Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-27
HOME IN 0zARkS
Will Crittenden Thornton Issues
a Weekly Paper on His
farm.
LIFE READS LIKE ROMANCE
eoyhood Partly Spend in Rock Island
County-strikcs Out For
Himself at 13.

childhood was partly spent in ROCK ISL
and county. who ran away from home
at Is. began teaching school at Is, and
entered the field of newspaperdom two
! years later, has blossomed out as an
editor and publisher. The Peoples
Banner is his property. 1t is printed
at Belleview. Mo-, and is in its first
year. 1t is a four-page weekly. Thorn
lton tells his own story better than
can anyone else Here is the part that
most interests readers of The Argus:
This issue of the Peoples Banner
goes forth from our own shanty on our
own farm in the delightful Ozarks.
AS a result of building and moving
couple of issues of the paper have been
missed, for we found it necessary to do
the work ourselves: and when l say
yourselves l mean Mrs. Thornton and
myself.
We started out to put up a log cabin.
/ was to chop the trees down and Mrs.
Thornton was to trim them up with
thatchet But she was soon thrown out
of employment by shutdown at the
other end of the works. | went on
strike. Conditions didn't suit me; the
trees were tough, and the AK got dull,
and my shoulders got to aching, and
my hands got so covered with blisters
that there was not room enough FOR
another one and those that were there
were demanding extra space. A week
had been passed and the cabin was just
three logs Highland it is no higher
now.
| Building Complete $14.
| We then changed our plans, got
Thousand feet of oak lumber, which
cost us $40 delivered from the saw mill
two miles distant, IS cents worth Of
nails and hinges, and as cents worth
of window glass and proceeded to put
us up a temporary place of abode, at a
cost of $11.5O. This gave us room
SKIS feet, which for the winter will
serve as residence. library, and print
ing office; ard it is comfortable, even
coy place. To make doubly secure
from rain. snow. and zero atmosphere,
and add to the light: VIC have stretched
white muslin over head. the expense of
which added to the original cost win
make the building complete cost $14.
The sides are thickIy lined with news
papers. The library. consisting of sew
eral hundred volumes, is. perched over
head. Thus we have a warm, dry, sub
stantial, comfortable and cheerful COM
bination house, library. and print shop
at total expenditure of $14.
Grand View Of Mountains.
| In selecting a building site we chose
a narrow pine-clad hill nearly in the
center of the farm which enables us to
see almost the entire farm, a quarter
mile wide and mile long, at glance,
and affords a grand view of mountains
and valleys for many miles. Surround
ing the house are a number Of quaint
boulders which will add to the beauty
of the pine-shaded lawn in the spring
and summer.
On the hillside near the house is a
bounteous spring, and there are some
five or six of these on the farm.
| Wood is over abundant. We can't
burn it up fast enough to keep IT from
rotting on the ground. 1t is not legal
tender on subscription at this Office
and this seems like dream to me after
all the long years / have spent waiting
for a subscription to come in so that
/ could buy a fivecent basket of coal;
but these chilly days are past, and we
revel in a haven of oak, and hickory,
and pine. and the glorious pine knot
the heat from which would chase the
devil out Of his den and melt the fur
mace if he happened to forget himself
and poke in two knots at a time.
l may be foolish about pines. But of
all the species of forest they are my
favorite. =.
Green Bouehs q. Inspirntion.
Il
the pines. These evergreen bOughs are
an inspiration to me every day of the
year and especially is it joy to glance
up through them from my window in
midwinter. II may be that my own
verdancy impels me to admire the YER
dant pine, but that thought does not
lessen the admiration. would prosecute
any person who would be reckless
enough to destroy one of my coniferous
beauties.
From this time on The Peoples Ban
ner will be issued regularly, from its
farm-home in the Ozarks. two miles
from pOstoffice or store and a half mile
from the nearest neighbor. | will have
plenty of time for study and investiga-
ton. no serious business cares or an
noyances, Out-of-door exercise which
promotes health, and appetite. and you
may rest assured that The Banner will
be found doing it's utmost for the ad
vancement of the interests of those
who like itself were born In the house
Of Want and by the injustice of our eco
nomic system forced to pay tithes to
those OF the house OF Have for the privi-
lege of staying on earth
Born In Poverty.
Born in poverty, left an orphan in
infancy among rich relatives who never
gave me SO much as kindly look, 1
know full well the woes of poverty. its
disbursements and its temptations;
and the privations an orphan pauper
hoy must endure in order to get fair