Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-02-05
MingOna's Side Again.
Mingona. February 8, IoC

| ao AiioCA' we 90 not wish to
occupy too much of your time and space,
but would simply reply to some state
ments made in your last issue regarding
the siding to be located at Forest Civ
We have nothing but the best of wishe.
tor the patrons at Forest City feeling as we
do. that while an injustice has been done
us, that it was not our neighbors on the
west but rather those on the east.
During the early part Of the contro-
versy over the selection Of the site for a
siding, we received letter from Mr..
Hurley. General Manager Of the Santa
Re. in which he states that the siding
would be placed at the location which
will serve the most people" and we can
not help feeling that had this been done
we would have received the siding.
We are still contending that we have
by tar the greater number Of patrons
although | have been informed that
Forest City had larger number of sign
ers to their petition. But be that as it
may, we still are Of the opinion Sthat it
was the influence exerted by Medicine
Lodge and the individual citizens of
Medicine Lodge that influenced the Sc
lection of the site. So Brothers Sale and
Hartley. we exonerate you entirely and
only wish to put the blame where it prop
erly belongs. 1t appears from one of
these articles that it was the desire of the
county seat to get the site as far from it
as possible.
We were somewhat amused Eat the
reference to the gyp deposits at Forest.
We were Of the opinion that the people
Of that neighborhood denied the exist
ence Of gyp in their land or water either.
1t is possible that there is some in the
land as we have some in the water in
this locality and as the general fowl Of
the water is to the southeast, it must have
1.one f-om the said gypl at Forest. We
still hold to our statement in regard to
the water at Forest. While there is
water eighty rods north and the same
distance south, we know to a certainty
Of several failures to get water at that
particular point. We refer to the Robt.
Kimball place, one hundred yards from
the proposed stock yards.
Allowing me to be competent to give
expert testimony" should say that a
depot placed on or near the public road
as it would have been had thej3ss station
been located at Mngona. would have
been much better than to place it at the
east end Of letter "S'' as it will have to
be done at Forest, even after having
rekuced the yard limit from 5000 to
1000 feet, as we understand it had to
be done IN order to accommodate the
siding.
We understand that Mr.. Gano was IN
favor Of the location at Mingona, and
closed deal for town site at this place
time or two, but when, as have
understood, he took ofense because |
charged him $500 for three quarters
Of mile Of right Of way, and in order to
get even with me, he discommoded one
half more people at Mingona than he
can serve at Forest City. | also under
stand that he has the contract for the dirt
work at Forest City which Is at least
eight or nine times the work which would
have had to be done at Mingona.
We saw Thos. Best, who, of course,
is the main man ia the deal, few days
ago. at which time he agreed to reverse
his influence in case we could show that
we could serve the most people" Mr.. |
Best also States that the aahon will be
placed at the east end Of the siding a |
quarter Of mile from the public road in |
order to give passengers chance to flag
the east bound trains. This seems to be
quite an inconvenience, while the station |
could be so placed at Mingona that it !
would be on the public road. in plain
view. on one Of the most beautiful plains
for which Kansas IS so famous.
In conclusion we wish to State that we
can prove by at least FIVE men who
reside nearer to Fosest City than they do
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