People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1894 — BOUND FOR JASPER. [ARTICLE]

BOUND FOR JASPER.

Rev. Peter Hindi* Turn* Hl* Footstep* Toward the Land of Milk and Honey. Winfield, Kans., Jan. 10,1894. After having a couple of chills followed by that prostrating fever, we concluded that further north would be healthier, therefore we left McKinley. Jan. 3rd, taking north from Guthrie, up the Santa Fee R. R., we came to Mulhall, found our old friend, Alfred Robins. After dinner, coming to Orlando, passing one mile north of town, we came to the lately opened strip. Here are to be seen little box houses in every direction. This part of the strip is all prairie and a fine body of land. Coming to Perry, a town of four thousand inhabitants, all built since the opening [ of the strip, was to be seen dozens of carcasses of dead ponies, ’killed by being run so far the day of the opening. All along the way through the strip, here and there, was carcasses of ponies. We next came to the Otoe Indian agency, being Sunday morning we had the pleasure of seeing the Indian children march from the boarding house to the church. The girls was all dressed in blue flannel and the boys had on navy blue suits. On leaving the Indian school gi’ound, we came to a little stream called Red Rock. Here for the first time in our lives we saw a sign reading “U. S. Toll Bridge’.’ On approaching it we ask if the United States owned the stream, which was perfectly dry, but bridged on account of its steep rocky banks and we wereinformed the United States owned a piece of land four miles long and three miles wide, on which the Otoes and Missouri Indians were to be allowed to camp, while their children were being schooled. Here was several hundred tents, teepes as the Indians calls them. We next came to the Poney school and on to the Sheloca school. All these schools have fine buildings, costing thousands of dollars. We next crossed the line into Kansas to Arkansas City and Winfield, stopping two days with our old friend, Sig. Copple, who lived twenty-five years in Indiana, and has spent forty years hunting a better country than that, but says he has failed to find it. I will say to inquiries that I have received, if a man can’t make a living in Jasper Co. Ind., no use to try it elsewhere. People are dying here by the dozen of grip and pneumonia fever. We found all our old friends at Winfield sick. There has been no rain here for eight months and wheat and stock are ; favoring badly. We are camped to-night, Jan. 12th, in Butler Co., Kans., where we drive five and six hours between houses. 'Weather fine. Roads dusty. Rev. Peter Hinds.