The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-07

freezing, while in Bird City a woman
taking shelter in a barn had her feet /
SO badly frozen that both of them were
cut off with an ordinary saw and
knife. The pioneer settlers who were /
there during the storm talk about II |
to this day as the severest and most |
disastrous one they ever experienced. |
One of the first settlers was James
Butler, who lives near Bird City. He
was there when the town was staked |
out. Water was scarce, and he hauled |
his for several miles. He dug a well
in the center of the street, using blast
ing powder to break the hard rock /
which covered the water vein. He !
finished the well in time for the !
Fourth of July celebration. Several
who drank the water were made sick, /
and the well was abandoned, and for |
some time the water used in the town /
prosperity has favored the Cheyenne |
county farmers in recent years that |
Bird City has pushed ahead The ,
Farmers State bank, making the sec |
ond bank, have recently organized, and |
are now erecting a block of three |
buildings for bank, postoffice and drug |
store. Many other improvements are
under way.
in the pioneer times when rattle
snakes were more plentiful in the
Sixth district than they are now, brew
cries were operated in Beloit and Cav
ker City. Some of the fellows travel
ing thru the country would be so
thirsty they would frequent them to
drink a glass or two of the beverage
to quench their thirst while others
would drink the juice to counterfeit
the snake bite poison. These brewerles
were operated for years, and until the
state voted dry when they went out of
business. Later on the legislature
passed a law giving druggists the
power to handle booze on a sworn to
statement from the purchaser. APP
plicationS for the sale of intoxicating
liquors were sent out broadcast to the
druggists The buyer must sign an
application, stating what it was to be
used for. Drug stores increased in
numbers so long as the law was in ef-
feet, and trade with them picked up
at a wonderful rate. 1t seems the gem
eraI aiIment of the purchaser was
general debility" Your itemizer was
in the office of Probate Judge Sid.
Chase in Ellsworth, one time, and
he saw thousands of the booze appl1-
cations put away in pigeon holes. He
asked the Judge what they were, and
he answered they were sworn appli-
cations from the druggists of Ellsworth
Lcounty for intoxicating liquors. The
i>question being asked what was the
principal ailment of those making the
sworn statement, and he answered,
general debility" Again the judge
was asked, how many of the appli-
cants are telling the truth, and he
answered, mot one in a thousand
That law was later changed, and in
toxicating liquors taken out of the
hands of the druggists, and many of
them went out of business. Going
thru that section now person would
starve before he can find a glass of
! liquor or a bottle of beer. There is
prosperity in every town since proh1-
bition was adopted and now enforced.
And lemon extract and the several
patent medicines which carry alcohol,
are almost a thing of the past.
One Of the '1ost towns" in Deca-
tur county was named Kalamazoo. 1t
didn't get far enough along to get its
made of it in the pamphlet issued by
the state historical society entitled,
Some Lost Towns in Kansas" 1t was
laid out and incorporated in March,
1873. The capital stock was $4,000.
The directors were: A. B. Hard, Ell
more Allen and Vim. w Tweed, of
Lawrence, and Geo. w. Moore and
Frank F. Weber, of Manhattan. The
charter of this town is in the secretary
of states office. This is five years
in advance of the murderous Indian
raid thru Decatur and Rawlins coun-
ties in September, 1878. There are
few people living in Decatur county
who ever heard of the Kalamazoo
Town company. 80 WHen the future
history of Decatur county is written
the historian must not forget Kalama-
zoo.
Smith county with more than
$780, 900 acres planted to corn, her
papers claim that county will win the
banner yield in bushels over all others
in the state this year. They figure
low estimate per acre. 80 bushels. The
farmers of the county claim larger
yield per acre.
Smith county lands are soaring way
up. A quarter section near Kensing-
ton had been offered for $125 an acre.
When a buyer called the owner re-
fused to sell for that figure because it
was worth more, he believed.
The Reamsville correspondent of
the Smith Center Journal quotes from
the Bible to make one of his items
good. where the Scripture says ac-
| cording to correspondent, of widows
being shown special favors." The case
in point is that of a widow living in
harvested her wheat and was having
it threshed, and when she settled the
bill the thresherman threw off sew
| eral dollars off his bill.
W. H. Smith. of Colby, an old Civil
fff1A oO-NASAS has e1AASN Ct GU lA1S last IOl1
| call. He homesteaded in Thomas
county in 1886. It is said his death
| leaves only four more old soldiers
| alive in that county. At one time
| nearly all the county officers were old
/ soldiers, and there were dozens of
them all thru the county
The Atwood Chamber of Com
| merce is after a FIGURING plant Cap
itahsts have been there and submit
ted their proposition to an enthusi-
| astic meeting of the members.
During vacation Congressman HAYS
B. White, of the Sixth district, is as
much in demand on his farm in Jewell
county as he is in congress while in
| session. Congress adjourned early in
| June, and by the middle of the month