The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-04-03
a QUAINT spErf,EH,

QUAINT spEEGEH.
We find the following among the legislative
Proceedings inthN Richmond IVA Enquirer;
MIR. McMuLLEN from the com
mittee on internal Improvement re-
ported the bill providing for road
from the Guyandotte river in Logan
county, to the Kanawha River in
kanawha county. 1t appropriates
the sum Of $4,000.
Onmotion ofMr. McMuLtry, Mr..
Gore, the member of the house of
delegates from Logan, was granted
leave to appear at the bar of the sem
ate to advocate the bill.
The bill beins read
Mr.. Gone said: Mr.. Speaker,
with much embarrassment I arise to
appear before this enlightened BODY.
In pressing this claim for an appro-
priation from the public treasury, it
will be necessary to state some of
the difficulties which this section of
country labors under. We have in
our county high mountains and deep
vailles-we can't get our truck to
market except on horses. for we
have no wagon roads; and we have
to carry salt, which is a bad thine
to carry on horseback, because It
runs and skins the horses. | went
to this county in 1908. 1t was then
desert country. Only four families
had settled in Coal River Valley.
| went there because | had heard
it was a good place for poor man
to raise children, as the ground was
rich and the game plenty. | had
not seen the country, but from what
heard, | thought it would suit me,
as | had five children, and found
them increasing more rapidly than
my means of supporting them. When
| started, there was no road or path
i got lost on the way, and got up
on the mountain, where found that
my horse couldn't get back, and |
was afraid he couldn't get forward,
Tor there was a narrow steep place
for several hundred yards, where
there was hardly room for him to
get down; and if he fell, he would
fall thirty feet and Kill himself. He
was lame, too, and his lame leg next
to the precipicc. was then, Mr..
Speaker, reduced to necessity; and
necessity is the mother Of invention ;
so | tied a rope to the horses tail
and guided him down in safety.
When | got to the county, I had no
time to build house, but stayed in
camp all the winter during which
| killed enough game to furnish nv
family with meat, and cleared
enough to make corn. | had no fem
chg to make, as there were 10 cat
tie there to destroy the truck. We
had no mill in the valley, and we
had to beat our corn in logs. and to
eat the hominy. The nearest mill
was thirty miles beyond the noun
tam, | went TO mill but once in
four years; and that was once often
tener than any Of my ncighbors went.
Our chief dependence was upon
hunting, and game was plenty.
went out one day and killed FIVE
elkS, one bear, and PAINTER.
didn't want to lose the meat, so
skinned all of them and went home
for salt. told my wife what / had
aonc, and you may be sure tod
her = good story; and she was well
PIeased--so much so, that nine
months from that time she brought
me a fine hearty boy. When went
to the county | had five daughters
this was the first son had. From
that time, so long as the elks lasted,
my wife had sons but as soon as
they disappeared, my wife common
ced having daughters again. Om
county is rapidly increasing in pop
uiatlon--l have, myself, done my
part in that way; for, | have 1877
defendants, and do hope I shall in
my old age, be able to see my de-
scendonts hauling their truck and
salt in wagons, which will be the
case, if you all will pass this bill.
H"FeastGf HnOr."- Capt. Free.
mont relates that when he was al
Fort Laramie, in his expedition tc
the Rocky Mountains, he was Otter
invited to "feNst of honor-a doc
feast" He went TO one of them
the women and chil1rcn ,vcrn siItiu,