There was a fight in Holton on Christmas between a Copperhead and a returning soldier, and the soldier was stabbed in the lungs. The next day a mob hung the Copperhead. After that, some of his friends got out warrants and had some of the mob arrested and tried before a justice of the peace. Six of them were bound over to appear at next term of court to answer to the charge of murder. The bonds are six hundred dollars each. They say that they are perfectly willing to stand a trial, for they know that a jury cannot be got together that will convict them. Among them are some of the most prominent citizens of Jackson County. It was thought for a few days that the stabbed soldier would die, but he is getting well now. Folks seem to think that the end is not yet, and that there will be several Copperhead farms for sale before another winter. This [is] a great country. Last summer there were two niggers hung for stealing horses, and the cops were jubilant over the high moral tone of society. Now they talk differently.
PETER BRYANT
HOLTON, JACKSON CO., KANSAS
April 1st 1866
DEAR BROTHER [MARCUS]
I received your letter of March 27th today inquiring after the Money Order. They were received all right, and I ought to have written you before but kept putting it off.
I am very busy just now. The Spring has been backward and cold, so that all of my work comes right in a pile. I am setting out an orchard now. I have not sowed my oats yet and don't see how I can before next week. My man cut his foot the other day, and that don't help the cause any. He cut off the 2nd toe and a gash about an inch and a half long in the foot. There was a good deal of trouble in getting plows to scour in this country. I have finally got one made by Andrus of Grand Detour, Ill[inois] that I think will fill the bill.
Mr. Ross of Dover lectured in Holton on Temperance last week. Kit and I heard him one evening.
What is Cyrus [106] going to do in Lawrence?
Yours truly
PETER BRYANT
HOLTON, JACKSON CO., KANSAS
Oct. 15th 1866
DEAR BROTHER [MARCUS]
We received your letter of Oct. 3rd this evening. I am sorry to say that we shall be obliged to postpone our visit to Princeton [Illinois] until some future time.
When I wrote before, I was in hopes that I could crowd my work along so that we could make the trip, but just about that time my hired man got a notion in his head that he must have a farm of his own, so he posted off and left me to go it alone. I have not been able to light on a man since that I could hire. I would like to have one a couple of months. I have got 20 acres of corn to husk and lots of other work that ought to be done. We have just got our molasses made. Had 70 gallons. It is selling at 45 cts. per gallon at the mill and 50 with the barrel. Frank Pomeroy has a mill and evaporator. Will make about 500 gallons of his own this fall. The grasshoppers have taken my wheat. I sowed four acres, and it came up first-rate, but it is all gone now except about two rods square, and that is going.
I don't think of any more to write, and I am getting sleepy. I had to get up last night and kill a skunk. He got into the hen house and killed two chickens. I am going to Holton tomorrow, and Willie says he is going along to get a pair of red-topped boots.
PETER BRYANT
BANNER, JACKSON CO., K[ANSAS]
Feb. 14th 1869
DEAR BROTHER [MARCUS]
several days ago just after I had mailed one relating partly to the same business. [107]
As to the new disposition that you propose, I do not know as I exactly understand it. Is Mother to hold the original $8000 and $750 besides? If that is the case, I have no objections. So far as I am concerned, even if she should receive a larger share, for I think and insist that she should have all that she needs for comfort and pleasure as long as she lives if I do not get another cent. But if the idea is to let up on you and come down on the rest of us, whose shares are so much smaller, why I don't think it hardly fair.
The way I look at it is this. You have a farm already opened, fences all built, good house well furnished, barn and outbuildings, all ready to go right along and make a comfortable living, and if there is any one day that you feel as though you didn't want to put in and work, why the whole machinery does not stop. You don't have to go right into the hard work and stick to it. Now, with me it has been "root hog or die" ever since I have been here, and well you know just what I have got. It won't do to let up on the work yet, although prospects are brighter this year than ever before. You need not think I am so lazy that I don't want to work at all. I like to work some, but I don't like to be forced to work or go hungry.
As to dividing that $500 with the girls, if they have to dig as hard for a living as I do, I am willing to divide, but in that case I think you ought to do something for them, too. I am sure you can stand it as well as I can. I am willing to leave the matter for Mother to decide. If she thinks they need the money and will use it judiciously, I will cheerfully give it up without another word.
I believe I have answered all your questions plainly as I can, and if you have any more send them along and I will see what I can do for them. Please let me know soon in regard to the apple tree business, for I want to know what I have got to do and prepare accordingly.
We have had a very hard winter on stock, not very cold but wet, muddy, icy, and very disagreeable. Last week we had some fine days, and Jacobs commenced plowing. We have not sowed any wheat yet, but will work this week if it stays fair weather. We got most of the ground plowed last fall. I have bought two yoke of cattle to do my breaking. Am going to fence in all my land this spring. Bro. Jackson across the creek is going to fence all of his quarter, too. Gets his rails from Armstrong without leave. He thinks a speculator has no business with timber.
The R[ailroad] Co[mpany] offer the Pottawatomie lands for sale except the 11 miles square in N[ortheast] corner, and it is thought that will soon come into market. Holton is agitating R[ail] R[oad] question some. They are doing the joint work for two Roads now, one from Omaha to Topeka, the other from St. Jo[seph] to Manhattan. I have not been to any of their meetings, but I heard that one Road agreed to make Holton a point if the County would give their approval [?] in bonds and take that amount of stock in the road [?]. Holton is in for it hard, the rest of the county not so much.
They have a new son down at the Jacobs. They call him Moses. Our wife and babies are all well.
Yours truly
P. BRYANT
HOLTON JACKSON CO., K[ANSAS]
Aug. 28th 1872
DEAR BROTHER [MARCUS]
I have been having a holiday for the last few days. Not that they have been any great deal of pleasure to me for they have not, but what I mean is that I have been exempt from the regular routine of labor, the plain English of which is I have been sick. Down with a dysentery or something of that sort.
We are full of business here building a new house or rather fixing up the old one, enlarging somewhat and renovating generally, building a new cellar &c. I am getting behind somewhat in my other work. Have not cut any hay yet nor have I plowed much for wheat. We are having a very abundant season. There was a heavy crop of oats and will be more corn here this fall than ever before. Oats are worth 12½ to 15 cts. and some people think corn will be no higher. It is a matter, however, that does not trouble me very much for I never sell any, though I may buy a few hundred bushels. Even then I would hate to give a man less than 15 cents. I intend to feed a few cattle during the coming winter and have but 40 acres of my own.
I suppose if you read the Holton News that you are aware that Holton has got a Rail road [108] and we Jackson County folks generally feel mighty big over the little fellow. It is only a 3 foot guage with little baby engines and cars, but I guess it is big enough to give us all a ride one at a time and do all the business that we have to do at present. I suppose they will build it up into our neighborhood shortly. Then we won't have to go to Netawaka to get away from home if we should ever get ready to go. I thought when we were in Ill. before that we would get ready to make you another visitation by this year, but the way the thing is running I am afraid we will be unable to do it. It seems as though the longer we lived here the more we have to attend to and less chance to get away from home.
No comments:
Post a Comment