Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-02-14
Have Nothing To Eat.
THE WORST HAS NEVER BEEN
TOLD ABOUT THE SUFFERING
PEOPLE III NEBRASKA.
Failure OF Crops Left the Farmers Pen
nili.ss and New Their Families
Have Nothing to Eat-Ab-
solutelg Suffering.


Special Dispatch to thu Cincinnati Inquirer.
OMAHA, NEB., February 5.-The full
extent of the terrible destitution in
Nebraska is just becoming realized by
the people of this state. 1t was sup
posed at first that the drought district
was confined to the southwestern cor
-nsr, Int now ii appears that it extends
over one third of the state territor-
tally.
The offices of newspapers here are
constantly flooded with the most
piteo1s petitions for aid. The worst
of the season is yet to come. Fuel has
been provided for most of the desti-
tIlte, but clothing and provisions have
not been sent in sufficient quantities.
The prospects are now that many
WILL sTARvE TO DEATH
Before April unless more aid comes.
To the surprise of everyone appeals
are just now coming in from counties
where no Relief Commission has been
appointed and where the County Com
missioners were thought to be able to
take care of the destitute without out
side aid A pathetic letter was receiv-
ed to-day from the Secretary of the
Women's Relief Corps at Ellsworth, in
Hall County, near Grand Island, ap-
pealing for food and clothing for the
veterans and others there. The con-
dition of suffering is consequent upon
the total failure of the crops in 1890,
the partial failure in 1898 and the total
failure in 1894.
The people there have no reserve
fund. and thousands of the farmers
used their entire means and borrowed
money on their land to put in crop
this year. AS nothing at all was raised
they are absolutely destitute and with
out resource. The tales that come
from that section are heartrending.
Verified stories are told of men and
women crouching by a poor fire of
buffalo chips, trying to get warmth,
with no food in the house and nothing
to get food with.
One couple committed suicide when
the wife gave birth to child, for
whom there was no food aud no
warmth. Children are prevented from
going to school because of insufficient
clothing and shoes. Women cannot
see visitors because of their INSULT
cient attire. An investment company
osEIsfsrvvssfsrvvvraery- -urvsv- so % e'ourey'
Judge in Deuel. County asking about
there, and was answered
that the county wanted no investments
and no immigrants, but wanted food
and clothing.
A letter just received from Mr.. G.
w. Preston, an agent and missionary
of the Home Congregational Mission
airy Society, gives view of the situa-
ton as clearly as any can. He writes
from Curtis, Frontier County, and
says: "The condition of things in this
region it is impossible to describe. No
rain or snow has settled it, yet we
thank God every day for the absence
of snow. We pray that the dry
weather may continue. Many families
are living ON bread and milk.
A man came to us. He could hardly
make his wants known, faltered out at
last that he came to see if we could
let his children have some clothes. He
NEEDED CLOTHES HIMSELF
Sadly, but he said no word of this.
Some things were brought. He sat
with ayerted face, vacant, almost
choking as he said: 81 never asked
for help before" He trembled when
he brought himself to take things over.
But God will bless some unknown
friend who made it possible to clothe
that family. A bag of -four and piece
of meat were taken to the home. The
mother cooked some of the meat, and
the half-starved children ate it SO
greedily that an onlooker said it re-
him of pack of puppies at
dinner Yet that was as refined ,
home as you will often find. There
had been no meat and, very little else
in the house for months. A man with
a wife and three little children, had
secured hundred pounds of -four by
road work. The -four was gone; at
sundown he starts to face the cutting
wind on his seventeen mile return
trip, saying: "There will be no sup
per till l get home" We are glad
there could be after he gets home.
These are but specimen cases. Such
is the rule. Yet some of our papers,
or with silly pride, say
there is no great need. Let us look at
one more case: 1t is Saturday even
ing. One of our substantial farmers
and stockman calls, talks of the times,
of his children kept out of school for
want of clothes, tells how they cry to
come to Sunday School, but he is evil
IDENTIFY not talking of what most
troubles him; it must be drawn from
him. As he is asked if he has any
flour at home his eyes fill with tears;
he has never before had TO admit that
he
COULD NOT GET BREAD
For his family Yet that man has this
winter given away 300 wagon loads
of wood without money and without
price. Our people are not beggars
nor shiftless. Our ne'er-do- wells left
long ago. Never did any kind-heart-
ed donors help a more worthy people.
Thanks arise from hundreds of great
and grateful hearts for help received
But we have only given a fifty pound
sack of -four usually to family; only