The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-13
At rs, Kansas Pioneer Re-en-
acts Early Day Performance.
William 1. Joseph to Help De-
VelOp South Africa.
KAFFIR LIKES HOME.
Declines Invitation to Return
to His Native Land.
Increase in Values Makes Afri-
can Project Pay.

Ell Dorado, Kan, June bit takes
the true pioneer spirit for man past
20 years of age to sell most of his hold
ings, gather his family of ten about
him and start for an undeveloped
country on the other side of the world.
William / Joseph of Potwin, Kan,
born of good old Morgantown, w. Va,
stock, came to Kansas in an early day
and bought a homestead out near what
is now Potwin. He and his wife passed
through the hardships Of those days,
as well as the pleasures. They reared
q family of one daughter and two sons.
In the meantime they accumulated
thousands of acres of land. In later
yea Mrs. Joseph died and the old
pioneer spirit began to assert itself in
this successful banker, farmer and
stockman. Ignoring his Il years, he
sold some of his interests and with his
only daughter, Alice, started for Africa,
having heard of the possibilities of the
land there. They left while their rela-
tives and friends entertained many
misgivings as to the outcome of their
Cyenture. Upon arriving in Salisbury,
RhodeSia, which is three hundred miles
inland and q Portugal possession, he
looked around and soon had bought
twenty-five thousand acres of land at
so cents per acre. They rented a house
and started to live under just about the
same conditions as prevailed in a KAN
sas town Of pioneer times.
Make Second Trip.
After spending a few months there
they returned to their home, Butler
county. Kansas but the wanderIust
still was not satisfied, so a year ago
last March Mr.. Joseph gathered up all
his family. consisting Of r. E. Joseph,
wife and four children, an aged sister,
Miss Louisa Perkins, and the daughter,
Alice, and they made the second trip,
the old pioneer leading the way to the
promised land.
When they landed in their far Afri-
can city they secured a furnished
house and Kaffir boy servant named
Ned Mendoli, and commenced living
just as they would in their native
town. This time the party stayed dur
ing the summer, and when they started
home brought the Kaffir boy with
them. He is a native of Blantive and
speaks the dialect of this province.
On returning to Butler county the
Josephs came to Ell Dorado to live, and
the boy is invaluable to them. He
starts the fire in the morning, gets
breakfast for the children, and sees
- IN off for school in time, if the fam
lily doesn't happen to arise promptly.
He doesn't associate with the negroes
here, although he is much blacker than
most of them.
own $4,000 Acres Now.
George Joseph, the oldest son, who
has been living in old Mexico, looking
after mining interests, decided he
would like to make the trip to their
landed estates in Africa so this week ne
sailed from New York for Salisbury.
He expects to stay some time, and put
some of the land under cultivation.
The Josephs now have fifty thousand
acres of unbroken prairie. Rhodesia is
nine times as large as the state of
Kansas, so there is no lack of acreage.
Mr.. Joseph was cabled an offer of
about four dollars an acre recently, but
refused, thinking to obtain a better Of
fer later.
The Kaffir boy refused to return to
his native land. although given d
chance to go with the son this week
He seems perfectly contented with his
adopted country, and is fast learning
to read and write English.
Mr.. Joseph is now 20 years of age.
but the light in his eyes is as bright as
when he was so or younger, and he
glows with enthusiasm when he talks
of his plans for the third voyage. He
will go before long, and this time viii
sail from the west coast and so encircle
the globe.