USA > Kansas > Wabaunsee County > Early history of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, with stories of pioneer days and glimpses of our western border.. > Part 13
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The following night we camped at Jarvis' Creek on our way home But during this time the wagons had become separated, each of the original party looking out for himself. But all arrived safely at home after an absence of three weeks without an accident to mar the ro- mance of the trip.
But there were incidents not without interest and though not al- together pleasant there was but little disposition to complain.
On the plain north of the crossing of Running Turkey Creek there were droves of antelope, but our hunters found the game still more difficult to kill than were the buffalo.
While encamped on Cow Creek a band of Kaw Indians broke the monotony of camp life by their frequent visits. Their presence was welcome for the reason that the Kiowas and Cheyennes were at war with the whites and they being deadly enemies of the Kaws the pres- ence of the latter tribe on Cow Creek indicated to us that there was little danger from the hostile Kiowas and Cheyennes.
Eight years later-in 1868-these same Cheyennes swooped down on the Kaws at Council Grove, killing one Kaw and leaving eight of their own number dead on the field.
That we saw none of the hostiles on the trip was probably due to the inclement weather-the Indian realizing as does his white brother that in cold. stormy weather there is no place like home-let that home be a wigwam on the Smoky Hill or a log cabin in pioneer days on the banks of the Dragoon.
It is just 35 years since that buffalo hunt. George Sanner, of Hal- ifax. and myself are the only members of the party now living in Wa- baunsee County. Mr. William Wite, I believe, still lives just over the line in Lyon County-on the old Santa Fe trail. Baughman moved to Southern Kansas and Baldwin to Douglas County. Mr. George Bar- wiek is proprietor of a livery stable in Emporia.
The hunt was entered upon more from necessity than for the sport that might be enjoyed.
Old settlers will remember that crops were a little short in 1860. We realized the fact and each member of that hunting party sought to replenish the family larder. It is needless to say that none were disappointed.
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It is.not so easy now to remedy a shortage in the meat supply, and vet not so very long ago the buffalo roamed over Western Kansas. In 1876, nineteen years ago, I killed my last buffalo-near Grinnell station on the Union Pacific railroad, within two hundred yards of the track. Among those who dined on the meat were Mr. Sam Harvey, his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. Hinton. Sam, with his brother, George, and their father, Mr. Henry Harvey, were the first settlers on the Dragoon, Mr. Sam Harvey owning the land on which we now stand. Sam was then on his way to Colorado, where, after a short residence in his new home, he was elected register of deeds.
It might be well to remind those present that this admixture of facts bearing no relation one to another is the "soforth" referred to.
This address was prepared under difficulties. When a person at- tempts to condense the events of forty years ago into forty minutes of time, it shouldn't be a matter of surprise should he leave out many items of interest to both the old and the new settlers in Kansas.
In speaking of our buffalo hunt in 1860 reference was made to the fact that crops were short that year. But we raised two acres of Hungarian grass, and we saved the greater part of it. That those who think fit may profit by our experience I will state that the entire crop was pulled up by hand by the roots and stacked-and it wasn't a very big stack either.
From 75 acres planted to corn not a bushel was gathered, but every stalk was cut, tied in bundles and ricked. Hay was hauled from the Sac and Fox Reservation, the grass being undisturbed by stock was from six to twelve inches in height on the bottom lands. The walnut crop was good and the harvesting of the crop was not neg- lected-but there were more walnuts to the bushel than were ever seen before or since.
Following the drouth of '60 came the war of '61. The drouth had taxed our resources to the utmost, but the war took from the homes of Kansas the brawn and sinew of the country.
The great wave of patriotism that swept over the land carried with it the flower of Kansas manhood. From almost every family along the Dragoon and neighboring settlements one or more of the sturdy sons marched forth to battle for the Union and it appals one to think that almost without exception, those who went from home so buoyant and hopeful never returned.
