The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-08-12
Joe WRICHTS LETTER
Former Mahaska County Boy Tells
of His Travels.

Bynum, Montana, May 16.-lt hal
been almost two years since | wrote
to old Mahaska friends and then
was in Caleinte, Nevada Time goes
by very fast and | have travelled ovel
much territory since my last letter
was written. | have seen and reac
more in that time than | ever did be
fore.
| will name the cities in rotation
that | have visited since leavong Ca
liente, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City
st. Louis, Washington, ID. e., st. Au-
|gustine, Fla, New York, buffalo, o.
kaloosa, Kansas City, Ell Paso, Juarez
Mexico, New Orleans, st. Louis, chi
cage, Milwaukee, Marquette, Duluth
Winnipeg, Lethbridge, Alberta ana
then | came south into Montana and
am now near the foot hills of the
Rockies, 30 miles from a railroad,
and this day, the 18th OF May, there
is six inches of snow and 1t is still
| storming First / will tell you about
| Washington, ID. c., for that is city
one could write about forever. When
| was there six years ago | did not
| visit Mt Vernon and see the George
Washington home. Afterward | felt
that l had missed one of the best
things | could have seen and that l
should have shown my respect to the
Father of My Country by visiting his
home and | felt that my chances OF
| again going to Washington were rath-
err slim, as | never expected to visit
there again and as / am a rank So
cialist | do not expect to be elected
| to serve in the White House very soon,
| besides other reasons. But upon 60
| ing there the second time | went to
Mt Vernon the day following my ar
rival. The grounds are very high,
overlooking the great Potomac; the
| trees are large and the surroundings
picturesque. Numerous buildings,
such as the spinning house, buffers
house, tool house IN one building for
his carriage alone. That carriage
took my eye, the wheels are hardly
as large as the ordinary wagon wheel,
and the springs instead of setting fiat
on the axel are set up on end and the
body is swung on heavy straps from the
ends of the springs. The kitchen
utensils were no doubt up to date in
his time; large kettle that they
cooked in over the fireplace that was
eight feet square. All kinds of relics
are on display. The gold watch he
carried was immense, an Iowa Cen
trail brakeman would no doubt throw
1t at the first rabbit he saw ii he were
compelled to carry it. | saw the key
to the bastilo that was given to Wash
ington by Gen. Lafayette, and might
go on telling you of innumerable
things | saw, but the magazines give
such information and all will say is
this, If ever you go to Washington
do not fail to go to Mt. Vernon, unless
you want to go away feeling like per-
son who did not go to his fathers
funeral. | was also in the room
where Abraham Lincoln died. 1t Is
on Tenth street, across from Ford's
Is the same as it was then, as you
can see from the picture of the death
scene. The room was being occupied
by a private soldier. | read paper
telling of the assassination the next
morning. | always thought that he
was shot while waiting for the show
to commence, but it was during the
third act. The actor, Dundreary, was
telling joke, Why is is dog wags
| its tail?" the audience was amused
and had hardly quoted down when
| the fatal shot was nred. | read the
full account, which few people do on
trips like this. put in most OF my
time in Washington in the Congress
sional Library reading and in the gal
| iery of the senate. 1 was there dur
| ing the discussion of the Aldrich bill.
You know | have read so much and
seen the pictures of our legislators
so often that was surprised to know
how familiar they looked. | could
| pick them out almost as well as II |
had been personally acquainted with
them. got into conversation with
an old gentleman, tourist, and he
told me how deeply he was impressed
when he entered that gallery OF the
| senate and saw those white-haired,
brainy men and how much we should
respect them, ETC., etc. just thought
to myself, old man, you surely have
not been reading the same maya
! zines that have. You probably never
heard of Ida M. Tarbell and some
more noted writer's, who, if they did
not tell the truth would be put in jail.
| had an altogether different opinion
of that body of lawmakers. | might
make comparison in this way, |
have been in the western country
where gambling was wide open and
where you could go in and feel that
the game was on the square, but when
| went into the senate | felt like the
| game they we're playing was with
stacked cards, with spots on both
sides, spades for the people who work
| and diamonds for those who refuse
to work and that diamonds were al
ways trumps. was looking for the
great Chauncey Depew and discovered
him right in front of me. The reason