The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-28

! The average cost per bushel as given
! by those who plant their corn with
! listers is 49, cents and per acre S5.42,
1 while those who plow and harrow their
/ ground and plant with checkrow ma
! chine show a cost OF 16 cents per bushel,
t or $40 per acre.
| Commenting on these figures Secre-
! tary COburn says: ''In none of these
! calculations has there been made any
! allowance for the value of the corn
! stalks, which ordinarily. under the
! crudest mana cement, should offer the
| cost Of harvesting the grain, and under
| proper conditions should have a forage
/ value much in excess of such cost. TAX
! ing these into every estimate, as should
/ rightly be done, the showing of cost per
! bushel would be very sensibly diminish
/ ed. In the results of this inveStiga-
! ton it VIII likewise be noted that the
! rental for these Kansas corn lands, or
! the interest figured by their owners on
: the investment represented, averages
/ more than S14 per cent, or a net rate
I higher than the capitalist, general bro
! ker of money-lender dreams of realizing
Further, it should be understood that
! the thrifty Kansas farmer does not
! measure the profit Of his crop by the
narrow margin shown in such statis-
/ tics between the items of COS and
| value He does not, as a rule, antici-
/ pate selling his corn by the buShel at
the figures given as value nor expect
more If he did so than a moderate re-
turn, one year with another, for his
; labor and investment; it is the con-
version Of it on his farm into beef, pork,
poultry, dairy and similar products
! from which comes the surplus to make
the comfortable homes and build the
schOolhouses. colleges and churches
that are such common objects on his
| horizon and so largely the measure Of
/ his ambition"
BILL WEST JUDGED.
Topeka, Kan, March 27.-Biu West.
who shot and killed Deputy United
( States Marshal Keeney in Indian Terri
tory about eighteen months ago, was
/ brought to Topeka last night and plac-
ed in the county jail. After escaping
last June from the Fort Scott Jail. at
which place he had been incarcerated 70
await trial for his crime. West went to
Montana, thence TO Washington, where
he worked on a ranch near Sun City.
While there he engaged in a shooting
/ scrape with a follow workman, which
1 led 10 his arrest In this fight West
was the only man armed. He shot
his adversary three times and then the
latter closed in on him, grabbing the
revolver. West fired a fourth time, the
bullet penetrating his own leg. Both
men were taken to Belle F'Ouche, S. D..
where. in time, they recovered from heir
wounds.
While West was at Belle Fouche a
| newspaper account Of his escape from
Fort Scott fell out Of his pocket and
/ found its way into the hands of the
authorities. Correspondence was Op-
ened with United States Marshal 5. F.
Nicely with the result that West was
soon IN jail He was first arrested on a
trumped up charge Of robbing a man in
a poker game. He offered no resistance
thinking that the offenSe was a trivial
one, and i would Be better % pay a
( light fine than 10 fight. When inform
/ ed that he was wanted at Fort Scott.
he turned deathly pale, but said Moth
ing. ana from that day u this has abso>
. iucely refused 70 talk about the case.
He would neither admit or deny that
he was the man wanted. \ Fort Scott
oSEcer went 10 Belle Fouche 70 identify
the prisoner. West told him on the
quiet that ne would settle with him
later.
Al Belle F0uche West was regarded
as a killer. and went heavily armed
He gsmbled most Of The time. and i Is
said that while seaeJd at a card IA Die ne
always had a gun in his lap. He was
the best shot in town; IN fact, when h
was IN the Territory ne was counted
one of the best shots IN that section. He
: - years cd. small Of stature. mild
hammered II appearance and good
, dresser.
Il s likely that West viii Be kept n