Maumee express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1837-1838, 1838-05-05

MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Literary Souvenir for 1888.
A DAY ON LAKE ERIE.

descendeo 10 the engine deck. a
small circle Of listeners had gathered
round tall old gentleman. in whom !
Immediately recognized fellow sufferer
during long days travel over corduroy
road; in one of the denominations called
Kalamazoo stages. He signed himseliCo-
lionel in the hotel registers, and had been
politically CONSPICUOUS for several years.
Taking my arm, he proposed a stroll
about the boat. He seemed to be ac-
quainted with the majority Of our fellow
passengers, their occupations and pur-
suits !; and he depicted their peculiarities
with graphic brevity and force.
That pale thin young man is Phi
ladelphian. He was well educated, and
the blossoms of his life promised golden
fruits. Misfortunes, partly the effects of
his own imprudence, reduced him to po-
verify he went to the far west, and
passed two miserable years in the dis
trict of the mines. He worked on tn.
soil with his own hands, like the COM
monest iaboler; and after many fruit
less diggings, he had at last the fortune
to strike upon lode of metal, as it is
called, of considerable value. He will
be very rich. He is now journeying
to reclaim his aged mother from indi-
gence, and to see if the girl of his affec-
tions had preserved his remembrance.
His patient labor at Galena has oblitera-
ted the faults Of his former life, and he
deserves to be happy--but his hectic
cheek and attenuated form tell of con-
sumption, and fear me he will not re-
turn
That florid- faced man in the Boston
wrapper who paid double fare Tor the
luxury OF state room for himself alone,
and insisted upon retaining it, maugre
the remonstrances of several unaccom-
modated married men and their ladies'
that man embarked to cross this lake, 6
years ago, without the price Of his pas
sage in his pocket. The Captain put
him ashore at Cleveland he worked on
the canal as day luborer, and after
wards opened log house for the sale
ofrum, and made several hundred dol
lars in a short time. He then progress
sed across the Peninsula to the shores
of Lake Michigan, and fixed his grog
shanty in swamp near the mouth Of
one Of the rivers. An appropriation
was made by Congress 10 form harbor
there-the rum seller walked to the land
office, and entered fifteen hundred acres
of the locality al the government price.
He is now worth half a million of mo-
ney.' -' .
That is an English farmer. saw
him yesterday at the window Of the
landot1ice. securing portion ofthc pub
lie domain which had pleased his fancy.
His wife and children, and two brothers,
were left at New York; he has been on
a short tour OF observation, and now
returns to fetch them to his location: in
a few weeks they will be settled in the
bosom of the wilderness.--l saw him
jump aboard the boat this morning with
the elastic spring ofhope and joy. He
came forth like dove-like messenger
in search ofland, and now returns with
glad tidings and ardent hope Of rich
success. One such emigrant is worth
a dozen of the idle skulking knaves who
crowd our seaboard, and rot in laziness
and rags
That good looking man. with a large
breast-pln, and chain Of gold conspic-
uously displayed across his preast, is
q blackleg of the viIest class. He is
insinuating himselfinto the society Of
those young men for the purpose of ma
king up card party, when the work of
plunder will commence. He has scar
upou the back Of his left hand-I will
tell you how 1t was gained He was
travelling down the Mississippi in COM
pany with some southerners, and succee-
ded in provoking them TO gamble. One
ofthem soon became heavy loser-he
foul play, and narrowly
watched the strangers conduct.--He
soon discoved the blackleg secreted the
winning cards Of the pack. and produ-
ced them at his pleasure. The souther-
ner had lost heavily-morc, indeed than
he could afford--when he saw the end
Of a card peeping out from beneath the
others outstretched hand, that was ly-
ing fiat upon the table. He drew his
spring back dirk from his pocket. and
with one jerk, drove it through the hand
ofthe gambler, deep into the top Of the
table. He was compelled TO remain,
nailed to the place with the evidence Of
this villainy perfectly visible, till every
body on board the boat had been invi-
ted to look at him, that they might know
and avoid him for the future. All his
winnings were taken from him, and he
was put ashore at the first wooding