L. S. Hall, M. D., of Augusta, Kans., is one of the pioneer physicians of that section, not that Dr. Hall is an old man, for he is just in the prime of his professional work, but when he began the practice of his profession in 1878, he began at Augusta, which was then a new country. During the days of his early practice on the plains, Dr. Hall had all the experiences of the average pioneer doctor. His practice extended over a large scope of country, the roads were bad and frequently there were none at all, and the doctor just followed the "trail," or rode horseback across the prairie, regardless of trail, and it was not an uncommon thing for him, on some of his eighteen or twenty-mile night rides, to lose his way on the prairie and spend the night by the side of a

friendly hay stack, and when the sun rose next morning, get his bearings and proceed on his mission of administering to the sick and suffering. When he located in Augusta, the entire business district of the town consisted of one store building, which was occupied by Locke's drug store, located just north of where Etterson's store now stands. One of the first calls that Dr. Hall had after coming to Augusta was a confinement case, the birth of Carl F. Buck, who is now a prosperous manufacturer of Augusta, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.

Dr. Hall has been in the practice in Augusta and vicinity since 1878, and has been unusually successful in the practice of his profession. During the years of 1896 and 1897, however, he took a respite from the strenuous practice of medicine on account of failing health, and spent those two years at Clinton, Mo., when he again resumed his practice at Augusta.

Dr. Hall was born at Spencer, N. Y., in 1855, and is a son of H. S. and Cornelia L. (Fisher) Hall, both natives of New York, and descendants of old New York State stock. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Henry H., died in New York City; Mrs. Olive H. Norris, died at Spencer, N. Y.; May F., unmarried and lives at Spencer, N. Y.; Thomas F., El Paso, Tex.; Mrs. Emily C. Woodruff, now a widow and lives at Chautauqua, N. Y.; Dr. L. S., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Rosamond C. Valentine and Mrs. Catherine L. Fisher, both living at Spencer, N. Y. After receiving a good preparatory education Dr. Hall entered Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City, where he was graduated in 1878 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and shortly afterwards came to Augusta and engaged in the practice of his profession as above stated.

Dr. L. S. Hall was united in marriage at Augusta, Kans., in 1880, to Miss Frances Houston, of El Dorado, Kans. Her parents were early settlers in Butler county, coming here from Iowa in the seventies. At the time of her marriage, Mrs. Hall was making her home with an uncle, Rev. L. Harvey, of El Dorado. To Dr. and Mrs. Hall have been born two children, as follows: Mrs. Gertrude E. Watt, the wife of a prominent real estate man of Kansas City, Mo., and Robert L., an employee of the Milwaukee and St. Louis Railway at Aberdeen, S. D.

Dr. Hall is a Democrat, and since coming to Kansas has taken an active part in behalf of the welfare of his party, and furthering the cause of the local Democratic organization. He has served as chairman of the Democratic County Central Committee, the Democratic Congressional Committee, and has also been a member of the Democratic State Committee.

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