The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-02-04
AN INTERESTING LETTER
Kate Strong, of Oklahoma, Sends Us
Another Batch of News Concern
ing Oklahoma.
(ieary, O. T., Jan. Ia. 1904

to write an interesting letter will iot
down a few items to cure a slight attack
of Inconsistencies. This has been rather
monotonous winter in this locality,
not even a snow furry to relieve it and
no rain to benefit the wheat crop. The
coldest weather registered so far this
winter only s degrees above zero.
haven't Worn overshoes this winter
nor had cold enough or such like, only q
spell or two of genuine laziness. THE
REPORTER, (if not too late to talk about
Christmas) eNcelled in newsy and inter
esting reading matter in the Christmas
number. will express my good opin-
ion OF it by paying up for suppose
the usual incidental expenses even to
the editor as well as a great many
others, was a trifle eXtravagant. 1t
seems Christmas times cost more than
the Fourth of July, hut if o. e. could
have been in Geary he would have been
treated to free drinks and swell dinner
at the Mint saloon. He surely would
have relished one Ncr the other. Now
for little Christmas experience of my
own. The folks all went to some fes-
tivity or other and left me alone. sat
up until IL o'clock and getting sleepy
concluded | would retire. | went up
stairs and as had left the lamp burn
ing down stairs and had been away from
home part of the day | thought | would
look in the closets for imaginary or real
burglars; found nothing but thought 1
had better strike match and look
under the bed like the old maid did.
The match lit all right but l did not
have time to see for fringed rag had
pinned around my head caught fire and
it seemed pinned on to stay. 1t kept
me bobbing around quite bit before
got it off and was SO badly frightened
| would have been glad to have found
some one under the bed. When the
folks came home they said they smelied
fire and told them it was only a little
smoke.
The next is mule hunt or rather a
man hunt, which Mr.. Strong indulged
in, q am tired of saying J. d. you will
know who / mean. He purchased fine
span of mules, paying $50 for them.
He sends them out to the ranch one day
and the next Fred comes in and tells
him he has bought stolen mules for they
have the c. brand on the jaw. Mr..
Strong said he didn't see any brand on
them but Fred said they were surely
stolen for he did not have the transfer
papers with him which he should have
had. Well he began to feel quite
dubious as he bought the mules quite
cheap at Dallas, Texas, and they have
Ia Detective Protective association
which will recover stolen property free
of charge with the G brand. Mr.. Strong
had forgotten the mans name who sold
him the mules, neither did he ask him
where he lived, but remembered of
hearing him say he mad stayed all night
at Bridgeport and he struck out for
that place. The man had told the truth
about that part of it. He did not drive
the mules for he was liable to be arrest
ed for having them without the papers,
but hired man and team to take him
that direction. The driver asked him il
he had anything to shoot with, for they
would have to travel through some
awful rough country and were liable to
be held up for. drinks suppose They
finally came to a country post Office
The postmaster knew of the man and
the mules and told him where he
thought he lived, and also said he
was preacher. Mr.. Strong said he
thought he had bought stolen mules
They went on to Sickles, found out the
mans name and were directed to where
he lived. He was not at home but his
| wife said he had the papers in his
! pocket when at Geary, but didn't think
of them once until he was nearly home
but intended to send them to him at
the Geary postoffice, SO you may know
they were important. She told then,
when they first moved to Sickles, during
her husbands absence she and another
lady guarded two span of mules and a
horse with loaded shotguns all night, and
drove two men away who were trying to
steal them. A neighbor's fine team was
stolen the same night, and the next day
she had them branded paying 81 per
head. The same week one Of the mules
Mr.. Strong bought was stolen but was
turned loose and came back. He was
out just $5 and 60 mile drive by her
not asking questions like foolish
woman does. She said it seemed odd to
me for a preacher to own so much stock
but guess it was his energetic wife
who helped him out.
| Next a newspaper story at Eagle
City says sand storm piled sand ur
against a hardware store four feet deep
at Magnum, Oklahoma. 1000 loads OF
cotton per day would be a good place to
build cotton factory but Gerr county
will eclipse all in productiveness for
she issued LOO marriage certificates
in II months. Is it newspaper lie OF
not. / cannot say. Since writing these
lines another murder has been commit
ted in Decatur county. Insanity and
money cover multitude of sins. Deca-
tur county must be a Jonah unto her.
self for SO many crimes and criminal
offenses are great draw back to the
county's prosperity. Perhaps if she
would build a new court house Jonah
would crawl back an item in two days
Geary journal of the l. O. O. f. lodge
at Billings, o. T., have received $500
contributed by the Odd Fellows in the
territory for the support and education
|of the children of the Widow Brown
who was killed in cyclone at Hydro
last October. 1t was a disastrous
lcyclone and struck near where Steve
Hives. Cyclones always look and appear
the same but the serious and comica
Things which occur are always differ
ent, and such was the case with thi.