Reprinted from Kansas City Times in the Carlisle Mirror; April 19, 1878.
The tide of emigration that has set in like a flood since the first opening of spring has become a matter of general comment, but so far nothing has been definitely known regarding the settlement of the various parties that have passed through Kansas City farther than that they nearly all settled in the State of Kansas.
In obedience of instructions your correspondent left Kansas City last Wednesday morning and proceeded to St. Louis to accompany one of the largest colonies that has ever come to this country to settle at one time. And, !mowing the great interest that prevails regarding these accessions to the population of Kansas, will endeavor to give the readers of the Times some idea of the manner in which such locations are made.
The train with which we started from St. Louis was loaded with a colony from Franklin, Dupham, York and Cumberland counties, Pennsylvania, and were sent out under the auspices of the Penn Township Colonization Society of the Cumberland Valley. They consist of 69 full-grown men, with their families, the whole summing 303 souls in all. They have a regular colonial organization, with regularly installed officers, who act under a constitution. They are, with but few exceptions, highly intelligent, ordinarily educated farming people, and having weighed the consequences consequent upon a move to an entirely strange and new country, have come prepared with sufficient means to carry them through any of the difficulties that have been a stumbling-block to so many coming West to find homes; and, as was said before, are from the best class of Cumberland Valley farmers—self-reliant, plucky and preserving—making one of the greatest acquisitions to the country that have as yet settled.
The entire colony number over 500 people, and are in two sections, this one, the first, being under the direction of the President, Mr. S.J. Killian. The second section is one day behind. They come through from Harrisburg, in a special train of cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad, with ample provisions and accommodations for baggage and all conveniences possible. By special arrangement entered into by Col. C. K. Lord, General Passenger Agent of the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern Road, the Special train was run through to Kansas City over that line without transfer. Col. Lord met the parry at the Union Depot in St. Louis and was untiring in his endeavors to see them afforded every convenience possible. Engines of the St. L., K. C. & N. company were attached to the train and it started out soon after the regular passenger train, and ran through to Kansas City without accident or incident. The officers of the colony express great satisfaction at the attention they received.
On arriving at Kansas City Thursday afternoon a transfer was made to the cars of the Kansas Pacific, which occupied several hours. Mr. P. B. Groat, the General Passenger Agent, and Mr. A. Rodelheimer, Land Agent, were at the depot and superintended the transfer, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing the entire party comfortably accommodated in the coaches of that line. Great care was taken in handling the baggage, and every precaution possible was shown to insure a safe and comfortable send off to the new comers. An agent of the road accompanied the party and no pains were spared to make them feel at home.
Editorial Note. This list of Kansas emigrants from Penn Township, Cumberland County, was made by Dr. S.M. Whistler. It was printed in Carlisle Herald, April 4, 1878, and reprinted the next day in the Carlisle Mirror; from which it is reprinted here.