Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-30

General shern..,s Diary.

General sherman's Diary.
In the diary Of his trip around the world
in 1872. now running In the Century. Gem
eral william Tecumseh Sherman says:
whole of the province known as Cau-
casus, namely, from V~ladikavkaz north. Is
as the 'steppc.' but It is as much
like our Western plains IS possible. l
hardly realize that We were not In
Kansas. except when We reached the Cos
sack villages. composed of struggling rows
Of single story huts with matched roofs.
There is an absolute want Of fuel. and I
saw girls manufacturing = sort Of adobe
out Of manure, trodden with bare feet n
nodded into forms. which are dried In the
sun and afterwards used as fuel. We
passed thousands Of wagons loaded with
wheat coming to the Don for market. These
wagons have four small wheels. often
without tires. and q small body. contain
ing. I should suppose. about . ton Of
wheat In sacks and covered with mats.
They camp out at night and noon. just as
our trains do on the plains"
Russian Customs IN Kansas.
II. at any time after 1874. General sher-
man had come to Ellis county. Kas.. he
could have seen everything which he has
described in the foregoing quotation. Com
mencing in that year there was q great i'm
migration from Russia to the plaips Of
Western Kansas. the Russian colony in
Ellis county numbering now not far from
1000 souls. They built the same irregular
rows Of matched huts, using prairie sod
for walls. They made. n still make. the
same fuel. and in many OF their homes no
other kind is known at all. The man in Ell
lis county with q cattle corral can always
do business with the Russians. Early in
the spring they purchase the right to make
fuel In these corrals and during the sum-
mer month vast quantities Of It are pre-
tramped into the cattle muck by barefoot
ed women n girls. Just as General sher-
man has described. but in corrals where
cattle have been fed literally this is not
required, as there Is enough waste straw
alreay in the material. Where the ma
terial has been stamped down hard by the
cattle 1t is spaded out in bricks, perhaps
twice As large as the commercial brick,
and these are stacked up loosely to dry.
For heating purposes this fuel Is burned
in a huge stone and clay oven, usually
built in the center of the house. with a
broad, fiat surface across its top. which
not ~infrequently is used for a bed. How
ever. 1t burns freely in the ordinary cook
ing stove, making not only a hot fire, but
| one which will burn longer than ordinarily
might be supposed. So. too. the quaint lit
tie wagons described by General Sherman
/ have been a familiar sight on the streets
Of Hays City and In the country round
about.
| Bat They Are Becoming Obsolete.
However. year by year. these Russian
colonists have departed from their import
ed customs. Though still clingins in q
great degree to their curious fuel. which
they call ''mistholtz," they have bull,
American houses. purchased American i'm
Elements, thrown aside their sheepskio'
for American clothing. and hav adopted
| readily most OIL INC fHAltsEACdn ways Ia
change which has come over these c~olonist:
is nowhere more marked han In theil
womankind. Twenty years ago 1t was s
common sight to see q band OF Russian
women, with skirts drawn up to barr
knees, tramping around in the ooze which
is the first stage Of making 'misthOltz.'
but it is doubtful II such a sight could b.
seen In Ellis county row.. Up to perhaps
fifteen years ago the American familie
were besieged with Russian girls who want
ed places as hose servants. but now it !
next to impossible to secure their service
at all. Not only have they caught tn
American indisposation to this kind of serv
ice. but prosperity has removed the ne
cessity, and, swhile they will work Xix
slaves at home. going out into the harves
field whefe they will do as much as
man, they cannot be hired to serve TO
other people. These colonists are growing
rich through wheat raising. A single farm
er among them last year harvested Zoo
bushels. They are buying up he lands O
children. While II is still q common sigh
to see the older women in shapeless skirt
and still more shapeless Jackets. with n
other headgear except a fringed shawl. tn
maidens cannot be detected from thei
American sisters by reason of the absenc
Of fine raiment and fashionable millinery.
Topeka Boy Tells of Caloocan.
Ted Montgomery. Of the Topeka com
pany In the Philippines, writes to his par
ents as follows: I'VE are having plent
to do these days and nights and the boy
are thoroughly enjoying 1t. I am we
now, have been well all along. and sur
pose 1 always will be. 1 was on guard tn
night the rumpus began. II is now tn
2lst, and since the Ath I have had m
clothes OF just once. and that was whe
Companies A and B were sent to the rea
for one nights good rest. Up to this DAT
I have fred about 1.OO0 rounds from m
rife, and l guess this is a fair averae
for the regiment. Our greatest days wor
was at the battle Of Caloocan. We call thu
field .Hombre Run (hombre meaning ma
and being pronounced umbry), and for
few miles you bet the insurgents did ru
I was out In front Of the firing line vi,
four others on the Eth on a little SEQ,
when we jumped a sharpshooter out Of II
tall grass.
.our five guns went on at once. Il
sharpshooter fell, and then We made