| Show LABORS IN INDIAN TERRITORY 0 T april 10 1895 thinking that a few lines frum from this section of the country might be interesting to some of the readers of the NEWS especially to those of my acquaintance I 1 take the liberty of forwarding the following article on the lot of may next it will have been eight months wince since I 1 left my home in company with several other elders to perform a mission to the indian territory Terr territa itry ry since leaving my experience has been a varied one the climate mate conditions and custom if 1 the people are so different from e at home that after arriving here it does not require long to realize that one is ie in a strange country the wind which issach is such an objectionable object feature to most moat people blows blow almost incessantly indeed the advantages of our own dear utah to la so remarkably apparent in every particular over that ol of this country that it r squires a consider able length of time for our boys to become in a measure adapted or accustomed to them my labors have been confined for the most moot pait to the southern part of oklahoma near dear the south canadian river which forms the boundary line between oklahoma territory aud abd Chicha chickasaw saw notion nation the whole of i oklahoma nearly to la under cult with the exception of this particular part owing to the unevenness of tho th land and heavy timber which abounds thereon it will take much work and aed a lone time to bring it to a state of production generally speaking the people residing farther north are in better circumstances than their southern bors the land is il more regular and the lay jay of the country more even in the northern extremity and la Is mostly prairie land when the country was opened tor for settlement the latter was immediately developed all the soil needed was waa plowing and sowing and a crop could be gathered in the fall the timbered land requires a deal of labor to clear it and la in very hard to break when it receives such buch attention it Is years before it becomes entirely iree ire from roote however when oil moll which has pro dured timber in abundance becomes destitute of aoh such through the labor of the he husbandman its if yield Is nearly dearly double that of land which needs need no clear clearing log so 0 o eventually those who have settled on wooded land while requiring bg more labor in the he beginning will be the better i ff the people comparatively speaking in the whole of oklahoma were arcs porous up till 1894 rain fell in abundance seasons were favorable and as 9 a reul result glod gi bojt crops were raised land gradually increased in value from the beginning of lost last year con coa editions seem to have reversed from aburt the of ef may 1894 up to the present scarcely tiny ny rain haa boa fallen at this writing excepting in the lowlands there la Is no moisture within six feet of the surface 1 I am told this by several reliable residents snow tell fell to the depth of eight inches last winter but on account of the complete dryness of the earth BB an melted malted it was instantly absorbed where the ground was wai not frozen too hard bard to receive ceide it shortly after to in making an excavation it could scarcely arcely ao be discerned that any moisture had fallen falion in co sequence of this great drought lost laai year all orope crops fell far choit of their average yield some did not rates one quarter what they produced the year before corn Is ia one of the thO principal orope crops the production of which was waa very limited indeed last laife seaton this thin grain forms the pal feed for took stock during the winter and on or of its if ty many head of both cattle and bone perished through starvation during our travels among the people the cons constant taLt cry was wai poor crops cropf and hard time 1894 was looked on as a an odd year better belter times were confidently looked for at the opening of tig one extreme followed another was often uttered with plenty of rain the carmera were positive they could make up the deficiency of the previous season vegetation does not receive its vitality here fiere by irrigation as it does in utah and all such to is entirely depend out on the moisture that comes from above it if none omes ames seed refuses to germinate and all verdure remains remaina until all dampness disappears when it witti withers ore away and dies it to is now the day of april and none ban baa fallen to speak ct as set jet to the parched ground or to enliven the withering graw gras the fond hopes of the farmers for an early spring have disappeared the grass which made its ito appearance early io ID the spring remains nearly at a aSand standstill still and if growing any la Is certainly very slow low some expended expanded all they had bad and others other borrowed the money for the purchase of seed wheat which was sowed bowed last fall fail such are very unfortunate for the land thus sown in nearly every instance Is ie devoid of a spear pear of wheat it ted and oame came up op to lo due time and for two or three weeks looked excellent but the subsequent drought proved too loo much and it now lies withered and dead prom from now until fall be the season ever so favorable the wheat crop will be almost a universal failure there Is time yet for the raising ol of vegetables vege tabler etc but it is discouraging work to plant in such dry oil moll and prospect it so BO poor for rain heretofore rain raia hs has usually fallen at the beginning ot of march some men refrain from doing any anymore more with their farms until rain makes its appearance their reasons being that it will be labor expended for nothing the gross which an aa a general thing stands from two to V three inches in length this season of the year barely snows shows itself above the ground this makes a telling ef effect leoton on the stock as a the man who was fortunate tortu enough to have a supply of food feed on hand band during the winter for his bla animals has baa ex bausted his stored feed and now dow is entirely dependent on the posture pasture for the cuppert the situation Js ia quite a serious one and to growing more so au each day the people are fearful lost lest this season be a repetition of last laet year we kaow nut not what Is ahead of us u from one day to another but it if confusion leva devas cices tices overe ad the land it would only be to in conformity to the word of god and the fulfillment of the predictions predict loni which have been made concerning what should befall the inhabitants loh abitanto of the earth to in the last days daya the condition of aft ira an ai they exist here bore haw saws how bow quickly god Gode could subdue the he people and how bow utterly destitute