Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1919-03-14
WRITES FROM AFRICA
VICTOR BUTLER, MINING IN ARR
CA, ONLY WHITE MAN ON
JOB,

Mr.. and Mrs. William A. Butler Of
Minneapolis are in receipt Of number
of letters from their son, Victor, who
is still in Africa, which will be of inter-
est to his old friends here and which
are reproduced below:
Senguli, Congo Beige, Nov. 10, 1918!
Dear folks: I got no mail or papers
from home this week. probably will
get a mail day after tomorrow The
Mondays, and I send runners to get my
mail if there happens to be any and he
returns on Tuesday: Preparations are
complete here to mine gold, but as yet
/ have not received a license from the
government to start mining so 1 am
held up for time. AS yet have re-
ceiyed no word of another white man
coming here. I surely hope one comes
soon as I intend to go home as soon as
possible. If l get to the coast by March
Is. must leave here January 18th or
not later than the last of January, and
in that case I should get to America by
June of July 1st.
November H.
This is busy day as have all nay
to storelSeeper in Arakubi for salt
that arrived yesterday. Salt costs me
about $500 Fr. kilo here now, that iiss
francs to the Reception des Imports for
hunting license and permit for my
guns. Also sent a check for 5000 francs
to- stan!eyville for money to run the
Well the Pygmtes returned here day
antelope reed buck and little blue
and brought them to me alive. Today
they returned with two more large
brown antelopes. They were alive al
the Pygmies, and that is quite lot to
boast Of as many white men here new
er see them, let alone making friends
with them. I am terribly anxious to
| back to civilization and I want to join
| the army and do my bit. 1t is ages
since had any mail from you people
The dry season seems to be starting
| and it is very hot today. I suppose in
Minnesota it is beginning to snow: I
wish I could send you some of my
my garden. I also have good potatoes,
cabbage, lettuce. radishes. etc. re-
ceived notice that 113 boxes of Europ-
tember IS, SO soon will have lot Of
food here. That is European food
enough to last four white men year:
I November "a.
seven letters from you dated August
IA to August %, and one Sunday paper,
but no letters written in July: It made
cially when Lucille in two different let
tells spoke of the wonderful chocolate
cake she had made. have not tasted
cake since last November. MY Europ.
can food has not arrived yet. It left
Kinshasa in September so should reach
here in few weeks. The Pygmies
have made a camp close to me here. L
think there are about 200 of them. They
bring me lots of meat and they catch IT
alive. Some of them are still AFRAID OF
me and run into the woods when they
see me. ~.
! I have a lot Of peanuts to dig in my
garden. They are fine large ones and
lots of them. New peanuts are fine
cooked in hot water with the shells
on. My servants made some good pea pea
| francs from the Bank of Stanleyville
yesterday. 1t is very heavy stuff and
:>,'' December 1.
! paid my men yesterday and am very
busy making my reports. One hundred
and seventy-six posters arrived here
from Babeyn day before yesterday with
supplies for me. 1t was a big bunch
| of niggers believe me.
AS yet I have heard of no white man
coming here to take over the Work =.
| some job. but have the satisfaction
~ being manager and superintendent
| which il pretty good for me.
Yesterday the Pygmfes brought me
three ante1opes, one of the women nae nae
| and ali. The kids here guess are
| more ruddy than at home. It was e
healthy looking little thing. It didn't
even have anything on its head to pro-
tect it from the sun; sun me oa,Sp;a ryGm'eSs es
their spears and bow with some arrows.
! Well TINS IS al 1of 'o VICTOR