Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1906-05-03
The POstoffice.

The infallible index OF the pros
perity OF q community is found In Its
postonice. II the postofiice business
Is steadily increasing II proves as In
no other way that prosperity and ex-
pansion exist. Such is the case In
the Baxter Springs postofiice. Up
until three and half or -four years
ago the business Of the postotfice re-
mained about the same In volume
for o period Of some years. Then
came the discovery OF lead and zinc
and the fortuitous revival OF conf
dence In the towns future. Since
Mr.. Baxter came into office there has
been one increase Of 900 In the an
nual salary Of the Office, and the vol
ume OF business warrants the belief
that beginning with the first Of July
next there will be q further increase
OF $1,000 more. This means that the
income Of the Baxter Springs post
Office is approximately $500 greater
per annnum than three vars ago, and
that, OF course shows conclusively
that the prosperity Of the city is
not fictitious but real.
Baxter Springs was the second
Office In the county to have rural
free delivery servicee. With the ex-
ception Of Columbus 1t has now the
largest number Of routes. 1t was
thought when rural delivery was es-
tablished on as great q scale as now
obtains that there would be little
left for the Office force to do, but
that proves wrong In the case Of our
postofiice. Although rural delivery
took over half the patrons Of the
general delivery from the office, and
Notwithstanding the establishment
of that service vacated two score
boxes or more, there are more gen.
eral delivery patrons than ever be-
fore and there Is not a single lock
box to be rented in the office, nor
has there been except few at the
expiration of the gu r er, for six
months. Not only so, but the first
of last September the office fixtures
were moved twelve feet further to-
ward the front in order to meet a
pressing demand for more room, and
still there is space demanded for
more equipment. 1t is the desire OF
the postmaster to double the box
and provide an additional
window for the transaction of general
business just as soon as room can be
had to place them, and also to pro-
vide more furniture for the inside
of the Office.
Up to a period little over three
years ago two persons transacted all
the business of the postotlice in Bax-
ter Springs. Now eight persons are
constantly employed who give their
W iole time and energies to the SER
vice.. These are w. S. Baxter,
postmaster: Miss Willetta C. Black,
assistant: Miss Mabel Allen, general
delivery clerk; William NJ. Gill,
George ID. Kelsey, Samuel b. Sim
mons, Samuel NJ. West and Thomas
G. Weaver, rural delivery carriers.
Space forbids giving a biographical
sketch Of each, but 1t can be said OF
all that they were born Of poor, but
proud parents; grew up and went to
school in the same old way, and are
now hustling for a living, like ev-
erybody else. Three of them, Bax-
ter, Gill and Weaver, got their
start by being the devil in a print
ing office. Simmons had a chance to
do the same once, but preferred the
quietude and romance Of q Garden
township farm, and so missed the
chance of q lifetime. Kelsey was
born in Ohio, in a copperhead neigh
borhood, but came under conviction
in some mysterious manner, and
served In the great war on the Union
side, as did also Weaver and Gill.
BY dint of changing his name and
making strong statements which are
now understood too have been large
" inflated Gill succeeded in getting
into the army after two or three at
tempts which were frustrated by the
vigilance of his mother. Mack, as
he Is known to all, is the nestor OF
the rural delivery service In this
city, and were he not an incorrig'
ible old bachelor would be an idea
citizen. Mr.. West came into the
service from the farm. IN hi: