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TALENT NEWS The TALENT NEWS is published the 1st. and l5th. of each month. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Entered at the Talent Post Office as second AN INTERESTING TROPHY. There was brought into this office the other day a battle flag that was carried by the 61st Tenn. Infantry in the late Rebellion, and captured at the battle of Black River, Miss. May 17th 1863, by Capt. W. Rawlings, commanding company F. 23d Iowa infantry volunteers, and who now resides in this vicinity. The flag is 5x7 feet, red white and blue, with eleven white stars on the blue ground. It was evidently home made, a close inspection showing that the stars were worked upon it by different hands. We may easily imagine it to have been presented by several ladies to the regiment, accompanied by their earnest hopes and prayers that it would never be wrested from the hands of its proud bearer by a northern foe. Giving full play to the imagination we can almost view the scene, and feel a sympathetic thrill of enthusiasm in response to the stirring speeches and rousing, cheers on the occasion of the presentation. As the donors saw the beautiful flag borne proudly away at the head of the gallant regiment, what would have been their consternation could they, for one brief moment, have been gifted with the power to foresee its fate -- to have beheld it torn by shot and shell, stained with southern blood and finally borne away in triumph by the hated enemy, never again to greet the gaze of the fair givers? But such are the fortunes of cruel war. Mr. Rawlings was severely wounded, but not fully disabled, on the occasion of the capture, a confederate soldier having shot at him after his company had surrendered. As the captor was bearing his trophy from the field, General Grant happened along and demanded what he was carrying under his arm. Upon being told, he rode on without ordering the flag to be brought to head quarters. Mr R. has since kept it as an interesting memento of the war, not having responded to Cleveland's call for the return of all battle flags captured in the Rebellion. It is proposed by some of the citizens of Talent to make the attempt to establish a telephone connection with the neighboring towns. Good; and in the meantime, while the spirit of enterprise is upon us, let's have a money-order office. Postmaster Hammond of Ashland mentioned it to us the other day and expressed surprise that we did not make application. He stated that his recommendation could be counted on and if we could obtain the recommendation of the postmaster at Medford or Jacksonville we should have no difficulty in securing it. We hope that the above suggestion to establish a money order office at Talent will not be looked upon as a purely selfish proposition on the part of the News. True it will, be a great convenience to us and to our subscribers, yet thus far we are not above taking postage stamps at par on subscription (at the sender's risk) and as we make frequent trips to Ashland and Medford we can get along as before, but in the aggregate would it not be a great convenience to the people of this vicinity? Miss. Ella Terrill's private. school prematurely closed on the 19th ult. Andrew Briner and family have moved to Ashland. For reliable Fire Insurance, in first-class companies, farmers should call on E. V. Carter at Bank of Ashland. Rates Low. Mrs. Anna Fairclo, wife of H. G. Fairclo, who taught school here a few years ago, is stopping for a time at John Holton's in Ashland, her husband being in California. Her two children are with her. Place your subscriptions with the Ashland News Stand for the various papers and magazines which you desire to take and you will save cost of money-order and postage. Oscar Stearns and family have moved onto Mrs. Robt. Gray's place near Wagner creek. [side 2] A MOTHER'S TROUBLES. By J. W. Adams. Here her wants were supplied by the government until the war closed. LETTER FROM DAIRY.
Dairy, Or., May 10,
'93.
