The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1910-08-24
His Sad Experience on a
Kansas Farm.
| FELT IT HIS PATRIOTIC DUTY
To Join Volunteers and Help
in saving the Crops of
His Country.
But NEVER, NO NEVER, AGAIN


81 see by the papers, as Mr.. Doc
ley says, that a Kansas City magis-
trate suspended sentence in some
vagrancy cases on condition that the
culprits depart to labor in the Kan
sas wheat fields" said young
Princeton man.
'If those men who thus escape the
penalty of the law, knew what they
were going into when they entered
the service of a Kansas farmer at
harvest time they would welcome six
months at hard labor on the high
ways or rock pile instead of month
in the golden fields of Kansas. /
know l would. I've been there, and
for me it is never again.
"The memory of it makes me all
the more sore because l wasn't driv-
en- to it by any necessity. had plen-
ty of money and | had several OPP
portunities of congenial employment
with pleasant surroundings and lib
eral compensation. But no, nothing
would do but the wheat fields of
Kansas, far away.
at was along about the time the
farmers first began to employ col
lege boys to help out through har-
vest The papers were full of their
appeals. Everybody was talking
about it. II took a brave youth to
resist the appeal, with all his friends
commenting upon his idleness and
the great need In the West for able
bodied men.
1T looked like a matter of patriot
ism and good citizenship for lad
to roll up his sleeves and sail in to
help save the crops of his country.
80 | Joined band of boys who
had been corralled by Philadelphia
zgent. Some we're from Princeton,
some from the University of Pennsyl-
vania and elsewhere. We were bund-
led into a day car and rushed to
Kansas City. Il was a roasting, sti-
fling trip, and we were all ready to
quit, but we hadn't the courage to do
so. Besides, some in the party real
~ needed the money.
AT Kansas City we found other
bands of students from colleges in
Indiana, Illinois and other States.
We were herded in cheap hotel for
day and then divided into parties
to be shipped out over the various
railroad lines leading into Kansas.
None of us knew where We were go
ing.
"'Where do | get OFF, | asked the
1ow-brow' who was leading my party
around
See here, young feller,' he said.
Don't get gay. You'll find out soon
enough
81 did. We reached a station about
100 miles from Kansas City. A half
dozen farmers were there. They look
ed us over, and one red-faced, corn
fed-looking agriculturist picked me
and a couple of others as likely as
sistants. | was feeling pretty good
when we were in the farm wagon
jolting along to the ranch, which was
sixteen miles from the railroad sta
ton. Westcott, the farmer. talked
about the splendid weather, which
was as hot as the hinges of Texas;
the fine crops and, incidentally,
about chicken dinners, watermelons,
the cool nights and other tempting
things. l was glad was among
those present
1--WE had arrived at the station at
8 o'clock in the morning. We reach
ed the farm house at o'clock in the
afternoon, and our first thoughts
were of chicken dinner, with water
melon trimmings. Nothing doing.
"'Well, boys said Westcott,
pitch in and get snack now and
then well get right to work
Chicken dinner. l never saw
chicken dinner the whole time /
was there. That first dinner consist
ed of cold corned beef, cold boiled
potatoes and coffee that was an in
suit to the palate. We wcro all but
starving, so we more than did It JUS
tice, anyway. Then, laying aside our
coats, we were driven into the fields.
Work? l never worked so hard
in all my life. We were in COMPETE
ton with some natives who had APP
parently spent their whole lives right
there. Nothing faxed them. Then