That was a beautiful monument dedicated at Chickamauga the other day to the heroes of the Eighth Kansas, but it is a mere bauble compared to that of which they are deserving-and it holds but a trifling place in the memory of the father and brothers who for years have borne in silence that griet that cannot be assuaged.
Brothers and sons shouldered their muskets and marched forth to
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the music of fife and drum-but it would not be for long-so everyone said-a few short months and the white wings of peace would be spread over a united people. But the days grew into weeks and the weeks into months and still the carnage went on. The news would come of a terrible battle and our neighbor's boy is among the killed, another is wounded unto death, and a third is reported missing.
The survivors go marching on, but disease thins their ranks and yet other names are added to the list of those who will never return.
Though a few short lines will not serve to relate the events or portray the horrors incident to war times, they tell all that one needs to know of a period that had as well be forgotten. Memories of the dead heroes are sacred-these we will never forget.
After long and weary waiting the war clouds were dispersed, and as we gather here to-day we would prove recreant to duty were we loth to accord that credit that is due for services rendered our country in time of need. And again would we be derelict in the performance of a duty should we withhold from the early pioneers of Kansas that praise that is their due for transforming the bleak plains into a land teeming with plenty.
It is only by traveling from home-through the states farther east that one is enabled to realize the true value of a home in Kansas
With a soil unsurpassed anywhere and a climate that will com- pare favorably with that of any country under the sun the people of Kansas are indeed fortunate.
An eastern man will remind you of that terrible cyclone-two killed and a half dozen wounded-but should you inquire as to the particulars of that terrible mine disaster-in which a hundred or more lives went out in darkness-he will suddenly remember that he has business elsewhere.
Ten thousand people-nearly as many as to-day live in Wabaunsee County-perished in the seething waters of the Johnstown flood. Just think of a Pennsylvanian asking a Kansas man if he isn't afraid he will be carried away in a cyclone! Our cousins in the east with all their opportunities have yet to learn that Kansas as a place of residence has a thousand advantages over Indiana, New York or Pennsylvania.
During the National Educational Association at Topeka in 1886. the work of some of our county schools elicited favorable comment from leading educators from the eastern states, but a doubting Thomas expressed his belief that the children whose work was pre- sented had received their education elsewhere. Even when told they had resided in Kansas all their lives the doubter seemed skeptical.
This is their idea of Kansas. Our people are indebted to the East for all she possesses and for all our people know. But the fact is. the Kansas man is self made. From a condition of poverty he has ad-
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vanced by his own efforts to one of independence. As compared with his father who brought to this country all his possessions in a covered wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen, he is a rich man-so far as this world's goods are concerned, and yet he is poor in comparison when viewing the matter from another standpoint. Then there was but little strife and contention and fewer jealousies than now. The people lived on a common level. Nobody was afraid of going over the hill to the poor house. The reminiscences connected with the old log cabin are golden treasures-not stowed away in the garret af memory's storehouse-they occupy the place of honor in the parlor-a word un- known to the old-timer who sat on the bed while warming his toes in the oven.
When the school boy couldn't tell for his life what g-l-a-s-s spelled he was asked what it was they put in the window to keep out the cold. "Oh, yes, I know-dad's old britches and Bill's old hat." Some- times the old settler's cabin had a window with real glass in it and sometimes not-but in the former case a glass would occasionally get broken-that is where Johnnie got his definition.
As the old colored man said, "If you go by de hoss railroad you'll get dar to-morrow mawnin, and if yer takes de steam kyars you'll be dar mighty quick, but if you takes the telegraph you is dar now."
Thirty or forty years ago ten days' was quick time for a round trip to the Missouri River., Should I reach home on schedule time to- night-12:19-I will have traveled 144 miles and be away from home less than twenty hours-nearly half of which time will have been pleasantly spent at Harveyville. The railroads are often referred to as soulless corporations, but by contrasting our present methods of travel with the old time whoa-haw conveyance one is enabled to appreciate the change.
