There was q little
hay, aud up on the Red Willow creek
few were able to irrigate a vegetable
patch, but there is mighty little to sell.
There are a very few who are COM
fortably well Off through fortune OF one
kind or another, but you can nearly
count them on the fingers OF one hand.
Our funds are about exhausted. There
is very little money In the treasury,
but the merchants cash our wa.s6ais
at par. We are offering pGTed aid
only 10 the most urgent cases, cutting
our acquisitions downito the lowest
living quantity OF all a. ncoessaries.
No sugar. coffee or tea given out ex-
cept to old or inflrm larsons. There
is the greatest need: o i fuel and flour
at present. In the Sizing every one
except few will need seeds Of all
kinds"
From BenlSleman. Dundy county,
this correspondent tonight writes: THE
relief work in this county is In tho
hands of committee appointed by
citizens with the approval of the coun-
ty commissioners. Rev. j. NJ. Bell OF
Haigler aud Oscar Callahan. the bank
or Of this place, have been the most
active in systematizing tho work, Mr.,
Callahan said this morning: "There Is
much suffering. The chief need is for
fuel and seed. Wheat will be needed
for seed and corn will be required for
feed The stock Il IN fair condition
in spite Of the fact that the buffalo
grass IA not nearly 50 good as usual
this year. The committee IS giving
aid only where II Is positively needed
and then only In the line OF necessaries
of life" At the courthouse learned
that the county was out Of debt, but
had few available funds for relief OF
the poor. Small warrants were being
drawn for -four, and one or two clti-
zens were aiding the really destitute to
get conl. Dundy county has raised
some fine crops In It's time, and It's
people have been as frugal as the aver
age community. But the strlctest fTu-
gallty can hardly suffice to carry far
mer over two almost complete failures
OF the land. At least 200 or 800 families
have left the county and the deserted
farmhouses are seen from every county
road. Back In the county twenty miles
or so from the railroad people are
found who are very nenrly at the end
Of their stocks of provisions, Fuel is
much needed and hard to get, for cow
chips are not so numerous since the
stock is gone.
THE pensions drawn by the old sol
diers here constitute about all the In
come the farmers have and living is
more than economical. 1t has been
reduced almost to the verge Of beg
gary. but not quite, for these vete-
rams and their sons are pr0ud-spirlted
fellows who would starve sooner than
beg, II is hard, though, for the moth
ers and children to live upon such fare
as is In general use here. Many
have not much better food than the
chickens or the beasts OF burden. The
coorsest and cheapest -four, and even
bran, IN some cases. Is used. Meat Is
not 10 be lad except in rare cases,
where a COW or n pig was saved STOCK
had TO be sacrificed, and hogs ana
chickens have long since gone where
there is better feed. or have been
killed. Many Of them died for want OF
proper sustenance.
aid may be sent freight free to the
county commissioners OF any county;
snnara is a certainty that the cold
weather which Is now coming on Will
be death to hundreds and thousands
in this drouth district unless aid comes
At once. Most Of these people i've N
sod houses. They have raised but
three crops in nine years and have alb
solutely nothing in their fields and gia,
nsriaa Ala must come Immediately"
which hotels are the most popular
Those which use DR.. Prices baking
Powder in the food.