Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1875 — OUT WEST—CONTINUED. [ARTICLE]

OUT WEST—CONTINUED.

‘‘Thatbeautiful, brilliant, bursted bubble, which was inflated one season and collapsed the next,” is the comment that was. made in these columns last week concerning Chanute, Neosho county, Kansas. Two railroads run nearly parallel through the town —a branch of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas road from Parsons to Junction City, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road, and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston road. At one time it boasted two thousand inhabitants, but not half that number is there now. Business was lively, times flush and people prosperous before the evil dhys came and

the grasshopper was a burden. Now between one-half and twothirds of the houses, both business and dwelling, are tenantless, and more or less dilapidated. Of its hundreds only two buildings are anyways attractive; one of them is a stone dwelling, the other a fine two story, brick school house with mansard roof. The latter must have cost from $15,000 to $20,000. Although the town looks very dilapidated, reminding one of a Southern village in war times, quite an extensive business is still

done there. It Vs the-nnlroad depot for New Albany and other towns of the Fall River .region, fifty miles further west, to which it bears the same relation that Francesville or Remington does to Rensselaer. On the train between Parsons and Chanute the writer had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Wm. J. Laßue who moved lrom Rensselaer several years since, and now resides at Burlington, fifty miles, or such a matter, north of Chanute. Doctor Laßue does not appear to have.grown older since lie moved West; but really looks to be in better health, and weighs twenty pounds mote than was customary for him while living in this town. He said that his sons William and Frank were doing well in the boot and shoe trade. The former is married. His son-in-law, Mr. Wm. L. McConnell, has a good, remunerative law practice, and is contented. His youngest daughter, Miss Dora, is attending school -at Topeka. The Doctor was returning from a trip to Memphis, Missouri, whither lie had been to attend the seances of Professor Mott, a noted Spiritualist medium, whose wonderful ' powers have gained wide celebrity. He was rewarded with most astounding and satisfactory phenomena. Edward, his oldest son, who died at Rensse-

laer nearly two years ago, was materialized in his presence on several occasions so perfectly that they shook hands and held intelligent conversation together;liis wife, also, who died since they moved to Burlington, appeared to his astonished and pleased vision in shadowy outline so distinct that intellectual features could not be mistaken, but the materialization was not perfect enough for them to engage in conversation. His father, who died when the Doctor was about three and a half years old, introduced himself by writing bis name, his age, and the date of his death—three circnmstances that it was imnossible

for the medium to have any knowledge of, he .being an entire stranger to the Doctor fvhose name even was not at that time known to him. Another shade appeared to tly? Doctor several times during the progress of the seances, who at firsts— * though plainly visible, though the pressure of his hand was firm and distinctly felt, though his voice was clear, and his conversation was of persons, circumstances topics known to the Doctor only while living at Rensselaer— would not reveal his own name, preferring to compel recognition by recalling incidents known to. themselves alone, or in which they two > were prominent actors. It was the immortal essence of Mr. Isaac payers, •who resided here fourteen or fifteen years ago, materialized and appear-

ing to the physical senses of his lriend in such a manner as to proYe there was no possible chance for illusion or deception, and to forever obliterate whatever shadow of doubt concerning the truth of itualism ;ind tlie source of its mysterious phenomena there might be lingering in his naturally positive and skeptical mind. Is the narrator a convert to the philosophy of modern spiritualism? Not at all. However, here is given an outline,, and only an outline, of the dispassionate, positive and unequivocal statement of one whom a large number that read this article have intimately known for many years—a gentleman whose intelligence and veracity would be difficult to impeach; a witness whose testimony on other subjects would be counted first class in any court .of justice in the land; a person without possible motive for permitting himself to be deceived, or for attempting to mislead ofrhtfrs. Then why not convinced? Can the interrogator answer why Thomas, surnamed Didi-

mus, was not convinced that manifestations of identical character occurred eighteen hundred years ago, though the other ten and the women testified to having witnessed them? Osage Mission is a thriving town in Neosho county, on the M., K. &T. railroad. It was founded many years ago, before Kansas had a State government, and is the site of a Roman Catholic school, which is attended by white children and those of Indian and mixed parentage. The supervising priest is an Italian, said to be a near kinsman of King Victor Emanuel, who went there many years ago and established his church and school among the savages, before civilization had penetrated beyond the Missouri river witli its railroads, its telegraphs, its agricultural machinery, and its greenbacks. It probably numbers 1,000 to 1,200 inhabitants.

Parsons claims between 3,000 and 4,000 population. It has large brick business blocks, three stories high. There are railroad repair shops and several manufacturing int erests here. From this, city the M., K. & T. railroad sends oil a cross line to the northward, tapping the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road and the great Kansas Paeiiic route. At Parsons thousands of Texas and Cherokee cattle are shipped for Northern and Eastern wholesale trade in lumber, dry gOiOtis,"groceries and miscellaneous supplies for the country south and west. It is a good market and a formidable rival of Fort Scott. — Oswego, further south on the same line of railroad, is the capital of Labette county. It, as well as Parsons, and Chetopa still further south, is in the loudly boasted Neosho valley. Plank walks border its streets, which are wide and sometimes very dusty. East of it runs the Neosho river more than two hundred feet below its cellar foundations, bordered on each side by “first bottoms” of as rich soil as can be found on the continent. These bottoms are from one to five

miles wide, and were formerly cov* ered with a heavy growth of magnificent timber, including half a dozen or more varieties of oak, black walnut, hickory, pecan, ash, sycamore, water maple, etc. Farms have been cleared up all through this bottom land, on which corn has grown to prodigious size this year. They also raise good whdat, oats, rye, vegetables of all kinds known to. northern gardens, and the most luxuriant cucumber, pumpkin, squash and melon vines ever seen by the writer. Oswego 4s a goodly appearing town, and on the Saturday afternoon it was visited presented a lively, business appearance, its principal streets being thronged with teams and trading people. Should thibk there might be 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants. The town itself is located on a succession of gravelly hills that certainly cannot be very productive iu a drouthy season. Back of it, to the westward, is prairie land, much of which is interspersed with the bad white land. This is part of the region that grasshoppers ravaged, and the marks of their desolation are not yet wholly obliterated. Ten miles further south is Che-.

topa, said to be the iitost important town in southeastern Kansas, The writer did not have occasion or the time to visit it, though camping on the river over night only five or six miles above. Should judge by the dense cloud of smoke which arose from its machine shops, mills and manufacturing establishments in the daytime, and by frequent whistling of- locomotives at all hours of the night, that its reputed thrift and importance has substantial foundation. The shipment of long horned cattle from Chetopa amounts to an immense business annually; indeed this business is one of the chief foundation stones of its prosperity. Situated close to the line dividing Kansas from the Indian Territory it enjoys a large Indian trade, Vesicles supplying merchants doing business at points further west with much of their stock. For awhile Baxter Springs was looked upon as the metrbpolis of this region, but Chetopa is sucking away sap that is necessary for her vigorous growth.