The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-28

hood in his native state Of Kentucky
and then Joined that band of pioneers
who came to Kansas in 1854. Those
were days of hardship, adventure and
suffering. He barely escaped being fro
zen to death in blizzard that over
took him on his way to WeStport after
making the first settlement here, and
a book might be written of stories of
privation and danger to which he was
subjected during his early life in Kan
sas. He found here great plain, and,
without realizing the part he took, he
helped to make of 1t a great empire OF
civilization. He saw the red man give
to the white man, and he saw the buff
fa1o herds melt away that domestic
animals might take their place. He
heard the shrek of the first locomotive
that trundled its way over the line OF
the great railway that traverses this
part of the county, and he saw the
first break OF virgin soil, when men
commenced to build our splendid CAPT.
toll
His native state had been called ''the
dark and bloody ground" Indian
tribes had struggled for the possession
of its hunting grounds, and had fought
and killed and Waged their wars until
they said the ground was dark ana
bloody. And, strange to say, these
same hunting grounds became scenes
Of conflict. bloodshed and war long af-
ter the white man had taken them. In
that state were honest, industrious,
hospitable men and women, but human
life was cheap and everywhere men
were ready at all times to fight and
die for what they thought was right.
1t was indeed the dark and bloody
ground. 1t was strange fate that
took this pioneer from Kentucky and
gave him home in Kansas which was
soon to become the battle ground of the
first conflict between slavery and free
DOM It has been said that the emf
grants
. crossed the prairies as of old
Our fathers crossed the sea,
TO make the west as they the east,
The homestead Of the free"
And this is true of William Lynn
and men like him. But there were
others who crossed the prairfes as of
old the Spaniards and gold-hunters
crossed the sea-to live off the west
and establish slavery here. This con-
f1ict waged sharper. and with more
violence than any that had torn his
native state and Kansas became "the
dark and bloody ground" Of the west.
William Lynn passed through ali
those troubled times and finally gave
hts sons to march and fight under the
grand old flag of the union and of
liberty. He lived to see the end of
this quarrel. He had known of the
| institution of slavery, and he lived to
see freedom take it's place. He had
known of secession and rebellion, and
he lived to. see the union preserved.
He had known Kansas when she was
| bleeding and torn, and then had seen
| her rise, beautiful, strong and with
| out a wound. He had experienced the
to know that peace possessed the
! state.
Knew Not Ambition.
His education was limited, his life
| was humble, and he knew not ambi-
ton. You and I may learn a lesson
from the fact that the great GHver of
| life gave to this humble man all OF
this experience and all OF this contact
with human affairs, and a full round
century of life in this strange oIo
world. It is written that certain
things are withheld from the wise and
prudent and revealed unto babes, and
who can say that this life has not full
who lived a long, industrious life and
never knew the greed, avarice and
| crime that comes with the modern
struggle for money. Political strire
was to him a closed book. He knew
nothing of the great paintings Of the
great masters in art, but he had seen
Nature in her beauty and grandeur
and it was more beautiful than an,
painting made by man. He had seer
the sunrise IN a thousand forms, an6
the storm king had builded mountains
of black and gold for him. And the
Il great prairies and the stalwart for.
ests had made pictures for him. Hs
knew what beauty was.
His life was one of patient indus,
try. We have known him after h.
had passed three score years and ten
to undertake and complete tasks Of
labor that younger men would avoit
from sheer lack Of industry. Wht
, can measure the value of this lif,