The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-24

tits said the final proof land office
notice in Sherman county has been
printed. Melvin w. Cloud a colored
man. was the recipient of this final
government transa ction. His tract of
land is only 40 acres. This reminds
your correspondent of his first visit to
Sherman county, when Eustis was the
county seat, and before GOOdland was
even thought Of Government home
steads and timber claims were await
ing the pioneer settlers and the 'prai-
RE SchoonerS' with a coop of chick
ems attached to the rear of the
came all the way from the eastern
home trotting along under the ''prai-
RE home the schooner afforded, and
the husband and wife sitting in front,
surrounded by the children. were daily
sights in those early pioneer times In
many cases the "schooners'' had
stOEes. the pipes protruding thru the
canvas covered wagons Instances
the dry canvas, with the young
sters climbing out of the "schooners'
was a sight that will never be forgot
ten. The writer of these notes has
witnessed the burning up of several
prairie schooners," and the occupants
got out in safety, and with no time
to spare. Now all of this has changed.
People now come and go either by
railroad service or auto. Fine modern
homes dot the prairies instead of the
prosperity is seen everywhere.
A letter came last week ~to a state de-
partment at Topeka from oTfe, George
Davidson, of Chicago, requesting in
formation relative to the date of his
birth and I arentage. He said he was
born in 1882 at Mankato in Jewell
county, but, as his father was a white
man and his mother colored, he did
not know the month or day of his
birth. The letter was referred to the
vital statistics department of the board
of health, which now keeps an ac-
curate record of births, deaths and
maria ges but as that department was
not created until 1911 they could give
no light as to the date of birth or
parentage of Mr.. Davidson. The let
ter was then referred to J. H. Woollen,
former mayor and old settler of Man
kato, who replied that he has made
some inquiry among the old-timerS
who were office-seekers when they
had quite colored population in Man
katO, but they invariably denied any
knowledge OF the fatherhood of
George Davidson, Mr.. WOOllen writes:
THE Cowpunchers and sheepherders
are all gone, so there is no informa-
ton obtaindble there. The colored
people have also left US; there is not
a colored voter in Jewell county' So
have to worry along without any fur
Their light upon his age or the family
tree In his so years he was on the
road in the interests of the Atchison
Champion and Topeka State Journal
your correspondent only remembers
one cOlOred man who made his home
in Mankato. His name was Turner.
He was an old comrade of the Civil
war. He was a friend to everybody,
and the hundreds of travelling men
who made Mankato knew Turner and
were his friends. He died several
years ago.
The probate judge of Trego county
enjoys a square NEAR once in awhile,
it oftener. 1t may be that trade is
dull in his office, and marriage fees
don't come in as often as Judge Pea
cock wishes. In his column of ''Dicta-
grams" in the Wakeeney World he
says: "a summer without a dinner of
boiled ham shank and mustard green's
would be a season lost, but at last we
had ours and the old man is himself
once more. We are rather late this
hope to do better next year" The
writer of these notes would walk
good many miles for a meal of this
kind.
Osborne county had the last Indian
scare in October, 1873. In an argu-
ment with some of her early pio-
neers, each one thought he was right
in telling his story. 1t remained for
found copy of the Osborne Farmer
of that date of October II, 1873, with
a full write up of said Indian scare,
which was on the date OF october 8,
-. -.