Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-02-07
The Starving Nebraskans.
MISERY AND DESOLATION ON
EVERY SIDE AND PEOPLE
FAMIsHING FOR FOOD.
The Sufferers Sell Their Cattle and
Tools for Something to Eat
Honest Toilers Need Help
Calling for Aid.

Calling for Aid.
Following is an extract from lettel
by 'fNellie Bly," written to the New
York World:
Well, asked where he was, and the
kind neighbor told me. Since the
crop failure, yes, nearly year past
the family has lived on the money
made from their cows, four in number
The cows had to strustle for living
like the other animals, but cows car
live on less and last longer than any
thing else. Besides, the faithful crea'
lures come home at night to give theil
! milk to the family.
The family was too poor to use milk
but they saved it and managed to gel
from twelve to eighteen pounds ot
| butter every two weeks. For this
butter they got 20 cents pound. This
was given in exchange for their gro
ceries. But the wife has been sick
three months, and one COW is dry, and
the doctor, who charges So visit
said he couldn't come any more unless
he was paid something on account
The husband had no money. He was
mortgaged overhead, so the doctor
said he would take cow, and the hus-
band had gone to drive the COW to its
future owner.
The mortgage on their timber claim
is held by Mrs. Pierce, Rev. Mr.
Cross mother in law. Rev. Mr.. Gross
is missionary at the Rosebud Indian
Agency. The interest is 2 per cent
per month; about "a per cent yearly
They had hogs which were killed
and traded for groceries. They had
chickens 500 of them-and after they
began to starve to death the rest were
killed and went in trade.
And that was their miserable story
Eleven years of hard work and at the
end destitution. Stock, seed, every
thing, gone and the broken-down
WIG
"How could all you people get SC
poor with one years failure?" 1 ask
ed, incredulously. The neighbor re-
peated my question to the sick woman
"We only had two good crops in
eleven years." was the pathetic reply
Tell me of the heathen in Africa
and 1 will tell you of the people in
the West who have not seen church
in years. Tell me of the poor in Ire
land, and will tell you of poorer in
| the West. Tell me of the labor in
Siberia, and / will tell you of the
hsrdeg labor in the West.
your money for your own, and it will
be better for us all. Although l have
travelled SO many miles in this thinly
settled country, and from which SC
many have gone, l only managed te
see three families in my days work.
But the sights 1 saw in their sod
houses, and the carcasses of starved
animals lying along the way, 1 am
told is only what would see all ovel
the stricken part of Nebraska. The
hot wave travelled over the State ir
one line, and everything fell desolate
and dead before it. Other parts ot
the State are all right.
Mr.. George Crager, the noted In
dian interpreter and the United States
Special Agent, was my guide. Nc
man knows this part of the country
better. Doubtless the readers of the
| World will remember him as the mar
who captured Big Turkey during the
late Indian uprising in 1891 and brought
him to Gen. Miles.
Mr.. Crager says that thirty ont
miles from Valentine, in Rewanee ant
Sparks, there is great destitutioI
among the German and French set
Elements, but as one can only ge
there by driving, and as the sand ii
over the hubs, to get there and bacl
is matter of extreme difficulty.
| When we came back from Valentine
to-day we found that supply o
goods had been shipped to this poin
from the East, and twenty eigh
barrels of clothing, 100 barrels O
-four, twelve barrels of potatoes an'
two steers had been divided among
the destitute families who had driver
into town for aid. What provision i
to be made for those whose horse
are dead or who are otherwise unable
to get to town I know not.
On Thursday last went to Omaha
where had talk with Mr.. Mason
the President of the State Relief Com
mission. ave have more stuff nov
for the sufferers than we can possibl,
use,u he said. 1--WE have provides
clothing for everybody and have car
loads of it packed in our store-house
We don't want any more clothing o
food; what we need is money"
Thereupon Mr.. Mason showed m
bills to prove that for 1854 and som
odd cents, money sent to him fror
Boston, he had bought from the rail
road company 100 tons of coal, which
at market price, would have cost s7ot
The railroad company merely charge
Mr.. Mason what it cost them for labor
freight to points of delivery was fret
But / have since found that co:
cannot possibly be delivered to th
greatest sufferers, such people as
have visited to-day, and if the Reli.
Commission has more clothing tina
it needs, none of it has been sent oil
this way.