The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-20

a great many INDUCED. About time
for dinner most everyone commenced
/ to feel pretty good. They would
drink a glass or two of wine and then
stroll through the grounds or visit
| the various buildings where the worms
were being fed or something was 60
| ing on.
/ After dinner was over, in very
large room there was nothing but a
I fine upright piano and a few chairs
Soon an orchestra appeared and some
good old dance music was being
| played. and it was not long before
that room was filled with many
dancers.
Good old brothers and sisters who
were leaders of church societies at
home were enjoying the Virginia reel
and there never. was a dance in Kan
sas where the enthusiasm ran as high.
and old men and old ladies who had
| not danced before since they were
young men and women laid aside
their religion and spent a happy aft
ernoon. They even forgot it was
Sunday.
No One Allowed to Go Thirsty.
I While the dance went on the wait
ers carefully looked after the guests
and no one was allowed to go thirsty.
In an adjoining room were others
who did not care to dance, and some
great talks were made by some of
the gentlemen, and the old French
man was paid many fine compliments.
About o'clock in the afternoon
Boissiere appeared for the first time,
and he remarked in French, This is
a great crowd of healthy people, judg-
ing from the red faces" And they
We're sure red.
AS the sun disappeared beyond the
western hills the excurSionistS COM
menced to leave for their trains stand
ing on the track about a half mile
away, and it was some time before
all were ready to go, but obliging
trainmen patiently waited until all
were on board and the first and only
excursion party ever entertained by
Boissiere returned home tired and
worn out.
And Silkville, where hundreds of
thousands of dollars were spent to
create a great industry will soon be
cut up into small tracts and in a few
years will be forgotten and known
only lin history.
There is no question when Bois-
siere made his last visit to this coun-
try he came with the purpose of Civ
ing the property to an organization
that would keep it together and his
name be commemorated for all time
to come.
Saw Handwriting on Wall.
Boissiere realized within five years
after he bought the land that the silk
industry would not be made to pay
but there is no doubt he would have
made the wine and cheese industries
a success. but at that time the agita-
ton of prohibition was high in Kan
sas and he saw it was bound to come
and like the raising of silk the wine
making was abandoned.
Years before he gave the place to
the odd Fellows it was nothing but
just large farm.
L. c. Slime of Ottawa, who was a
great friend of Boissiere, and who
got him to deed the Mace TO the Odd
Fellows. made grand and noble
fight for the order, but was finally de-
feated. 1t was after Boissiere's
death that the litigation commenced
and was in the courts for many
years.
How Boissiere came to Kansas to
engage N the silk industry was never
known. Up to the time he decided the
place to the Odd Fellows he spent
less than year on the place, and at
times there would be intervals of two |
and three years at a time when he |