The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1913-04-10
"A PUMPKIN
EPISODE
Q, NJ QUAD
Q, N. QUAD
Copyright 1913. BY Associated LIT.
srary Press


asked Deacon somers what thrilling
lsyent had happened in Grafton In thl
LAST twenty years he would have taken
i've minutes to reflect and then slowly
answered: a.
"Waal, can't think Of nawthin't
'cept the Baptist church being struck
BY lightnin'y' bi
In that same year a man Travelled
over a good part Of Indiana and Illinois
buying pumpkin seeds Of farmers. He
offered Is cents pound for all they
would send him in the fall to certain
address in Chicago. and IL a farmer
wanted some money in advance to pro-
tect himself he got 1t.
1t was the same man that had bought
the seeds several hundred miles away
that appeared in Grafton early in jan
uary Of the next year. He had come
to herald the fact TINT a great medical
discovery had been made by accident,
as most great things are. It was that
the seeds Of certain pumpkin grown
nowhere else except along the I.ybian
desert were sure cure for indigestion,
liver troubles. kidney ailments, nerv.
BUSINESS and dozen other things.
They would positively prevent con.
sumption and cancer and all sorts Of
fevers.
Mr.. White had few Of the seeds
with him. They were chocolate color
ed instead Of yellow white. They
could he had only in Chicago. and no
order exceeding peck would be filed.
Just hold seed in the mouth for five
minutes and then chew 1t down.
Grafton woke up. Bell county woke
up. Other counties woke up. A full
page ad. in the local papers woke the
editors up Talk about booms and
raise Of 20 per cent in real estatel
Why. here was gold mine. and every
body owning an acre of ground was
going to become millionaire inside Of
two years.
Did the confiding public send away
to Chicago for the Lybian seeds? You
bet they did! They got 'em by the hun.
dred. the pint. the quart and the peck.
Some men made the trip there and
back that they might plead in person
for larger quantity than the circular
allotted. The letters going west aver
aged thirty per day for months.
The editors said that Mr.. White was
an honest man and the crying need Of
the country was more like him.
Mr.. White himself didn't say much.
He was too busy signing contracts to
do much Cabling What be did say,
and with much feeling. was that he
hoped the people would not forget him
after he had departed
They haven't yet and probably never
will
The village of Grafton had four pref.
ty fair doctors. At the beginning Of
things they called Mr. White liar. a
faker and a fraud His reply was that
when Harvey disc vered the circula-
ton of the blood men wanted to mob
him for charIatan The doctors de.
uied the curative properties of his Lyb.
Ian pumpkin seeds He replied that
for years and years the medical fra
ternity had fought shy of Iuinine
No. they didn't get anything on Mr..
White to scare him out of town be-
tween two days He was right on the
job all the time. and the dn.:rrs suffer.
ed iD prestige instead Of gaining. It
WAS probably one of the four that
wrote letter to Washington that
brought an Inspector to- Grafton to see
IL the POSTAL laws were tming broken.
He came and saw and Went away He
said that somebody had to get the
money Of TIT Cm.Ie ltuts.< Of the coun-
try and be could x.s. q" difYereuce be-
tween Mr. White and the brokers of
Wall street
Az spring approached and the snow
th.,su to go and the people. to get ready
for pumpkin ses-d planting there came
to Grafton one day professor from
the State Agricultural college He had
heard of the seeds and wanted to see
them They were shown him. and be
promptly identified them as the seeds
Of American pumpkins
but they are not n yellow white"
WAS protested
THAT'S hpt'n,Iss they have all t.,s.n
dyed
'isut these surely ..Hin.. iron, y dey-
ert
How d." sou make that Omt?''
''Th-y feel sandy
't'"uIdnt SAM: ia. sifteI over tham?'
''Sir said Mr. White ~ the prnfes-
sOr in n quiet and even Voice. ARE sou
prepared {" <ui,<tantiatr yOnr al!ega-
ds,nS IL u s,,ilrf 0f inw?''
Yves. ! Say they are American pump
ktn ~..~i<
">"u must prove them to t,p such ~
I'a! NE hravv daH,nypx
TIE j'r'''s<<" w!lt"'i and when he
had '''.'n mtifitri ny several parties
thai NJ mad :s.ttrr move on M mnved
ON the day thar III. IRIS, <.-..Ix went
tnt" the gs,ufd Mr. Whitv r.s,k n trim.
HI hasn't RETURNED vet
M"rs fha" 341 nyr..- ~ lind were
prepared ard plant", and the yield
was tens ~ t''Su{ 'n.~ II American
pumpkins Hundreds If pr,,,,ia chew
ri III. I'll" I.yhiHn s.-.h~ bnf u" one
WAS t%ftrr.xl straight fake. and pure
Sranh from 's...innin. Z" end and yet
there were many wh" felt about 1t -
lh'a,"n J"hns''n did when M said:
sh.sf .-sps-s