Preface 



A Little Book dedicated to tliose wlio, like 

 myself, are trying to better their condition — 

 trying to make a starting point for those of 

 their family that come after them, so that their 

 journey through life might be made just a little 

 easier, so that some of the rough places might 

 be smoothed over and there would be a little 

 more pleasure for them, while for those that 

 go before it is all pioneer life with its attendant 

 hardships. It is to save YOU from the pitfalls 

 that are ever spread before the newc'cmer, that 

 I am writing this booklet, and is a truthful 

 account of my near four years' experience trying 

 to make some money in the SWAMP country of 

 southeast Missouri, the home of the New Atadrid 

 Earthquake of 1811-12. Read it through carefully 

 — heed what I tell you — and I assure you it will 

 be worth $$$$$ to you, while its cost, if anything, 

 is a mere trifle: yet it cost me a-plenty — near 

 four years of the best part of my life and ot 

 my children's school life. 



Compelled to be a philanthropist for near 

 four years, helping to redeem some of this 

 swamp land, I am now willing to continue to be 

 a philanthropist if by so doing I can save some 

 other person from a like fate. Rea'd carefully 

 — read thoroughly. 



Near Four Years in the Swamps of Missouri, 



Which Were :Made by the New IMadrid 



Earthquake of 1811-12. 



American people have the "Hurry" idea; they 



hurry to do this and hurry to do that, and 



oftentimes they hurry into something that a 



little of the "Stop — Look and Listen" principle 



rightfully applied would have saved them years 



of worry and money loss. 1 am taking this 



lesson home to myself and giving it to you, that 



if you want to and will \ou can save yourself 



a like experience. 



In the spring of 1909, having heard of the 

 wonders of southeast Missouri, through our lo- 

 cal real estate agents, Messrs. Hale & Markley, 

 of Bluffton, Indiana, I came here on a pros- 

 pecting trip and spent one day, April 19th, 

 riding out into the country with Mr. J. F, Cox 



of the then C. M. Smith Bros. & Co. real estate 

 agency of Sikeston, Mo. It rained and hailed 

 that day, but 1 saw the country, went back 

 home, told the family what I had seen, read 

 over their profusely illustrated folder of the 

 country and its immense possibilities, and we 

 decided to try it. Right here I should have 

 stopped and studied the country at greater 

 length. A personal friend of mine tried to head 

 me off. Cautioned m.e against collusion among 

 real estate agents to try and skin the unwary; 

 Ijut hadn't I been down here and met the 

 people and knew more about it than he did? 



Although I was a high school graduate, I did 

 not know of the New Madrid Earthquake and 

 its great extent and I did not stop to investi- 

 gate. Here let me call your attention to the 

 fact that our Government does all in its power 

 to keep its people informed, and were you 

 thinking of trying a new country, if you would 

 take up the location with the Geological Depart- 

 ment of the Government I am most sure you 

 would get information to your advantage. It 

 took me quite a while to learn this, and it came 

 about in this way: After being in this country 

 a while naturally I met up with and talked 

 conditions with the people, some of whom had 

 lived most all of their lives here, and the sub- 

 ject of the formation of the land being up. ] 

 asked as to how all these piles of sand occurred 

 and they told me they were sand blows. Then 

 there being some deeper depressions on the 

 farm, I was informed that they were sink holes. 

 Well, these matters rather aroused my interest 

 and a further interest was awakened by the 

 fact that on the 23rd of October, 1909, there 

 was a real earthquake shoik. which was felt 

 generally all over the countrx- that was affected 

 by the earthquake of 1811-12. I give you here 

 what the Post-Dispatch of St. Louis said about 

 this shock, as they gathered their news gen- 

 erally all over the district affected, and what 

 I might say as to personal experience would 

 only be local. 