To the Editor of the Talent News:
I thought a squib from this locality might be of interest to your readers. Dairy is a small village consisting of one store, a hotel and a school house. It is situated in Alkali Valley and is about twenty miles east of Klamath Falls. The name, Dairy, would naturally bring up ideas of milk maids, gentle cows, butter and cheese, but if one expects to find any of these in Dairy he will be greatly disappointed. True here are cows but their eyes are wild instead of mild and if a maid should approach them on foot, bucket in hand, saying "So boss," they would either toss their heads and run or else lower their horns and come as if they intended to make a solid mash on that girl and the girl thinking that she had caught a tartar would suddenly conclude that she was needed on the other side of the nearest fence. The picture of a milk maid scaling a seven rail fence with a wild eyed cow in persuit would hardly comport witht common ideas of milk maids leading the mild eyed cow by the bell strap across the field of clover. Although the girls of Dairy are not strictly speaking dairy maidens and the poet has not commented on their fine singing and the painter has not taken them as models; they are none the less charming and would be fit subjects for a poem or would grace a picture. Whatever Dairy has been in teh past or may be in the future, at present the dairying business is not flourishing. It is an unusual thing to see a roll of butter on the market and if there is a cheese it is manufactured somewhere else. As there is in Dairy a conspicuous absense of milk maids, mild eyed cows and butter and cheese, therefore the name Dairy is a misnomer and should be changed. It has been a very wet spring here as elsewhere and the farmers have been delayed in putting in their crops, but the present fine weather is in their favor and they are sowing their grain rapidly. The farmers are expecting big crops this year. Although crops are rather uncertain here in Klamath county on account of late frosts, no country can boast of more easily cultivated, or better soil. When a railroad strikes this county and creates a market it will be one of the best counties in the State. There is plenty of government land here now and a young man will do well to take time by the fore-lock and take a claim. If Horace [side 3] Greely lived in Rogue River valley and possessed the wisdom he is credited with having there is no doubt that he would say, "Go east young man go east." Lest some persons may think that the undersigned initials mean that the writer has received a degree at college and thereby encumber me with undue honors I will explain that A. B. with the prefix V. does not mean Batchelor of Arts, but Batchelor of Alkali Valley. V. A. B. EDITORIAL NOTES.
Speaking of the late attempts to prosecute the publishers of Sunday newspapers at Pittsberg, the World says -- "The publishers of the Sunday newpapers in Pittsburgh ought not to submit to being the only victims of the absurd old blue laws in Pennslyvania. Let them make complaints against all other violators of this outgrown statute and the fanatics would probably be glad to let up." The discovery has been made that weeds can be destroyed very cheaply by electricity. Hurrah for Yankee genius! Thousands of Mechanics and other laborers in Chicago have made arrangements with their employers to work on Sundays so as to enable them to attend the fair Mondays. They say they will make the factories and machine shops fairly howl on Sunday to show their appreciation of the regulation to close the Fair on that day. A DILEMMA.
Why cannot I know my ending, Or is there an end at all? I'm puzzled to know the wherefore, The span of life's so small. When I trace my first beginning I'm puzzled the worst of all, For I seem to have lived forever, A beginning I cannot recall. I go back to my first recollections To discover a fragment of truth, But that period of life is silent; Life's riddle begins in youth. Were it wise, then, to seek the unknowable, Or grapple with the winds that blow, Or examine the world in detail, To learn something I ne'er can know? Could I grasp the whole of creation, Or toy with the stars above, I should only have this revelation: That the essence of life is love. -- Selected. The following brief extracts from the diary of the late Welborn Beeson will bring up old-time memories to many of the pioneers of the valley and no doubt be interesting to others: HIGH PRICED WATERMELONS.
