The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-08-24
IUIIU0I ST lEllN IINER.
.rtSeUomr. Ms Nurust sth. Isl


p. Dear Yd-AlwayS anxious TO enlish,cn
- the world, nd knowing Of no mere cilt ctual
way of do,g il than through your columns,
I l>cize upn this opportunity to send forth
U few lumiary rays TO enable You western
ers to serwhat is going on here III the vi
!. entity ofhe dumping of place.
The fSt thing that attracted my att cnticn
on my rrival here was flaming hand bill
= >isurd JAMES GOIl', from the far wcst,''
!. amounting that he would "Drlivcr leeter
on stip.lngiues, hosS.ssw mills, harvcstin'
an tlaShln' maShinS, praiile-plows and
corn.'lanters, tobac er-stripperS and per-
c tuterhoers, etc, etc. etc.-Admttance one
6Rg Everybody was taking about MIR.
i Cots lecture, and particularly the 'initia
. tloi iee-it Grihg new coin here ; and as
thGe could be no such piece Of money found
u many Of the lately published tables of coins,
sme concluded that it mrnt "admittance
4 fee others, some shilling while some
cclared 1t was "a half CROWN But be.
ore night, Mr.. Colt had fully instructed
he citizens as TO the value Of "bit;" and
a when the doors opened he proved distinctly
. that he understood how 10 take care of il.
=. Al day Mr.. &. had been visiting the va
rouS improvements Of this phase, expressing
his utter aStonshmCnt al tkrir being so far
beHind the west and wheneyera Jonathan
would attempt 10 argue the point with him
lie would cut him short by sayin that, set
you come to hur me tonight think rs how
can satisfy YOU on that pint"
Sowheh evening came every body--la-
DIES aud gentlemtn-tlrncd ont. Aud as /
/ felt some interest in the success of my coun-
/ tryman, | also went. The moment l
60! my eye on him | wa, satisfied that lie
. Was Cpuuina s,SucL toll .l,,, .oIl,,,,
complexion, black hair, knock kneed, and
big tert-hIs nativity could not he mistaken.
The hour for commencing having arrived,
the door with some very strict instructions
was intru,teh to one of the natives, and Mr..
u. took the stand.
The house was already 'Jam full" while
scores were around the door with bit be-
tween their fingers, trying 10 force their
way IN through the crowd. Jim saw that
there was "Iich opening" for at least n
weeks lectuIing, SO he devoted this evening
to an Introductory 10 aseres OF five lectures.
b Now" said he, "thar is 40 yus in yur try
ia 10 compete with tho American Bottom
III the producshn OF wheat, corn, pertaters,
/ and tcIbacker. Why,o continued Mr. g.,
"you mought a, well try TO catch Goldfish
aud heron with your fingers as 10 undertook
to gather our harvest without ma,hinry pro-
PEELED by slim. Five HUNDRED bushels Of
wheat, one thousand bushels of corn, five
thousand bushel, Of psrtatsrs, or forty hogs
heads of terback er to the acre, is scucely an
arveradge crop! What does your fifteen
bushels of Tie per acre amount TO when
compared TO this What are yur petty ten
acre fields aud fifty acre farms when com
pared to our hunderd acre fields and thou
sand acre farm? Why, ladies and gentle
men they would scarcely make pig pen in
the American Bot,omr'
In this strain he continued through the
greater part Of his lectuIe-magnifyinc eve
rythlng at an enormous rate.
Alter the lecture was over n large crowd
collected 1.-THE tavern wercMr & put up. Az
ter taking little around, an old re ntlemau,
quite handsome, with an inteligant coun-
ienance and agreeable manners stepped up
to MIR, &. and tapping him on the shoulder,
remarked,
"lonr statements in reference TO the
crops OF the American bottom were, think,
somewhat exaggerated"
"liev you ever bin thar, stranGerp en-.
CURED Mr.. Colt
"No, sir have never visited the far
weN-I never heard of that bottom you
spoke Of BEFORE"
} see the American Bottom you couldn', DO
hired 10 live her another year. Why, sir,
did you ever hear Of a 'pumkin chaser"
"a pumpkin chase! never in the world"
"Never heard Of a pumpkin chase mo
wcnder you think my remarks exaggera-
shns! Whar SIGH ignorance prevales, a
wise man hasn't anything to do. They
won't b'leve what they can't see with their
, own eyes; and they're too DUN to know
whar to go TO larn. Thar's no use OF ellin'
you anything abont pumkin chase ef you
You won't blcve what said in my lecter!"
ana he Jumped up in passion and was
about 10 leave the room, when number Of
voices shouted out:
"The pumpkin chase !-we'rc bound 10
nave the pumpkin chase give us the
pumpkin chase!" &c., &c.
"1har's 10 use talkin', gentlemen, whar
folks don't know nothin' and when | 60
10 instruct, the ignorant charge for it,
know II ] tell you what pumpkin chase is
: you'll not believe me, and I'm not ut all de-
srous Of benz regarded by YOU as n liar;
bu, If the crowd will agree TO pay my board
bill here for this week / don't know but
III Try and explain 10 you wha, pumpkin
chase is"
"AGree6," said two or three voices.
Mr.. Colt took his position behind chair,
resting both hands on the back, and after
cleansing lis ,hroa, by several hens! he
commenced;
"Gen,lemen, in the American Bottom 10
man is allowed TO plant more thnn one
pumpkin seed. Five days after the seed is
planted the farmer places his fastest horses
around the hill. with saddle and bride on,
aud the best riders he can procure, with
blankets aud provisions. These are kept
around the hill watching 4, day ard night |;
the moment it is ascertained that the seed
is terminating, each rider mounts his horse,
1, aud just as the icrm makes ITS first appear.
, ancc through the ground, the riders start,
" and ] have frequently seen half a dozen
horses killed before the chase was ccr.,'..
= ted. ], my sell, have ridden two to t,.. II
! in one chase"
"But, my dear sir, xhat do they chs y
Z enquired several voices.
"The head ofthe pumpkin vine, ofcrwsr,
to keep IL on, Of the neighbors whea Ids.
. and from blocking up the public highways"
Z al n ...s a A &c