Decatur County Journal Leon, Decatur County, Iowa June 01, 1899 A VISIT TO "ELK". Once more I hitched old Ransom to the senatorial chariot and started south. I called on A.S. Ross. Shaffer and Aunt Mary are a fine old couple, a benefit to this valley. I called on Uncle Cris Osborne. I found him suffering from a cancer. Uncle Cris and wife are old pioneers. When he first settled on Elk, those fine farms that surround him now, were wild rolling prairie inhabited by the red men. Ye correspondent has been acquainted with him for 35 years and found him a straight out Christian. Across the road lives Ed Whetstone. Ed is clearing up a new farm and makes the wilderness blossom like the rose. Well, I sailed around to Charley Millsap. Charley and Mid are clearing out a new farm. Charley said he voted for Bryan and ten cent corn. He has l,500 bushels of corn now to sell. He gets 35 cents for it. He says if the Lord will forgive him he will go and sin no more. Well, here I am at Fair Naylor's. Fair has rented his father's farm and I found him hard at work and ye correspondent got his start that way. I just drove for Billy Bronson's. Billy is feeding a fine lot of hogs and cattle and has got convincing ways. He soon convinced me that it was time for dinner. Well, I couldn't get Ransom to move another step. After dinner I bid Billy goodbye, and I tell you Ransom just sailed for Jack Hembry's. I found Jack laying under the shade of a boxelder. I first thought Jack dead, but he had got up at 4 o'clock and planted l5 acres of corn by noon. I pulled north past Billy Akers'. Billy is a neat farmer and a true blue. Emmett Kyle is the next stop. Emmett has just built a new house on his farm near Center School House. Well, I turned south for George Beck's. George took me for a government inspector. He led me down in his cellar and there I inspected some of the best elderberry wine I ever saw. Well, I will say it is 180 proof test. As the sun is fast setting in the western horizon so I pulled for John Andrew's. John and Evaline know how to make home pleasant. I turned Ransom out to grass and backed the old chariot into the barn and put up for the night. ~ Author unknown. Copied by Nancee (McMurtrey) Seifert Wednesday, June 20, 2001

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