In this connection I am reminded of two dreary, lonesome nights passed in a covered wagon 8 miles beyond 110 Creek. Returning from Kansas City one of our oxen gave out and my brother leaving me alone to take care of our load of winter's supplies came to Mr. MeCoy's for help. Mr. McCoy was at that time the nabob of the Dragoon valley. He had sold his claim in Nebraska, near Omaha, and had more ready cash perhaps than all his neighbors combined. He built what was then the finest house in the country. It now stands where it was built, on the hill about 200 yards west of the school house. It may be a little out of repair just now, and some of the paint may be gone, and possibly it would not strike the casual observer as being ahead of the times, but that was the impression in 1857-the year it was built-a time when a house with more than one room was the exception and the single log cabin the rule.
Nothing was more desired by the carly settler than neighbors.
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The good claims would be pointed and every courtesy extended to the man hunting for a home. But in too many instances the old settler was the victim of misplaced confidence.
One day a gentlemanly appearing man -a minister, I believe -- came along and was favorably impressed with the S. W. } of Sec. 19, 'T. 14, R. 13. His family would be out soon but for the time he would build merely for pre-emption purposes.
My father contracted to build the house, on the condition that he was to retain the ownership with the privilege of moving the house- when the time came. The size of the house was 5x10 feet, with a door and window and a clapboard roof. The contract price was $10 in cur- rent funds.
A young man slept one night on the claim, went next morning to the land office and pre-empted the quarter section. The house was moved away and held all the corn we raised that year. and room to spare, but the new neighbors never came.
It is presumed that incidents of the early days are expected. A record of the incidents as they happened for the first two years of our residence would be as monotonous as Mark Twain's first diary. He thought he would keep one. The first day's entry was: "Got up. washed and went to bed." The second day he could think of nothing but "got up, washed and went to bed," and so on for a week, when he wisely concluded to postpone the diary business till some future time
For seven years our home was the western boundary of the Dragoon settlement. In our isolated situation but little was seen of the out- side world. In our lonesome condition the presence of a tramp would have been welcome and when a band of Indians broke in on the mo- notony of the situation there were no regrets.
One day a band of twenty Kaws stopped for their mid-day meal on their way from Council Grove to Topeka. They were afoot and had absolutely nothing to eat and we but little to give. But they were easily satisfied, and while with us taught us a lesson in economy-that we never copied. Stowed away in a box an old Indian found a couple of gallons of shelled corn from which the heart of the kernels had been eaten by the mice-but the solid part of the grain was left, and after being washed and boiled an hour or so formed the basis of a hearty meal for the whole company.
On another occasion a band of fifteen took peaceable possession of the old log house, my brother and I-batching at the time-prefering, on account of the mosquitoes-to sleep outside in the covered wagon. There was a sound of revelry by night-the Indians doing the revelry business. Their proverbial stoicism had departed and they were like a lot of school boys out for a good time. This band also belonged to the Kaw tribe. but they were well mounted and had plenty of provisions.
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We treated them well and and when we afterwards met some of the same Indians encamped at Cow Creek while on our buffalo hunt they exhibited unmistakable signs that our former meeting was remem- bered and our kind reception while batching in the old log cabin on the farm was appreciated.
But the Kaw Indians were not at all times paragons of perfection. In 1860 some Indians stole two horses from a Mexican train and as a result of this two Indians were hung. With the Indians it is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Two white men must be killed and when Price Perrill met pock-marked Bill Johnson out on the Running Turkey the wily Indian settled half the score by taking the scalp of the lone surveyor.
As I understand that some of the old time tools and farming im- plements will receive consideration at the hands of others, I will re- frain from touching on that subject and pass on to a brief consideration of what we may expect.
It would be unreasonable to suppose otherwise than that the elec- tric age is but dawning, and, however wonderful the inventions put forward within a few years past may be, more startling developments are yet in store for us.
The question is: to what degree will the inventions be practical? Is it not among the probabilities that before the present generation shall have passed away their present ideas and attainments will be looked upon as crude and they be regarded as old fogies?
Among the many applications of electricity is one that enables the proprietor to feed his horse by pressing a button connected by wires leading to his barn. Pressing another he is enabled to water his stock -all this without leaving his comfortable bed.