of power they would be to change the conditions which the almighty causes to exist we have had the question put to us several times ot of late lai way it Is ia that we dont produce rain if we are the servants of atud our reply to is that we are not dot able to change the decree of the al even though we were disposed dik posed to ito attempt 14 it and that these things were of anck ana that every prediction will be fulfilled to the very letter latter which has bag been made portal i ir ing to this dispensation and the destiny of the inhabitants thereof the elders eldera generally have bave received good treatment in the past but the situation Is 18 bab becoming oming such aoh that many who would like to entertain us are unable to do so 10 in consequence though the people be charitably inclined treat treatment mout in the future may not be what it has hae been at any rate not until the arrival of better times we will give you a brief account of our last missionary tour and while quite a successful one it required con cod eld erable labur to perform it brother 1 I 8 S jensen benien and I 1 left headquarters wednesday marob march 27 ih our intention when leaving was to remain until conference which was waa to convene at seven C plot flat april and but owing to a severe windstorm which arose on oil the night of the ath which continued without signs of abatement we concluded it the wisest plan to return to 0 o headquarters we reached sifter ater walk lag ing thirty miles mild the latter iatter place on the afternoon of the aub having baring been away about eleven days day during this his trip eight meetings were held af pf people ople wern to 87 fireside gospel conversations were bad 18 of which were with ministers miniature minia tore we visited 66 families notified families of meeting were refused entertainment nine dine distributed 38 tract walked miles neu nou io in school houses our nights and gave away our book our experience one dight in staying ina in a school house bouse was waa quite amusing amu aing after meeting was dismissed quite a a number remained in the building and three came up to we the atana to obtain tracts tract we hail had told old them in the course of our remarks if any present were lute rested I 1 in n our doctrine they might at the lope of meeting procure trade tract for the asking which would give them more information on the principles of the gospel when these theme men came up they were cheerfully supplied eup plied the rho following day was bunday and abse three were very eager for us ua to remain over and preach in the we were jubilant over the thou thought glit ot of toe tie pleasure plea BUre in oner crier to do go flo how bow ever it would be necessary for us ua to get something to eat as ae we nad eaten nothing since morning and a place to stay at night this fact was waa mentioned to them in louiee loud enough for all that were to in the h house ouse to bear Im irmagine magine oure our urrie surprise when the whole crowd an aa it if truck struck with magic made rapid strides for or the doi we listened after their departure to catch it ir possible poul ble some ome of the passing remarks remark when they were board beard making fun and indulging in loud laughter over the he very thoughts of entertain ing Mor mons after all had bad disappeared in the darkness and the wind had bad silenced lilen oed their voices we commenced preparing for the night our nods cede were made by putting I 1 ur benches seats eato forward together the broken lights in the windows window were fixed up as aa tight as possible J just net as ae we were about to retire a sack of corn was discovered in one corner of the house bouse which the he echi achi ol oil marm 10 had for the leeding feeding of her horse during the libura or of noon this flud bud was a rich une no it lid did not take long to shell the corn from the cob and a moment later the kernels were on the stove over a roaring fire we stood on the one 0 side itle und and when it had bad become parched we gathered it in our hate bats and ana how sweet was the toos tare thereof if we bad partaken partaker par taken of a richly prepared supper the effect would not have been more satisfying tj ti our appetites appetite after eating heartily bed bad time had bad arrived orrt rt ved and a few moments later we were on our kneet offering up the feelings of our heart bearbo to him who la Is always reaby to bear a humble bumble prayer we slept as well as possible under such circumstances and when the bright gleams of the morning light came streaming through the windows we aroused ourselves and again we knelt in reverence to him who had spared us during the night not many words were uttered before there was a sudden interruption the sound mound of a footstep was sufficient to bring us ua hurriedly to out our feet immediately following there was waa a slight blight knock antho on the door it was waa quickly opened and who abound stand before us but a youngster geter of seven years with an effort aud quivering lips lipa be muttered papa wants you to come to breakfast we thanked the little fellow telling him to run on and we would follow him in ia a little while he proceeded and after finishing our supplication aup we caught up with and accompanied the child to his big home this the father of the child seeing from bia house bouse a table w which bleb we had put on i the outside of the be house 0 over war a broken window pane held in place by a stick of cooj came to the conclusion that we bad palsied the night inside and had bad generously sent bent bior lorue us we had bad notified him of the meeting but being ao an infidel he be did not care to bear any thing abing regarding dirig our religion the gentleman however was the only one in ia a whole neighborhood of professed CarlEtt laus who would entertain u UP t after eating we proceeded on our j urney feeling none the worse for our experience the three other of ours in school houses on this trip were almost repetitions repetition a of this one and only once waro we to go far without obtain lug something to eat although it is ie a common tiling thing to go on one meal a day in all tain however an elder la is bayed up by the spirit oi of god each obstacle overcome makes the next the easier to combat next sunday at 10 a am in the okla homa boma conference commences all saints bainte are confident or a good time lime and aad the elders expect a season of rei lo dicing boloing receiving iving renewed energy to press onward in the cause they represent all are ejoy enjoying ing rood good health as aa far as aa known ever praying for the work ot of the lord and all who are en aged to in every department therein I 1 am your year humble brother W it IL NEWMAN |
