Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-04-09
LETTER FROM WALTER PRADT.

mad a stormy time. All the way
through Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado,
New Mexico and Eastern Arizona,
were in snow storms, and through
western Arizona and California, heavy
rain. Only one tourist car left Texas
and this was left at Newton, Kansas
March End in the afternoon, to await
the arrival of other tourist cars which
came from Chicago, Kansas City and
other places until at about 8 o'clock
in the evening, five more had assem-
bled at Newton when we pulled out
for California. l could not but con-
trast the car of Texans in which
rode with a tourist car loaded TO the
break beams with Kansas jayhawkers.
The Texans were all quiet, dignitied,
kind and courteous. We had not been
on our way over an hour before all
were acquainted and trying to make
each other comfortable and sharing
books, magazines, papers, ETC., and at
meal times sharing elch others pro-
visions. When the cars would make
stop for meals there was no crowd
ing or rushing, the ladies and chill
dren were helped off first, then the
old men got off, then the young men,
all quiet and courteous, but those
Kansas jayhawkers were like lot
Of Texas steers let out of a corral,
crowding, pushing and tanning,
loud and boistrous and mostly i'll
favored, physically, beyond descrip-
ton. The women as rule were
faded and yellow as to complexion,
and looked like badly constructed,
home made rag dolls, from which in
places the sawdust filling has partially
leaked out, and the men were clad in
hand-me-downs, untrimmed hair and
ginger whiskers, and the kids ragged
around like hungry coyotes; it would
have been juStifable homicide to
have strangled some Of these last.
Gene, Texans are the finest people |
have ever met with and this in
spite of the fact that they are mostly
democrats.
/ had not been here in Fresno but
two days until / decided to stay, at
least for the coming summer and
therefore rented ten acre ranch, set
out with grape vines and peaches, and
with four room bungalow about one
mile northwest of Fresno and here
with my daughter, Kitty, will hold
forth this summer. OFF to the north
and east, sixty miles away, are the
coast range mountains, looking how
ever to be only five or six miles away
and covered with snow. All around
us are small orchards and vineyards.
Fresno itself is beautiful city, sit
uated geographically in the very CEN
ter of California, east, west, north
and south. The city has about thirty
five thousand inhabitants, and peo-
pie from every nation on the globe
are here; many Cinnamon, Japs, Ar
menians, Greeks, Italians, Jews,
Hindus, Mexicans, etc.
Among the people found many
from Wisconsin and from Wausau,
the former County Clerk, VIM. Gehrke,
and family, who live on j. street and
with whom / had fine visit; also
Charles Kiehl, formerly of Athens,
whose father, Jacob Kiehl, was former
ly chairman many years of the town
of Holton. Charlie and his sons run
large grocery and meat market on
Cherry Ave. and r. r. ST. and do
very large business; also located on l
street in the harness and saddlery
business is John Pohl whose father,
Wenzel Fohl, was, until his death a
few years ago, a successful farmer
in the town of Holton.
There are in all about three hun
dred Wisconsin people here, and so
far as l have talked with them, not
one would go back to Wisconsin, on
bet, to stay. About quarter OF
mile from my little farm is Chinese
graveyard in which are about three
hundred graves. A few days ago, as
was on my way to the city, a Chi
nese funeral hove in sight; out of
curiosity | waited to see the cere-
monies. Every rig, and there were
many, had on the back part of the
buggy piece of white paper pasted,
about by l6 inches on which were
Chinese inscriptions which looked
like specimens of the hand writing of
Atty. Neal Brown.
The ceremonies at the grave were
very simple, no speaking or sermon,
only as soon as the coffin was lowered
into the grave then several profess
sional hired mourners set up most
'ugubrious, heart breaking and agon-
lied wailing, causing the assembled
>chinks to have apparently internal
cramps and stomach spasms. AS
listened to these hired walters it
reminded me forcibly of Bob
La Toilette wailing over the
wrongs of Goods Patient Poor
and ! thought that Bawb had
had missed his calling in not having
been professional mourner for Chi
nese funerals. He would have made
the rest look like 30c. just think what
a depth of agonized grief and woe he
could have expressed by the mere
trembling and vibrating of his ex-
pressive pompadour; what field he
would have had in which to exhibit
his talents as an actor Now / am
well aware that in the estimation Of
the purified and sanctiied worshipers