From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents

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Lawrence Kansas August 9 []57 Dear Parents,

It is so long since I have heard any thing from you that I domt know whether you are dead or alive hardly. I have not had a letter since George came from there and that was more than a month ago. I suppose that you are deep in the meadows haying now, and almost through at that. How is hay this year with you? We have none here except on the bottoms. It has been so dry that grass nor any thing else could not grow but within a week we have had three fine rains and things look more promising. I have cut a little hay but shall not be able to get enough from my claim. I am afraid to keep my horse and cow this winter. I dont know as I told you I had a cow but I have and she has a calf about five or six or seven days old. We have milk enough to use but do not make any butter, indeed I hardly know what butter is for I have had only three pounds since I was married and that I got when Mrs Messenger was here. I have got so that I dont care much about it thanks to your making me do without so much when I was small. I gave 25 dollars for my cow and calf. There would be considerable hay on my claim only for the fact that there have a large number of cattle ranged here all summer so that in the place where two years ago at this time the grass was as high as my head there is now not enough to pay for cutting. The cattle have thinned it out so much and eat it off. Hay on the bottoms where the cattle do not range much is very good and folks that own bottom claims are selling the grass at from 1.00 to 2.00 per acre. Hay will be very high next winter and spring. There are a good many mowing machines used here now.


The 2nd Vol of the Herald of F. closed with the last weeks no. and I shall not renew my subscription. I dont think ¬¬¬____ has sold out to Gov Walker. I take the Lawrence Republican which is by far the best paper in the Territory. We had a State Election last Mon and voted on the Ratification of the Topeka Constitution . The Constitution got more votes in this district and Quindaro, Wyandotte and Leavenworth than were polled for Delegates to the Lecompton Const. Convention in the whole territory that looks almost like a Free State Majority.


You will see in the H of F. this last week when Brown speaks of the Apportionment for the 2nd Territorial Legislature he dont dare to say much against it till he sees how his master Gov. W. will regard it. It is the most damning piece of villainy ever perpetrated by any men or set of men. It is fixed so as to give Missourians a chance to carry the Election much easier than they did on the memorable 30th of March 1855. The Lawrence Republican exposes the inequity of it in its full extent and handles the matter very ably indeed. The Editor of it, T.D. Thacher, is a first rate man, has been or was going to study for the ministry, belongs to our Church and is Assistant Supt. in our Sabbath School. I had no black ink and was obliged to take red.



Sun Aug 16th


Where is Appleton? I have heard nothing of him since George saw him in Chicago and, John, do you know anything of him? I have written once or twice to ask Father how the money acct stands between him and myself but I dont see as it does any good to ask questions for I get no answers. I have been breaking prairie on my place for the past week


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