Kansas Charley Moves On and On

Goodbye Charley Miller, Hello Kansas Charley

Aug 21, 2006 Mary Trotter Kion

Kansas Charley goes to Kansas to live with a family not far from where his brother lives. He steals some clothes and runs away.

Kansas Charley, after being with his brother Fred and the Loofbourrow family for only a few months, was sent to Randolph, Kansas. There, he lived with the Colt family and worked at their newspaper office. He was only some five miles from Leonardville, Kansas where Fred lived so could see his brother on occasion. This was really Charlie's big change to learn a useful trade.

Charley, Charley, Where Have You Gone?

After just a few months with the Colt family Charley hit the road again. This time, as he stated later, there were no whippings. Later, his brother Fred stated that Charlie had "behaved badly" while with the Colts and couldn't settle anywhere. Also later, after Charley was cooling his heels in the Cheyenne, Wyoming jail awaiting his fate, he said that the Colts didn't clothe him. Whether this was to mean that they refused him warm clothing or the clothing they provided were not up to his taste in style is only suspect. True, the two old suits that Charley possessed were outgrown and overworn. He'd had them since leaving the orphan asylum and they had already been secondhand when he'd first received them. So perhaps Charley did have some right to complain. And, as previous, he was drawing no wages, therefore had no means of his own to purchase what he thought suitable.

Youthful and Windy Revenge Taken

Taking revenge in his own way, Charley made his escape but not before he helped himself to some shirts and a valise belonging to the Colts. Now, at least partly reclothed, he headed north on the Union Pacificto Omaha and Council Bluffs. But his new wardrobe was short possessed. Somewhere along the way the fierce prairie winds whipped up and took its own revenge by blowing open the valise and carrying away not only the stolen shirts but nearly every stitch that Charley owned except for what he wore.

Although he was headed east to where his sister Carrie lived, somehow the state of Kansas had made an impression on him. Somewhere in this recent wild flight he began to think of himself, not as Charley Miller but, at age fourteen, as Kansas Charley.

Kansas Charley Moves On and On: Goodbye Charley Miller, Hello Kansas Charley , continues on August 21, 2006, with