Saw Man 106 Years Old
	     Used to Own the Farm Where Delta is Located

Los Angles, Calif.---Perhaps a few lines from this far off city of
sunshine and flowers would be read with interest by some of your
readers.  We left Des Moines the 30th of September and arrived here
the 5th of October by way of Omaha, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Salt
Lake City, Ogden, Sacramento, Oakland and down the coast line, which
part of the way gave us a fine view of the ocean, in all 2730 miles.
Three hours too late for the train Saturday evening we were in Oakland
all day Sunday, a city about the size of Des Moines.  We observed the
saloons were open all day for business besides a number of other
business houses. This city is not overdrawn for its fine climate. No
wind or rain since we arrived here and flowers around nearly every
house. The city is improving very fast and tourists coming in by the
score.
  A pleasant outing is to run down to the beaches 18 to 20 miles away
on one of the numerous electric car lines and sit and watch the grand
old ocean waves arise and wash the sandy beach.
  We were at Long Beach a few days ago and came across a man,
Mr. Overton, who is now 106 years old, who once owned the land where a
part of Delta now stands. The old gentleman is quite spry yet. We were
very much interested in relating the happenings of long ago,
expecially Mrs. M., as she taught school in the little long house near
Mr. Overton's residence 48 years ago. They call to mind the Scotts,
McNabs and others. Mr. O. attributes his longevity to his temperate
habits in eating drinking, and nonuse of tobacco and is well preserved
for his age.

With the pleasant and lovely things we can write about this country we
are called on sometimes to chronicle sad news and that is our act
now. On the 7th of the present month we received a telegram from our
son-in-law, E. C.  Bellows, 7 miles north of Fort Scott, Kansas, that
Ettie, our second daughter, was dead.  She was stricken with apoplexy
and lay unconscious seven hours and passed away. She was born in
Lafayette township, Keokuk county, 43 years ago.  She leaves besides
her husband and two children aged seven and eight, father, mother four
brothers and two sisters, and numerous friends wherever they have
lived to mourn the loss of one such noble Christian character.  The
body was taken to Des Moines and laid away in beautiful Woodland
cemetery.
----Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Morgan.
handwritten notes: Mrs. Morgan=Mary Jane Matthews [bottom] November 1903 [top]

Transcribed 1995, Lyman Morrison, publication unknown.