Morris tribune., 1898-01-12
SCENERY.
A Description of Popullstic Kan
sas Depicted by Mr.. Thorpe.

The following is an interesting let
ter written by G. G. Thorpe, Jr., t
his father, in which he depicts tn
scenery encountered during his tray
els to Albuquerque, New Mexico:
Friday, Jan. 9TH 1898.
MY DEAR FATHER
don't think you have ever beer
down through Kansas, the state tina
has always held the plying idea o.
my mind. If you will be able to reac
my horrible train Jared writing,
will try and tell you something o
what you will see in few days wher
you are yourself a southern traveller
l will deal with the descriptions and
not of personalities, so that you may
if necessary, engage few Philadel.
phia lawyers, or even of Morris men
of that profession, of which | believe
there are plenty, even of such excel
lent qualities as make judges in case
of vacancies, to aid you in reading the
letter | promised to write each day,
Yes, Kansas is the scene of today
journey, and | am sure it's not my
imagination or prejudice that makes
me drop these unfriendly and plying
words for the Unions black sheep.
| cannot refrain from comparing the
country with that of our own Stevens
county, the most fourishing and
brightest star Of the Minnesota ter
restial heavens. ! believe my simile
is ridiculas, but you can see my
meaning and that is my only aim
herein.
I am yet to see a pleasing spot in
Kansas. To show that | was not
prejudice, let me say that | met a
girl from Kansas at prominent
mans house in Kansas City, and
when she said that she, truly sweet
maid, and accomplished too, was from
Kansas, I thought to myself, Kansas
is not so bad after all, but now, after
bidding her good bye, | say, eau
in the words of the French.
I see few farm houses as we hurry
along, and the sparce fields say the
sad story for their owners, II have
not done we'll; have been but poor
provider." The corn fields are about
5he only ones, it seems to me. Isee
40 straw stacks, or rather, / should
say, I have seen one, and that sorry:
landmark gnawed away around the
bottom by adozen hungry animals.
Here is corn field that we are now
passing, with its owner in the midst
If it's stalks, loading the empty shocks
Upon his shattered rack. His horses,
mere scarecrows, are trying to nibble
It the barren stubble in front of them,
Door devils of beasts To be a horse
s bad enough, but to be a hungry
me in the luckless state of Kansas,
what fate! I would not wish any
hing so bad for anything but a Turk,
Spaniard and cowardly Office at the
lead of governments delinquent in
the nations honor. Here
5 another horse running m afraiad |
he exertion will kill the beast-away
rom the provisionless field in which
10 has been put to exc out an exist
nee. The COWS, too, picking away in
he crow-picked fields tell tales again.
should hate to get in front of these
esentful animals horns. The hum
ry dumb animals, the barren fields
nd lightweight corn stalks are not
lone in their silent wall bespeaking
ANIMATION for Kansas. The silent
nd deserted looking farm houses,
DIV and mean, are not silent in their
Hence. The small panes of their
make those apertures re-
1ind one of open hungry mouths and
he low caves above are really scowl-
ng in disappointed rage. Occasion
lily one sees man with faded
'reen oyercoat on, and I Immediately
blink to myself that it was among the
lothes of a charity box that was
hipped from the abundance of Stew
MS county homes to the sufferers of
Kansas" And these lonely towns we
re passing through, how grambling
ook the stores! You can almost bet
to l that the merchants are setting
inside cussing over those blank un-
aid bills for the collection of which.
doubt if there are ten lawyers in
own. Of doctors, however, / sup
'ose there are few, even busy ones,