In an entry of Sunday, Sept. 4th 1853, we find, "Father and I rode to Jacksonville ten miles from Fort Wagner. The town is wedged up into the mountains. The miners have all stopped work and times are dull, although I saw a load of watermelons sold for $200 in cash." FIRST STAGE TO YREKA. "Sept. 1st 1856: The stage started today to run between here and Yreka. It is to run every other day. We can now go to San Francisco in 4 1/2 days. I think times will be better now. The dark pall that has hung over Oregon is now rising and we can see a small streak above which betokens better times for this country, and in future years the autumn of '55 an[d] spring of '56 will be looked back to as the dark days of this beautiful valley." "Jan. 31st 1854. -- Father brought home some fresh papers from Hiram Colver's. In one I see that the legislative Assembly has changed the name of Rogue river to Oro river, a much prettier name." [Oro (gold) river was indeed an appropriate name and it is strange that it did not hold. Ed.] Under the same date we find the following entry, relating to the Indian war: "The Indians say they will not make a treaty. They declare that the whites began the war and shall have enough of it now. Near Cresent City, some rowdies found an Indian boy and wontonly killed him. The Indians present at once killed three or four of the whites. The latter then killed 18 Indians, men, women an[d] papooses and sent to the city for more provisions to live on while they slaughtered more. The more humane citizens of Cresent City held a meeting and resolve to secure, if possible, the murderers of the Indian boy." [side 4] Mrs. Geo. Dewey left for Dunsmuir on the 18th ult. Sunday school at the Lynch school house, also at the school house on Anderson creek every Sunday at 10 A. M. Frank Wilcox is seriously ill with inflamatory rheumatism. Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Dyer returned last Tuesday from California. Allen Abbott has returned from his trip to Vancouver, Wash. he reports dull times there. He leaves shortly for Pokegama. Elder Brower preached at the Lynch school house last Sunday in the morning and at 2 P. M. During the intermission there was a basket dinner and pleasant "social converse." A blue cross on the margin of the paper indicates that your subscription has expired. A prompt renewal cheereth ye editor muchly. Report of Anderson Creek School for month ending May 26th, 1893 -- Number of days taught 18 1/2
If you want a pair of boots or shoes that will exactly suit you as to
price, quality and fit, go to Tayler, The Foot-fitter, Medford,
Oregon. If you can't get suited there, you may as well give it up and
go barefoot or wear moccasins the balance of your life.Number of days absent 5 1/2 Time lost by tardiness 10 min. Number of scholars enrolled 12 Average attendance during month 11 Average of school in examination, 90 per ct. Members of Roll of Honor for month: -- Frank Schnider, Anna Schnider, Edna Schnider, Anna Bell Briner, Ethyln Hurley, Bessie Hurley, Willie Fraser. Zorah Bliss, Teacher. A way-up birthday dinner was the chief feature of a pleasant social gathering of young misses at the residence of C. K. Klum on Sun[day] of last week. It was given in honor of Miss. Isa Cook, a relative of the family, who was over on a visit from her home in Jacksonville. We hear that several of the fair misses developed appetites somewhat in excess of their digestive capacities, but we are happy to state that, after a few days of "stomachic disquietude," they had fully recovered and were ready and anxious to accept any other birthday-dinner invitation that might be tendered. At a meeting of the Wagner Creek Cemetery Association held last Monday evening, for the purpose of perfecting the organization, the following officers were elected: -- Trustees, Jas. Purves, Sam'l Robison and John Abbot. Drawing lots (by means of straws filched from Mrs. Purves' broom), they are to serve for one, two and three years in the order named. W. J. Dean was elected cleark for three years. Definite rules and regulations were agreed upon, a new plat of the grounds will be made and henceforth the whole affair will be conducted in a systematic manner. There was a good turnout at the cemetery in the morning of Decoration day and the forenoon was spent in clearing up the grounds. Early in the afternoon the ladies gathered, bearing scores upon scores of lovely bouquets and wreaths of flowers and evergreens, which were tastefully arranged upon the mounds, giving the cemetery the appearance of a veritable flower garden. A little later the Burnside, G. A. R. post and Women's Relief Corps arrived from Ashland. After the usual impressive ceremonies attending the decorating of their dead comrade's graves, Rev. A. J. Stevens gave a short address, preceded by a song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee." The exercises concluded with the song "Rock of Ages." We were told that the G. A. R. and W. R. C. had during the day strewn flowers upon 315 graves. The evening entertainment at the church consisted of appropriate recitations interspersed with music, vocal and instrumental, all of which were exceedingly well rendered. Althugh [sic] the day passed off pleasantly. All things seemed to work together for good. The wether was all that could be desired, the evening especially delightful, the roads in excellent condition. Decoration Day is a fixed fact, and each return of which should be looked forward to as a time to perform pleasant duties in strewing flowers upon the graves of the loved and lost. CHAS. WOLTERS, |
