Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1898-06-11
SATURDAY, JUNE II.
SKETCH BOOK OF BAXTER.

county, Illinois, in 1s4s,-the year
that gold was discovered in Cali
fornia. The southern part of Illi-
nois was called Egypt, not on ac-
count of her pyramids of granite,
but her pyramids and Obelisks of
human characters-grand aud col
ossal, like Logan. Our present
character was no exception. even in
her youth. She was distinguished
when only six years of age as the
best speller in the school-and
spelling in that age of the worlds
development was considered the
"summum bonum," that signifies
the highest good in education. The
public schools of Carbondaie, Illi-
nois, and the college there fur
nished the foundation of her moral
and intellectual culture. She led in
all her classes and at the early age
of sixteen she became teacher in
the high school of her adopted city
and at eighteen had saved FIVE hun
bred dollars. She was proficient in
both instrumental and vocal music,
aud possessed remarkable talent
for painting. She was born arts It
and musician. II is from her that
her son, Paul, received his genius
for art and her daughter, Blanche,
for music. In the spring of 1868 she
came to Baxter Springs and in No.
vember of the same year married
G. G. Gregg, who came here in 1866
or 1857, and for years was known as
the oldest and most reliable drug
gist in Baxter Springs. For two
terms he was treasurer of Cherokee
county and for many years. with
John Cooper. one of the most relia-
able business men in the city. In
1870 they built the residence where
Mr.. Kane resides, where they lived
until his death in 1895. About 1869
Mr.. and Mrs. Gregg were out riding
horseback and as they rode over
that beautiful eminence where she
how resides and as her artistic eye
glanced over the landscape she
said TO her husband: George,
some day I would like to have a
home here" Twenty-six years later
he had retired from business and
erected beautiful home on that
very spot and was moving his fam
lily where he expected TO end his
days, but such was not to be. Mr..
Gregg had been out to make every
thing ready and had moved some
of their goods and had returned 10
send out more, when suddenly he
was taken i'll and was soon no more.
An almost tragic scene followed
his unexpected death. Their only
daughter, Mrs. Collins, gave birth
to daughter and the lives of both
mother and child were despared of.
Such was the first domestic shock
that Mrs. Gregg had been called TO
pass through in her twenty-seven
years of the most tranquil domestic
life. 1t had been life of apparent
ease and joy watching the unfold
ings of the immortal petals in the
blossoming of two young lives,
daughter and son, Blanch and
Paul. Her husband had looked at
ter everything that was essential to
the happiness of mother and child
rem. Her children were all that a
parent could desire. The eldest the
image of her father, and the son a
second edition of his mother. So
quiet and so unassuming had been
the life of the subject of this sketch
that neighbors who had lived for
many years in almost speaking dis
lance and the people in general of
Baxter Springs who have known
her for years never conceived of the
latent powers that dwelt in that APP
parent fragile form of human clay
until DIR. Gregg was taken and she
became the leader of the household.
That woman who always looked so
delicate aud to use trite express
sion, looked as il she had been kept
in a bandbox, has surprised every
body that has been called in close
association with her.
She has superiutended a farm,
raised stock, taught her daughter
10 make some of the best butter that
comes to our Baxter market, turns
her hand each day to every variety
of work in the house and to as many
kinds outside, drives TO Galena and
superintends her mining business,
COMES home and plays the piano as
we'll as the musician who does moth
ing else but finger its keys; but
this 10 not all of Mrs. Gregg. Her
mind is not only versatile, but both
strong and brilliant as she has
demonstrated in lecture she has
prepared for our lecture course and
delivered last Monday night before
an appreciative audience 10 the n.
+. church, the subject OF which was
eIhs Moral Element In Kngiish
literature
Let the citizens of Baxter Springs
receive an inspiration from her re-
cent lab prs. One year ago the Bax-
Ter library was under lock and key
ana had been cloaed for almost q