Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-01-03
Dying Of Want.
HEAKTRENDING REPORTS FROM
THE BROUGHT STRICKEN RE-
GiOSS OF NEBRASKA.
Hundreds Of Unfortunate Settlers On the
Verge Of Starvation --Subsisting On
Food Not Fit for Beasts
Of Burden.

OMAHA, Neb.. December 26.-A
staff correspondent of a local news
paper has been in the western par
OF the State investigating the reports
of the destitution which prevails in
that section. The destitution bel
is the southwestern part of the state
including the counties west OF Buf,
talo County and the city of Kearney
south to the Kansas and west to the
Colorado line. 1t reaches some-
what to the north, including parts
of Custer, Logan and Lincoln
Counties. The counties which have
been thus far visited are Buffalo,
Custer, Lincoln, Keith, Perkins,
Chase, Dundy and Hayes. In some
of these counties the destitution 10
terrible. In Perkins, Keith, Chase
and Hayes counties a majority OF
the people need help. Only in the
irrigation ditch portions of these
counties is there anything of COM
fort. The people are living on al
most nothing. Their provisions
consist of scant supplies of potatoes,
-four and coarse meal. They are
almost without clothing, and their
fuel comes from cow chips and rail
road coal. In Hayes County three
fourths of the 1000 people are des.
titute.
81 tell you, the situation is about
as bad as it can be-" said a resident.
"We have raised no crops; no, sir,
none. speak from bitter experience,
for you can see for yourself that
there wasn't an ear of corn on one
of these stalks. Even the stalks
are not any too good fodder. And
1 am no worse off than my neigh
bors. The stock has been driven
out of the country and sold for
whatever it would bring. Cows
brought as low as $6 or $S, although
to-day they are worth SIC. So we
have no stock. Oh, you'll see from
one to fifteen head on farm, but
oftener the former than the latter
number. There was a little hay,
and up on the Red Willow Creek a
few were able to irrigate vegetable
patch, but there is mighty little to
sell. There are very few who are
comfortably we'll off through fortune
of one kind or another, but you can
nearly count them on the fingers OF
one hand. Our funds are about
There is very little
in the treasury, but the mer-
chants cash our warrants at par.
We are offering limited aid only to
the most urgent cases, cutting our
down to the lowest liv-
ing quantities of all necessariss. No
sugar, no coffee or tea is given out
except to old or infrm persons.
There is the greatest need of fuel
and flour at present. In the spring
every one except a few will need
seeds of all kinds
SITUATION IN DUNDY COUNTY.
From Benkleman, Dundy county,
his special correspondent writes
'The relief work in this county is
n the hands of a committee appoint
ID by citizens with the approval OF
he county commissioners. Rev.
J. M. Bell, of Haigler, and Oscar
Callahan, the banker of this place,
have been the most active in sys-
the work. Mr.. Callahan
,aid this morning: There is much
suffering. The chief need is for
'uel and seed. Wheat will be need
I'd for seed and corn will be requir-
ID for feed. The stock is in fair
condition in spite of the fact that
buffalo grass is not nearly so good
.s usual this year. The committee
8 giving aid only where it is posi-
lively needed and then only in the
inc of necessities in life. At the
,ourt house | learned that the
county was out of debt, but had
ew available funds for relief ofpoor.
Small warrants were being drawn
or flour, and one or two citizens are
.iding the really destitute to get
,oal. Dundy County has raised
ome fine crops in lts time, and its
AI<l