Pressing another button he lights the fire in the kitchen. Other inventions are expected to follow, and in a few years one need not be surprised that some inventive genius will patent a contrivance to land in the middle of the floor the cook-should he or she, as the case may be. neglect to get out of bed at the ringing of the alarm clock.
Following the demands of the times Sarah's young man will find himself thrown out of the front window when he attempts to turn down the light. He touches the gnage wheel and the electric current will do the rest.
Then some such electrical appliance might be used with good ef- fect at old settlers' meetings and when the audience had been sutti- ciently bored by some long-winded speaker he could be shut off by simply pressing the button --- that would send the electric current to the roots of his tongue and enable him to take a hint.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: While I am glad to meet with you here. I regret that what I have to offer falls below the standard of ex-
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cellence guaged by my own ideas as to what ought to be presented and by what was doubtless expected of me on this occasion. I trust that the lack of time essential to the preparation of such matter as would be appropriate will be accepted. as my excuse for any shortcomings that may be apparent. However, should I have added in the least degree to the enjoyment of this happy occasion, I shall feel myself amply compensated for my coming. I close by thanking you one and all for your kind attention.
At a Mexican Fandango.
Baile Este Noche (Dance To-Night.) This is the legend-seen in the transparency-that catches the eye of the miner, cowboy, or tourist seeking recreation in any one of the many New Mexican towns dotting the banks of the Rio Grande between Albuquerque and El Paso.
But it must not be taken for granted that only the above men- tioned classes are patrons of the fandango. Army officers of high and low degree, civilians of national renown, and others, more or less dis- tinguished have, time and again, from motives widely divergent, per- haps, whiled away many a tedious hour in these much frequented resorts peculiar to our south-western border.
Should you find yourself among those drawn together at one of these motley gatherings and you are a tenderfoot do not deceive your- self by the thought that the secret is your own. Possibly you expressed surprise at such minor incidents as the clanking of spurs on the heels of a vaquero, or that a cow-boy failed to discard his broad- brimmed sombrero during the progress of the dance. Perhaps you observed a disregard of the conventionalities in the scores of pairs of pants stuffed into divers pairs of boots, or in the carrying of a dozen or more braces of army revolvers in as many belts worn by participants in the evening's recreation.
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Stranger, or otherwise, unless your eyes are closed to the surround- ings, the entrance during the evening, of certain dark-visaged, serapa-enfolded habitues of the fandango will not escape your atten- tion. They are there at the invitation, or urgent request of the proprietor -- in case of emergencies that often come-simultaneously with shooting out the lights -a pastime frequently indulged in by the festive cowboy looking for trouble. Bat unmistakable indications in- variably being sure forerunners of such trouble, there need be no difficulty in avoiding the sequel by noting the surroundings.
Strains of music, by no means faultless, entice the stranger who ' might otherwise resist the temptation to enter. Besides the much sought for diversion the prodigal son here finds the opportunity to dispose of his substance preparatory to entering npon the vocation of herding swine for more probably goats) in that far off country where the echo of a father's counsel is unheard, and a mother's parting tears are bnt a dim memory.
If the music is entrancing, the fact is possibly due to contrast- with the discordant but too familiar voice of the ever-present burro (donkey) or the lowing of kine, or the bleating of thousands of sheep on the range-a burning desire to escape from which might well form the basis for an excuse for accepting any change that offers a diversion from the monotonous humdrum of life on the range.
If the music is attractive to the wayward and absent son in quest of adventure the presence of a score or more of the comely senoritas - fair of form and feature-offers a temptation he seldom permits him- self to resist. The dance hall once entered the inclination to indulge in the waltz or schottische as naturally follows as night succeeds day.
