The Morrills and Reminiscences - C. H. Morrill

tons of ore must have been transported from this old mine.
Near the mine there was a small mountain or hill, fully half of which had been removed. Through the center of this was a thin vein of turquoise. The Mexicans and Indians placed a high value on turquoise for ornamental purposes.
While at the mining camp I received a note from Governor Wallace in which he said that I had better arrange to be in Santa Fé on the following Sunday. When I arrived he informed me that since nearly all of the Mexicans were Jesuits they would hold a very interesting ceremony on Sunday. The season had been extremely dry. There was little or no irrigation and the crops in the valleys were suffering for moisture. It was the purpose of the Jesuit priests to appeal to the Virgin Mary, asking her to intercede with the Almighty in behalf of the drought-stricken people. On Sunday morning a procession was formed at the Mission church. This procession was led by a band. Then came several priests followed by two hundred boys, carrying spears the tips of which were painted red to resemble blood. Then came four men carrying a litter on which was an image of the Virgin Mary, seated in a small chair, followed by two hundred girls dressed in white, and after these came perhaps two thousand Mexicans. A hollow square was formed in the plaza, with Mary and the priests in the center. The priests recited in Latin. An appeal was made to Mary. She was thanked in advance and blessed by the priests.

The crowd dispersed and the Virgin Mary was returned to her accustomed pace in the church. I was told that if it failed to rain the following week, Mary would be more forcibly reminded of her duty on the next Sunday. No rain came, and the same performance was repeated. The priests were more vehement in their demand that in some way Mary bring the much needed rain. The rain came in a few days, and on the Sunday following Mary was again on parade. Many prayers of thanks were offered and Mary was commended for the great blessings she had brought to mankind.
     The territorial state capitol, occupied by Governor Wallace, was a one-story adobe building, with walls rather more than four feet in thickness. The Governor informed me that there was no record to show when, or by whom, this building was constructed. He also said that the only history to be found of past conditions, when the country was under Spanish and Mexican rule, was tradition, which was conflicting and unreliable.
     While at Santa Fé I visited the Pueblo Indian agency. I was told that there were less than one thousand of these Indians at that time. They seemed very sad, never a smile being seen on their faces. In this they resembled the Aztec Indians of Mexico.
     General Wallace often referred to a book he was writing. This no doubt was Ben Hur, which came out soon afterward.
     After remaining in Santa Fé two months we decided to return to Nebraska. I have no information that successful paying mines have since been developed in

     The year 1880 started out with prospects for fine crops. Nebraska never looked better. The Union Pacific railroad had already sold most of its land in the eastern and central part of the state at prices ranging from four to seven dollars per acre. The Burlington lands had been sold at twenty-five cents to ten dollars an acre. I think my friend C. W. Kale² is, at the present time, the owner of six hundred and forty acres near Red Cloud that he purchased at twenty-five cents an acre, from A. E. Touzland, land commissioner for the Burlington. Most of the land, belonging to the Burlington, was sold to settlers.
     During the month of July chinch bugs attacked the wheat, and it yielded only about half a crop. In August dry weather set in, and between the chinch bugs and the drought, the corn crop was materially damaged, and in many localities, ruined. In the seventies, farmers were kept poor by short crops, and the failure in 1880 seemed to convince many of them that successful farming in Nebraska was extremely doubtful.
     General Van Wyck was a candidate for United States senator, and made up his mind that it would be good politics to attack the railroads. In 1880 he canvassed

¹ Printed in the Nebraska State Journal, Fall of 1915.
² Hon. Charles W. Kaley died January 6th, 1917.

the state. It was interesting and amusing to watch his methods of campaigning. He wore an old, dilapidated slouch hat, a long linen duster with numerous grease spots thereon, and other garments to match. Clad in this fashion he went from county to county, appealing to the voters for their support. I was present at a meeting held in Stromsburg, where he made a vicious attack on the pass system then being practiced by the railroads. A farmer arose and requested the privilege of asking a question, and on being told to proceed, said, "General Van Wyck, do you travel on passes?" The General was equal to the occasion. He looked at the audience for a moment over the top of his eyeglasses and replied, "O, yes, yes, I have a pocket full of passes. I want you, my friends, to know that in war it is always good policy to forage on the enemy." The crowd laughed and the General lost none of his popularity.
We had the honor of entertaining the General and his wife overnight at our home. We lived on the farm and our accommodations were of the early frontier type. We were just farmer folk and had no servants. Our guests seemed to be at home and appeared to enjoy our way of living. In the morning I was up early doing the chores, and the General followed me about, asking questions and making suggestions. He said, "We farmers should try to grow all our food," and then he told about the big crop of sorghum he had grown the previous year on five acres in Otoe County. When I expressed my regret that I had not planted sorghum, he kindly offered to send me a keg if I would


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