Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1844-01-26

1 "SS' SJOu yOuuSotClSs WIFI tueIT CnlllS YET
smooth. and rifles on their shoulders, kept
in advance of the wagons with long strides
looking as if they were already watching
around the corners Of the streets for game.
There was one striking feature about this
party which leads us to name i. more par
tlcularly. Though travelling on the Sab
bath, and through the little town that was
all quiet and resting from business in rev.
erence of the day, there was tina. in the
appearance of the people that Danish a.
once even the remo.est idea of profana
ton. They were all clean and evidently
appareled in their best Sunday gear. Their
countenances were all sedaie, and the wo-
men wore that mild composure OF visage
$50 pleasantly resigned-so eloquent of
calm spirit-so ready to kindle up into
smiles-that is seen more often among the
church goers. perhaps, than in the ball.
room or boudoir. Some Of the women
carried books, and the pret,iest girl held
hers open before her, as she stepped a
little coquettishly through the dust Of the
road. Whether she was reading, or try>
ing, or pretending to read, it was hard to
tell but the action had naive effect, and
as she passed, she was, no doubt, much
| astonishcd a: strange young gentleman,
who audibly addressed her with
'Nymp, in thy prisons, be all my sins
remembered!
Many other small bodies of these adven-
turo1s travellers crossed our notice at In
dependence. Westport, and encampments,
N ado ;n che ~:....isy ~f s''OSo a'sa osi'Ut
towns but in their largest force we saw
them just after crossing the Kansas river,
about the frs. of June. The Oregonians
were assembled here to the number of six
or eight hundred; and when we passed
their encampment they were engaged in
the election of officers 10 regulate and con
duct their proceedings. 1t was curious
and unaccountablc spectacle to us. AS we
approached we saw large body of men
wheeling and marching about the prairie,
describing evolu,ions, neither recognizable
as savage, civic or military. We soon
knew they were not Indians, and were
not long in setting them down for the en-
| grants but what in the name Of mystery
they were about, our best guessing could
not reduce to any thing in the shape of a
mathematical probability.
On arriving among them, however, we
found that they were only going on with
their elections, IN manner perhaps old
enough, but very new and quizzical to us.
The Candidates stood up in a row before
the constituents, and at given signal they
| wheeled about and marched off while the
general mass broke after them, lck-a-ty
split each man forming in behind his
favorite, so that every candidate flourished
sort of tail of his own, and the man
with the longest tail was elected These
proceedings were continued until a captain
and council of ten were elected; and in
deed, if the scene can be conceived, 1t
must appear rs curious mingling of the
whimsical with the wild. Here was a
congregation Of rough, bold and adventure
GUS men, gathered from distant and oppo-
site sections Of the Union, just forming an
acquaintance with each other, to last, in
all probability, through good or i'll fortune,
through the rest of their days Few of
then, expected or thought of returning to
the states again. They had with them
their wives and children, and aged, DEEPEN
ding relatives. They were going with
stout and determined hearts, to traverse a
wild and desolate region, and take pos.
session of far corner of their country,
destined to prove a new and strong arm OF
a mighty nation. These men were run
ming about the prairie in long strings the
leaders, in sport, and for the purpose of
puzzling the judges, doubling and winding
in the droIlest fashion SO that the all-im-
portant business of forming government
seemed very much like the merry school,
boy game of swapping the whip! 1t was
really very funny to see the candidates tor
the solemn council Of ten run several
hundred yards away TO show off the length
of their tails, and then cut half circle, so
as to turn and admire their longitudinal
popularity in extenso themselves! Run
ming for office is certainly performed in
more literal fashion on the prairie than we
see the same sort of business performed in
town. To change the order OF town
election though. for once, it might Prov:
an edifying exhibition to see mayor and
alderman start from ihe town pump and
run around the courthouse square, the vo.
ters following in behind, and the rival
ticket running the other way. while band
in the middle nigh, tune up for both par.
ties, playing 'Oh, what long tail our
cats got! which we surmise some popu>
lar composer may have arranged for such
an occasion.
After passing them here, we never saw
the Oregonians again. They elected a
young lawyer Of some eminence. as we
are told, named Burnett, as their captain,
and engaged an old mountaineer, known