The inclination on the part of the prodigal to indulge bis heels in their propensity to ent pigeon-wings may in a measure be due to that condition affecting the head brought about by a too free indulgence in vino. cerbesa, or aguardiente (wine, beer or, whiskey). As the intlu !- ence due to an over-indulgence in the beverage that cheers and inebriates increases in potency his feet get clumsy and refuse to keep time. He quarrels with the musicians and orders the proprietor to do his bidding: makes indiscreet remarks to his partner in the dance and requests the floor manager to "talk United States" ( English) and finally expressos a determinatien to run the whole business himself.
At this stage of the proceedings discretion would suggest that the boisterous "Gringo" be taken care of by his friends. His presence at future fandangos, or at the close of this one, depends on just such a contingency. If no friends are present his case may be disposed of in a way that may serve as a warning to others, though not in a manner to be desired by the interests of the principal actor in this particular life drama. If you would inform yourself further relative to the point
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in question consult the local items in the "Weekly Gazette." The wording doesn't in the least surprise you-it is just what you had reason to expect. Here it is:
"At an early hour yesterday morning as Don Vicente Romero was going to his place of business on the Plaza he discovered the body of an American, apparently about twenty-five years of age. just beyond the Azequia Grande with his throat cut from ear to ear and a bullet hole in his temple. The outer clothing had been stripped from the body and the crime had evidently been committed for the purpose of robbery. Nothing was found on the body that would serve as a means of identification but it is supposed to be that of a miner down from Silverton for a little recreation. The man was seen at the dance-hall of Ramon Chavez Wednesday night and left at a late hour alone and in a dazed condition. Some of the cut-throats who hang out less than a stone's throw of the Plaza conld give us all the information needed to solve the mystery. When they conclude to do so we will gladly en- lighten our readers as to the facts in the fourth of a series of murders that have disgraced our city within the past thirty days."
But the cut-throats don't do business that way, and not until the sea gives up its dead will some broken-hearted mother know that her wayward son's death was the sad sequel to a night's caronsal at a Mexican fandango.
But who can say that his sad end was in vain? As he lay there in grim Death's embrace who can deny that more than one repentant prodigal resolved before high Heaven to retrace his steps on the down- ward road? Young men who left the parental home with no more definite object in view than that prompted by an aimless desire to see the world are susceptible to such influences as bring them face to face with the King of Terrors. 'Tis on such occasions as these that their thoughts are prone to revert to the past: when the family circle was complete; when there was in the household a joy that since leaving the home of their youth they have never felt. Such scenes as these beget a longing to return to the father's roof: to the mother's love: to joys which only the companionship of loving brothers and sisters can bring.
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A Timely Warning.
"Say nothing. But break camp and don't stop this side of the Smoky Hill. The Indians are going on the war path."
The warning was given in an undertone lest either of the two big Cheyenne women should hear what was said and block the game. We said Cheyenne "women" rather than "squaws" for the reason that the Indian wife of William Griffenstein (Dutch . Bill) and her sister were not ordinary squaws in that they were more than usually intelli- gent. and their dress and refined air lifted them so far above the average squaw that they deserved a better name.
The writer was one of a party of twenty government employes re- turning from Fort Union, New Mexico, in the spring of 1864. The outfit consisted of two wagons, each drawn by six mules.
We had made the outgoing trip in the winter by way of the Platte and Denver, thence south through Pueblo and Trinidad and were returning by the Arkansas route, and when the warning referred to was given we were in camp at the the upper crossing of the Walnut at which point Dutch Bill had located a small trading post.
Among the Cheyennes Bill was a king as far as his influence with the Indians went. They had implicit confidence in Griffenstein, and whether well grounded or not there was a suspicion that this conti- dence wasn't acquired by giving away the Indians' secrets.
Not one of our party knew anything about Bill but his reputation and that was better among the Indians than with the whites.
But about a year before another member had been attached to Bill's household in the person of one Phillip Bloch, a young Jew, who was looked upon by his family-the Blochs, merchants of St. Joseph. Mo .- as the black sheep of the family. Philip was bound to see the world from an Indian's standpoint, and at that time was a full- fledged brother-in-law of Dutch Bill, one of the tall sisters being his wife and the other the spouse of Griffenstein.
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