The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-03-17
TEXAS TOWN ElOPED,,
COUNTY SEAT AFFAIR
HOW LITTLE EMMA LOST HER
IDENTITY IN WOOiNG.
SURE WAS WILD ADVENTURE
This Young Miss Created Emotions
When She Made First PROPOSAL
the Courts Take Hand.

ST. Louis. March 15.--Now here
is town that has elopeG, been
married and changed her name, down
in the panhandle Of Texas, in the
most unique county seat escapade
in all the annals of the onetime
COW country. Here in the whole
sale district one continually hears
Of the wild adventures of Emma,
the impetuous youngster whose WOO
ing and mad dash across the prairie
have ended this spring by Emma
losing her identity and settling
down TO married life at the geo.
graphical center of Crosby county,
as part and parcel OF Crosbyton.
Sales managers and credit men
give long odds that Emma will raise
Il big family. after the fashion of
the panhandle since they began
turning the big ranches into farms,
building new railroad lines and new
towns overnight, and starting the
timc-houored county seat fights of
the older states. From her old de-
serted home, where tin cans strew
the landscape DER and DER and
where cellars yawn, there are deep
grooves in the prairie which mark
the route of Emma'S clopement, the
most remarkable one since the Loeb
invar affair In passing Emma left
marks of her drygoods and grocery
emporiumS. her churches, her
school and her homes.
Emma Was County Seat.
Until last summer, Emma has
been county seat of Crosby county
ever since Emma began--several
nouths-but the discovery was
made in August that the exact geo.
graphical center Of the country was
nearer to Crosbyton than to Emma.
Crosbyton was 1000 feet inside OF
fivc-mile radius from the exact cen
ter specified by law, and Emma was
coo feet outside. A certified desiSna-
ton OF the county center as estab-
lished by actual survey which was
furnished by the state land office
started things. and was the begin
ming of an entirely changed life for
Emma John II. Rails, of Emma,
Immediately proposed to his towns
men that if they would join him in
a project to open new town on
his land az the junction OF the Cros-
byton & South Plains railway he
would set aside $40 acres for that
purpose and give each lot owner in
Emma half as many lots in the new
town. and they were to keep their
Emma lots as well. OF course, in
consideration for this the town was
TO be moved to the new townslte,
and live there. That was Emma's
first proposal, made on the fourth
of August, and like all such events,
created wide, deep and important
emotions. The Crosby County News,
published at Emma, came out FOR
acceptance, strong. All OF the
county officers. including the county
Judge. wanted Rails offer to be ac-
ccpted.
crosbyton Put in Appearance.
But Oh August 8, Crosbyton put i'll
an appearance. Emma was i'll town
meeting assembled in behalf OF
Rails when came Julian Bassett,
who listened to County Attorney
Crawford beratc his town and then
stated the proposal Crosbyton had
TO offer, a proposition which match
ed Rails offer and added attractions
likely to make any new town lose
its head. That very day CrOsbyton
filed application for county seat
election, to be held September II.
In preparation for that election the
population of Crosby County took Off
its coat and worked tooth and NALL
the opposing factions matching ru.
NOR with rumor and circumvention
with circumyeDtiOn. County Judge
Parrish wrote to the state land COM
missioner for information as to the
exact county center. But a lawyer
from Amarillo, named Cooper turn
ed up and persuaded Judge Parrish
that a certificate once recorded be-
came final, and in pursuance OF this
. doctrine he took certain documents
to Austin himself and induced the
com missioner to write letter
which did much to settle the con
test. The tactics of Emma were OBJ
structive In the hope of foiling both
her suitOrs and staying at her old
home for another five years.
Crosbyton opened the sale of lots
and also bought the Emma paper,
thus securing the combined county
press On the 18th of August a
house started across the prairie for
Crosbyton. BY the 18th the elope-
ment of Emma was arranged, IS
persons had traded for lots in Cros.