St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-03
RIGHT ON THE VERY GROUND.
Cold Questioning Lets Dayo
light Into the Alleged
Grievances.
NO FOUNDATION IN FACT.
What a Globe Reporter Saw
and Heard in the Burnt
District.

garding outlay of money and dis
tribution of supplies by the state
commission for the relief of fire suf-
ferers. Some of these complaints
reached the ears of the MEM
bers of the joint legislative COM
mittee, and they determined to go
and investigate.
Yesterday was determined upon
as the date, and Monday night the
legislators boarded a special car
provided by President Sam Hill, of
the Eastern Minnesota road. Mr..
Hill went along to look after the
comfort of the travellers, and saw to
it that they were given opportunity
to visit every place they desired to
in the burnt district. Besides Presi-
dent Hill there were in the party
Senators Hodge, Wyman, Cronkhite
and Sevatson; Representatives Hol-
man, Anderson, Mallatte, Staples and
Guttersen; Hon. c. A. Pillsbury,
chairman, Kenneth Clark, treasurer,
and H. H. Hart, secretary, of the
relief commission; Secretary of State
Berg, Rev. William Wilkinson, j. T.
Mannix, of Minneapolis, and the
GLOBE representative.
Sandstone was the first place Wis
tied, and the business of the day was
begun Immediately after breakfast.
n, j. Miller, the working agent of
the commission at that point, in
troduced to the delegation all peo-
pie Who had kicks to register or re-
quests to make. There were sew
eral farmers present to urge the i'm
mediate necessity of repairing roads
to enable them to get about, and to
ask, for supplies of grass seed and
seed potatoes. Some of the men
were badly in need of horses, wagons,
harness and farm implements With
out these it will be almost if not
absolutely impossible for the farm
erS to work their land and raise
crops. Should their wants not be
supplied in these respects, they must
desert their farms and seek other
means of livelihood.
HEROINES IN HOMESPUN.
One old lady, while pleading for
named O'Connor, incidentally re-
marked, "If we are not given seed
TO sow and implements to work with
we must leave our farms desolate
and go to work elsewhere" The
writer was standing next to her
when she uttered the words, in a.
quiet, matter-of-fact way, though
in he,
thought came that the speaker was
little able to go forth at her time
of life and work for a new start
and new home.
Even as the old woman spoke to
Senator Cronkhite and Mr.. Hart
there drove up in a wagon one of
the braVest and best little women
in the whole region. At the time of
the lire two of her children were
swallowed up by the fire before her
eyes. One of them was her eldest
daughter. Her husband was so
badly burned that today he is help
less. The family lives four miles
from Sandstone, and when their home
had been rebuilt she told the com
mission if they would give her four
cows and some fodder she would
take care of her husband, her four
remaining children and herself dur
ing the winter without further aid
from the commission. The cows
were furnished at a cost of S1O0
ana the woman has kept her word.
She has peddled milk in Sandstone
and to scattered families in storm
ana sunshine, with borrowed horse.
never missing a day.
AS she sat in her milk wagon yester-
day, roughly but tidify dressed, she
was a picture of self-reliant woman
mood that made every one of the visit
ors feel like taking off his hat to her.
Talking with Senator Wyrnan and 9TH
ers she expressed a desire to get seed
potatoes and horse, because she must
shortly give up the borrowed animal
she is now using.
Mr.. Pillsbury guaranteed that she
should receive the potatoes needed
and Senator Wyman as much as said
he would endeavor to have a horse pro-
vided. Both of these gentlemen were
earnest in expressing their admfra-
lon, and the senator put the thoughts
or all into words when he said: 81 adj
mire your grit and energy; you deserve
success. There are no doubt MANY
such women in isolated homes in Pine
county.
THE ONLY KICK
made at Sandstone was by a saloon
keeper, who took occasion to denounce
the commissions agents for not treat
ing him fairly in the giving out of
supplies. He was well fixed when the
fire came, and after it was passed was
able to open up Immediately and make
$i00 In ten days, as one gentleman told
the GLOBE reporter Senator Wyman
questioned the man and bluntIy told
him he had no ground on which to
complain. This did not satisfy him.
however, and at the depot he again
shot off his mouth in anger and cha
grin
At Sandstone the lady who served a
plenteous and well-cooked breakfast in
the Northern hotel proved to be one of
the farmers wives who had fed from
the fire and taken refuge in Kettle
river with her children.
The school was visited, and seventy
eight children were found enrolled,
with Miss Dahlquist as teacher Erect
ed by the state commission, the school
house is not half large enough to prop
erly accommodate the number Of pu-
pills; but it is well built, and the people