Memory's Storehouse Unlocked, True Stories / Pioneer Days In Wetmore and Northeast Kansas

This book does not carry the actual work of these pictured Associates—but it does bring them into the writings. The Author owes much to them for helpful co-operation during our newspaper regime—and maybe also, if the truth were known, they have been, in a manner, quite helpful in the actual writing.

The book is dedicated to the memory of them.

INDEX

“The SPECTATOR FORCE”—In “GAY NINETIES”

INDEX

SUNSHINE AND ROSES

Wetmore

The Mineral Spring

Wetmore in 1869-70

Our New Temporary Home

Roses The Girls Didn’t Get

LITTLE FILLERS

CONSIDERATE KID

THE BOY OF YESTERYEAR

CAREFUL PLANNING

RED RIFLEMEN

A TWOTIMER

TEXAS CATTLE AND RATTLESNAKES

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE

DONE IN CALIFORNIA

THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE

MISS INTERPRETED

THE “CIRCUS” LAYOUT

Honesty—The Better Policy

INNOCENT FALSEHOOD

FATHER AND SONS

PLUGGING FOR HER DADDY

THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. HENRY, et al.

SMALLPOX PESTILENCE

CORRECT VISION

GRAPES—RIPENED ON FRIENDSHIP’S VINE

LOCAL “BOARD OF TRADE”

FAMILY AFFAIR

COMPLIMENTARY TO THE “KIDS”

ANOTHER BRIGHT LITTLE STAR

LLEWELLYN CASTLE

MORE ABOUT THE COLONY FOLK

HAPPY DAZE

ODD CHARACTERS—COLORFUL, PICTURESQUE

MY BEST INVESTMENT

THE VIGILANTES

MOUNT ERICKSON

TURNING BACK THE PAGES

WANTS INFORMATION

MEMORY’S STOREHOUSE UNLOCKED

DESERT CHIVALRY

THE WIFE—AT GOODSPRINGS

MONEY MUSK

GONE WITH THE WIND

WHITE CHRISTMAS

UNCLE NICK’S BOOMERANG

SHORT CHANGED

SUNSHINE AND ROSES

Because of World Unrest and conditions with the Printing Fraternity what they are, this job has lain on the shelf for over a year. Most of the articles are dated, and appear just as written and published. Later unpublished articles remain as written at the time of preparation. Except for 1 story, and a few “Notes” the issue bears the date of January, 1948—and with situations running back into pioneer times.

THE AUTHOR.

This foreword is being written in California—in the shadow of Campbell mountain, a 1700-foot detachment from lofty Sierra Nevada range, 25 miles east of Fresno, on Christmas Day, 1947—six days before my eighty-sixth birthday.

I am writing on an envelope—and a used one, at that—out in the open, in Anna’s and Virginia Anne’s rose garden, at the ranch home of my nephew, Sam Bristow, from whose orchard came the choice oranges sampled by our Wetmore friends at Christmastimes.

I am writing in the rose garden for the same reason I Imagine Gray’s Elegy was written in the Country Churchyard—for privacy. My nephew’s home is filled with relatives, seventeen by actual count, waiting for the call to a turkey dinner.

Then, too, I want to get in a word about this most unusual Christmas Day—something seldom seen in my cold climate home state. As a rule you just don’t write on a tab out in the open, nor pluck roses in the wintertime, back home.

Though, on Christmas Day, 1937, I cut four lovely long-stemmed perfectly developed Radiant Beauty (red) roses from a single unprotected plant, the one blooming plant among hundreds, in my rose garden in Northeast Kansas. And, to make it appear all the more unusual, Radiant Beauty was brought out in 1934 as a hot-house rose. Also, I needed a little data—and I got it from Sam in the rose garden. And this seemed the opportune time to write a few lines.

It will not, of course, be a “White Christmas” here as is likely back home—never is in the San Joaquin valley. Sunshine and Roses enhance the beauty of the day here. But farther up—up in the high Sierras, up toward Mount Whitney, the highest point in the United States, only a few hours away, there will be snow aplenty today, tomorrow—and forever.

This book is not my memoirs. It is not a family tree. It is not a complete history. But it is, sketchily, all of these things. The book is not a connected narrative. The articles, each complete within timely as of the date of the situation. Also, some of the characters depicted as living at the time of the writings have since died—but the stories are printed as originally written. And for clear understanding the articles should be read consecutively, as they appear in the book.

These feature articles, pertaining mostly to Wetmore and Northeast Kansas, have all been written—some by request—for the home papers since my retirement from the newspaper field, in 1903. The first one, “The Boy of Yesteryear” was printed in W. F. Turrentine’s Wetmore Spectator, May 29, 1931.

One or more of these articles have been printed in George and Dora Adriance’s Seneca Courier-Tribune—and, later, in Jay Adriance’s Courier-Tribune; General Charles H. Browne’s Horton Headlight; Will T. Beck’s Holton Recorder: Ray T. Ingalls’ Goff Advance; Senator Arthur Capper’s Topeka Daily Capital; and the Atchison Daily Globe. And all of them, with twelve exceptions, have appeared in the Wetmore Spectator. The twelve exceptions are recent writings—since the Spectator’s demise—rounding out topics previously introduced.

Pictured with the writer in the forepart of this book are two of the principals of the old Spectator force during o ur newspaper regime through the “Gay Nineties.” While referred to often in the articles they had no part in the writing thereof. Regretfully, they were both dead before e beginning of these writings.

Besides these two capable assistants, our printing office had something no other paper could boast. Our “itchyfoot” Devil—for a short time only—was a personality of high adventure. Like Nellie Bly, of (National) magazine fame, and Ed Howe of (Atchison) Daily Newspaper fame, Bert Wilson, better known as “Spike” Wilson, went around the world. But unlike Nellie, backed by a magazine in a race against time; and Ed, teeming with newspaper dollars, our “Spike” bummed his way, with a minimum of work—mostly dish-washing—all the twenty-five thousand miles around the globe while still in his teens. “Spike” aspired to become a printer for the advantage it would afford him in his desire to see the world. A journeyman printer could always get a lift from any country newspaper in those days. Old Busbee, Nationally known “tramp printer” dropped in on us one time. He was given a day’s work—and a half-week’s salary. He tried to discourage “Spike”—and maybe he did. But I think his woe-begone looks was the greater influence. Busbee came this way three times within my recollection. “Spike” Wilson was the stepson of “Mule” Gibbons, who came here with his family from Corning in the early 90’s—and several years later moved to Holton.

President Grant’s Congress — 1876 —memorialized the state legislatures to have County Histories written for the benefit of posterity. Nemaha County has had three—but not one of them touched on the subjects covered in this volume. Usually local histories are compiled for profit — colored, biased; boosting individuals who are willing to pay for a write-up.

There is no angling for profit in this work.

These stories are now printed in book form to preserve them for their historic value. The book is not for sale. It is my gift to the home folks.

The books are costing me about ten dollars a copy—and, naturally, I won’t have enough of them to be passed out promiscuously. I shall place them in the schools, and libraries, and with the newspapers in the county—and with friends here and there, where all the home folks can have the chance to read the book, should they so desire. I am sure that I have more friends than I have copies of the book, and I trust that those who do not receive a copy will not feel that, in my estimation, they do not rate one.

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