Year: 1861




Mr.. EuroR The following letter from
an old resident of Montpelier is Of sufficient
interest to warrant its publication. The sit
uaton of affairs in Kansas is truly deplorable,
and we should hasten to do something for
their relief. WI l..


GBAssHorPEp FAILS, K. T.,


Dec. 18th, 1860. I


REv. WM. H. LoRD.


My Dear Friend Permit me to
address few lines to you in behalf of the
poor sufferers of Kansas Last week | went
to Atchison on private business the dis
tance from this place to Atchison is twenty
Eve miles in this short distance l passed
thirty weight teams on their way TO the "OfIice
of the Kansas Relief Committee" in search
Of aid to supply their famishng families and
neighbors Several of these people had trav-
elled over the bleak prairie, in this cold
weather, without blanket or overcoat, for
distance of more than two hundred miles,


leaving their destitute families with no hope
except on their successful application to the
aid fund and their safe return. Many Of
these will be obliged to wait at Atchisnn from
a week to ten days, and perhaps longer, be-
fore their turn will come 70 get any relief
Upon my arrival at A., | called on Gen Pom
eruy and made enquiries to the condition
and hopes Of our unfortunate people His
reply was, Look at the teams now waiting
for loads, and judge for yourself" | should
think there were at least two hundred teams
then waiting for their turn Some Of these,
he told me, had been there more than week.
II The sight would draw tears from the most
hardened. The sufFerings of our Fathers at
Valley Forge in the days Of the Revolution
| think could not exceed the sutferngs Of
the men who sally out to get relief for more
than thirty thousand starving citizens Of this
unfortunate Territory. God, for wise pur-
poses. has visited this land with his severest
judgments We all feel our entire depen-
dence upon Him Though he slay us, still
let us trust in Him" You have read in tho
papers our history for the last year, but Ian
guugo is too feeble TO do justice TO the sub
ject. In this lJeferson) county we have
suffered as little any county in the Teruto-
, ry but we have not raised, upUn an average,
two and a half bushels of corn to the acre.
| think the same may be said of potatoes and
other crops. Last August | thought we
should have more than half crop Of corn.
There were several fine showers, and our
/ countenances were all lit up with hope. soon,
: however, to be blasted. A few days after
we were visited by the hot minds. cannot
well describe those days the air was so in
tensely hotit was dangerous to breath it, it
was like the air coming from a heated furnace.
/; We we're obliged to close our doors and win
dows in order TO breath. although the Their
mometer rose up to 1907. This did up the
business for crops. We have now to look
to the Northwestern and Eestern States
for our supply both for food and seed It
--si 10 At hFr dot
lars to supply tins Territory with seed for
the next season. The future looks dark and
gloomy. Is Vermont doing anything for our
relief; do not ask on my own account
have enough Of old grain on hand to last till
next harvest, but mine is an exception to a
general rule. There are hundreds Of sons
and daughters Of Vermont here in Kansas
who must have aid OF they will perish.
have written Governor Fairbanks upon the
b subject. We know not what a day may bring
, forth. Last year at this time corn was selling
for from eighteen TO twenty cents per bushel,
I and almost every one enquiring what
shall we do with our surplus corn bought
b five hundred bushels at that time and have
! some of it on hand, enough to last and
, furnish our seed corn for next spring, that is
3 il our crib is not TO, bed before that time. 49,
There is no money in the Territory. As fast
T as money has accumulated it has been paid
ont for land and improvements. You would
2 be astonished at the number of well fenced
j and cultivated farms which you would see were
a you to take journey through the Territory,
but large majority of these farms will go
. uncultvated next season unless some means
j. are taken to keep the owners from starvation,
e and a supply Of seed be furnished. Land is
. not bread, and will not buy it. The money
q


The truth is, you subtract nothing from moth
ing and nothing remains, but have dwet
too long upon this heart-aching subject.
wish could turn to something less gloomy.
Let us say a word as TO our people They
arc, as a general thing intelligent, full of en-
: terprise and ambition, and will live as long
u as any other people without food or clothing;
hut famine ] fear, will do its work for many
of them. While | was at the aid Office in
Atchison, boy came in about twelve years
b Of age should judge. II was a cold even
> ing he had no overcoat or blanket, an old
g pair of patched mittens, boots-a mere apo-
+ ogy his face was flushed by the cold. his
teeth chattered, and he looked as though he
was about 20 have an ague chill, a very com
mon occurrence in this country. lie stood a
few moments by the stove, and then stepped
up to Gen. Pomeroy and presented his paper.
The General looked at him, and says, "Who
came with you:' He promptly replied, ~
came alone, sir, from Shouna county" Says
the General "You are young to come so far
this cold weather" "My mother" replied
the boy, sis widow, aud there are five chill
dren at home without bread, younger than
myself" | noticed the muscles of the be-
: nevoent Generals face twitch, indicating that
\ the heart was touched. There we're no pub
e lie funds on hand, but Gen. Pomeroy said to
y the boy, "You drive to my house, aud will
j, load you up from my own granary in the
morning" | thought in this case it was more
" blessed to give than receive | presume the
e, boy thought differently General Pomeroy
is doing everything in his power, and no man
could do more than he is doing. The bless
y ings of the widow and fatherless will follow
him through life. You cannot imagine the
amount of labor he accomplishes. 1t is a rare
= thing for him to get to bed till two or three
o'clock in the morning. Should any fund
n be raised in Vermont, they should be forward
Z ed to S. G., Pomeroy, Atchison, marked
8, kansas Relief" in order to secure the re-
It ducton of freghts. Money is greatly needed
to pay for freight and other incidental exEen-
~. 4, L 4 1 1 I n