The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-13
The Once Thriving City of Run
nymede EARNED Out.
Fields of Wheat Sown Over the
Harper County TOwnsite.
ENDS AN IRISH DREAM
A Great Future Was Planned
For This Corporation.
Profigate Sons of English
Lords the Sole Inhabitants.

VViGMAta. KaS Feb. 13.-Henry Lolita
Of Caldwell has purchased the town site
Of Runnymede. in Harper county, and
has restored it to its kindred acreage of
excellent wheat producing farm land It
was surveyed, plated and built to COM
Inemorate that interesting chapter in
English history wherein it Is recorded
that a few stout-fsted barons. with
broadaxes, held up King John for a
slice or two Of original Anglo-Saxon
liberty. Everybody who had the good
fortune to know Runnymede in its
palny days will wipe away tear, or
at least heave sigh, when they hear
that 1t is now as dead as Queen Dido's
ancient capital History never knew
such a town. It was the only town on
earth that Englishmen, Welchmen and
Scotchmen-no one else lived there
could have lived together for several
years without humiliation Nobody
ever resided In the town who was not
a foreigner, and then only a subject Of
her majesty. the late lamented Victoria.
In 1882 Ned Turnkey. a strapping
young Presbyterian from near Belfast,
wandered into Caldwell, then a cattle
town, and enlisted as q cowboy On the
range he met a. youth of immense bones
and red hair named Charles OConnell,
grandson Of the famous Irish liberator-
NED 1urnley'S rather was an IfISu ldIlO-
lord, and about as stiff an Orangeman
as ever drank to the confusion of the
Pope. Ned induced the old man to come
over, and the old man came. Ned
showed him where he could buy land
for 50 per acre, and the old man bought
10000 acres. He also stocked it and put
it in charge of Ned, who took O'Connell
into partnership with him Ned con
ceived the idea Of starting a sort of kin
dergarten on the ranch for Englishmen,
and took a trip across the water. In a
few months he returned, bringing with
him a dozen Of the younger and wilder
sons of Yorkshire and Devonshire gem
t1emen; also a Sprig or two of the gem
tflity of Ireland and Scotland With
each one he received 2100 the PROPOSE
ton being that for that sum as tuition,
and an additional sum for board and
washing, he would teach them to be
American farmers and ranchmen-
The fame of Runnymede soon spread
through the British isles and scores of
the young men of her majesty's empire
came to Kansas and Joined the colony.
A town site was laid out and lots sold
like hot cakes in London, Manchester
and Edinburgh. A fine hotel was built
with all modern appointments. A beau
tiful Protestant church was erected and
was named in honor of St Patricl<-the
only Protestant church in America so
named. Golf clubs, cricket teams and
football elevens were organized. A
great many Of the students brought
hounds from England with them, and a
master OF the QUnGS was 6l6EIeQ- AS
the curriculum Of this agrarian univer-
sity was limited to the milking of one
COW, and as there were about eighty
students to milk that one a. great deal Of
time was put in at horse racing, cock
fighting, rabbit chasing and other sports
and pastimes peculiar to Englishmen-
AS e. diversion they would import q
few lusty prize fighters for a week or
two at time, at the end of which there
would not be a man left capable of even
milking the COW. The younger son of
Sir Charles Palmer, whose firm built
most Of the Spanish navy, was student
at Runnymede and one night after
getting beautifully licked by Paddy
Shea, in q friendly bout he took a $3.50
watch from his pocket and gave it as a
present to the man who knocked him
out. This same LAP Palmer is now
an officer of distinction in the English
army, serving in South Africa, as is also
Runnymede.
Early in the nineties an anti-foreign
sentiment began to manifest itself in
legislation seriously affecting aliens,
and Runnymede began to wane- About
this time also the death of Colonel
Turnkey made Ned heir to the Irish
estates, and his departure was practi-
cally the end Of the colony and stuniver-
sity." He writes to some of his old
friends in Wichita occa sfona1ly and the
last letter contained the news that he
has been slated for parliament
Several years ago the original pur-
chase made by Mr.. Turnely was divided
into farms and sold. but the town site
of Runnymede did not cease entirely
to exist until last week.