The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-24

covering many hundreds % square miles.
arsi which Is but laeag-esy connected By
railroads. Is nsr az easy task
L. 2. Lsd3en. the secretary and gen
erai manager OF The cvnrrxssso-. works
early ana sase and always In his Once
az Lfneoan be can b@ sen az any fsrne
when people are usually awake working
over IN. correspondence OF the bureau
He ts cenfronsed each mail by q heap %
letters that is as high as a warehouse
He tod the writer o. f7zss article that he
had not seen his chsEdrvn for three weeks.
save when they were asleep. He always
booked into their room when he arrived
horre late az night and always before he
ssfs early ia the morning.
Bar he is the most unpopular man "A
the state OF Nebraska He Is honest.
coxsscien ssoss and loyal: he Is har5-xora-
Ing and EaS great executive absaStys He
struggles neroica2iy with the thugs who
wish 70 flea supplies. and wzrn the vir-
tuoas but misguided rh.lanfhroyasts who
write 20 learn OF the folks that received
taeir - cents and VINO expect a full
record OF this event
From hundred towns whose citizens
are in despair for their families arises A
cry against Ludden From a hundred
towns whose citizens do not need relief.
and Ia consequence do rot ge, IL. there
arises cry against Ladien. The little
newspapers priat the uzcognpromising
sentence: "L0tdea must co. Delega-
Tons cali upon the governor and tell him
tnas the situation woud be mitigated II
they could only have relief from La.lden.
Members OF th1 legislature, prossdeSi By
their rival constituents, arise and demand
an explanation OF the presence in office OF
LacsteEs. And yet this man with the
square Jaw and the straight set Efs
hangs on Ia the indoms.able manner of a
maa o-the soil. He remains in front OF
the tales concerning hinf. meraly turns
them Snto his bureau and an explanation
cones out by the regular machinery OF
his system. 10 which he has impaired his
personal quality of inevitabteness Once,
grown tired of the abuse. he asked of the
governor leave 10 resign. but the governor
sad that IL would be impossible nox TO
appoint q new man without some great
and disastrous halt OF the machf-.s ~.
Ludcen returned TO his post and to the
abuse.
But In This vast area OF desolated land
there has been no benefit derived from
the intrigues and scuffings at Lincoln.
which is 200 miles away from the scene
OF the suffering, This town of EsidyvAe
is in the heart OF the stricken territory.
TIE thermometer at this time registers is
degrees below zero. The temperature of
the room which is the writer's hedcham-
Der Is precisely one and a half degrees
below zero. Over the wide. white ex-
panses of prairie the Icy winds from the
north shrek. whiriing high sheets of
snow and enveloping the house in white
clouds of IL The tempest forces fine,
Singing flakes between the rafting
sashes OF the window that fronts the
Storm The air has remained gloomy the
entire day. From other windows can be
seen the snowfiakes fleeing into the south.
trayersing as level a line as bullets
speeding liko the wind. The people in the
sod houses are much more comfortable
than those who live in frame dwellings.
Many OF these latter are upon high ridges
of ahe prairie. and the ,,ngers of the storm
catch madiy at Them. The sod houses
huddle close to the ground and their
thick walls restrain the heat Of the scant
wood fire from escaping.
EdfiyviIle Is a typical town of the droutll
district. Approaching IL over the prairie,
one sees a row of little houses blocked
upon the sky. Nest of them are one
storied Some OF the stores have little
square false fronts. The buildings strag-
gle at irregular intervals along the street
and little board sidewalk connects them
on ali sides stretch the wtnd-swept
prairies.
This town was once live little place.
From behind the low hilIocks the farmers
came jogging behind their sturdy teams.
The keepers OF the three of four stores
did a thriving trade But at this time the
village Lies as inanimate as corpse. In
the rear OF the stores few men perhaps
SIT nst1essIy by the stoves. The people of
the farms remain close indoors during
this storm. They have not enough warm
clothing 10 venture into the terrible blasts.
one can drive past house after house
without seeing signs OF life. unless II be
a weak curl of smoke scIdding away from
a. chimney. Occasionally. too. one finds
deserted homestead, desoiaie and nr-
happy thing upon the desolate and un-
happy prairie
And for miles around this town lie the
countless acres OF the drouth-pestered
district.
Some distance from here a man was
obliged TO leave his wife and baby and go
into the eastern part OF the state to make
freazie3 search for work that might be
capable OF furnishing them with GOOD.
The woulaa lived alone with her baby IN
III the provisions were gone. she had re-
celveti a ,ieSpairlng letter from her hus-
band. He was still unable TO get work
Everybody was searching for Il: none
had Il TO gives Meanwhile nc had YEA
;ured Il prodisieus distance from home.
The nearest neighhor Was three miles
away. She put her baby In its little ram
shackis carriage ana travelled the three
miles. The family there shared with her
as long as they could've or three days.
Then shs went on 10 the next house
There. TOO. with the quality of mercy
which comes with incredible suffering
they shared w.th her. From house 20
house she went. pushing her baby car
rage She received a meal here. three
meals here "a meal and bel here. The
baby VAS q weak and puny child
During this swtTling storm the horses