The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-20
rDo, AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.
srosr LONESOME, Oct. ], 1851

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SrosY LoSIsoAn, Oct ], 1851
NJ n... F,,.rp, You complain Of my long silence
md rrDroac me with breach Of promise in not giving
ON stscb ~ some more Of the notabIes Of the proms
inc y Of Peepolis which has been lately promoted TO
sat among the great emporums of Lawrence, Leayen-
vortb Iecompton and other premature infants born
like Minerva full grown, in Kansas, and divers other
l.oes NV apology must DO absence Of some weeks
from home Ia pursuit of very interesting object
think Iintrnated to you in one of my letters that
b evil sirit of had lately completely be-
devied and sophisticated the once quiet harmless IN
babitants Of Pcscpoi, who, content with Inc adVan
ares il has pleased Heaven to besow on them quietly
employed themselves in cutiyating the earth, and at
tending 20 then everyday business never dreaming OF
taking in their neighbom in bargain. There never,
believe was more harmless industrious set Of people,
or more humble happiness In any little community
But sin an evil hour and accused minute, Sancho
aid when they made hma governor there came among
like roaring lion seeking whom he might deyour, thin,
long sided long legged and long headed cosmopolite
yclept Jonathan Goahead who in little while turned
every brain in the village upsdedown He discovered
at glance that the village possessed great capabilities
for Improvement In the first place, it provident
ally located where two great roads from the east and
west ends Of the county crossed each other In the
ond place it commanded great water power, having a
stream which though half the year dry only required
rain which everybody knew cheap article to make
capable OF turning at least sixty thousand spndles
. In the third place there place 80 happily
adapted to the terminus Of railroad and ourthly and
lastly it was in the direct route from Passamaquoddy to
California This he proved by map he had himself pro-
ected from the latest authorities Butt before proceeding
further / must describe Mr.. Jonathan Goahead moro
! graphically.
He is as previously intnatcd tall, thin, wiry man.
seemingly all spirit and no flesh, all legs and body
His eyes are small and black, and question whether
they at rest In his sleep They are always
in notion and have themselves so deep IN their
sockets they remind Of light at the bottom of WELL
Mr. oahead Is however with them for he is as busy
as his eyes, though he to have particular bust
ness except talking He is in fact pubicspred man.
always working for the benefit of Others for his
own His great forte is letting people into the secret Of
making money without labor, and growing rich without
being worth penny The world is too slow by half for
him. and he is for pushing the lazy, numbering machine
before him in spite of itself He it is all
to suppose it can't go faster 1t is only to apply
power and you may make it spin round like top.
This thunderbolt of boy" he calls himself
talk by the hour if not by the day, fast Caleb
Quoem, His tongue is as active his eyes, and his
body is still for moment He may be at all
hours stridng about the village with his long legs as
nobody tell what the deuce he is after If he
counters vllager he stops short seizes him by the
button and begins to talk of banks railroads. water
power, and all sorts of public improvements and how
easy is for any in the village to double the value
of bis property in six months instead Of waiting per-
/ haIs, hundred years.
by these and other means Mr. Goahead has set every
soul in the village q beg pardon the city, agog to
grow rich by coup dc The spiiit of public i'm
proyement has got into them all-young, old, and
middle-aged land occupies them to the exclusion of
all useful occupations Instead of attending their
farms, they listening to Mr. Goahead or securing
the country in all directions attending meetings for
the construction of railroads other public i'm
pTovement nsomuch that apprehend great scarcity
the necessities of life the coming winter Streets
opening in all directions instead of the modest two-sory
houses in which the good people nestled comfortably
huge palaces rising in all directions If there
to be no more poor people in the world splendid hotels
erecting, though according to the best Of my recol
lection, there not twenty visitors year our town
But Mr. Goahead has discovered mineral spring close
by OF superior medical virtues and assures them that
this In addition to the beauty of the country and the
splendid accommodations at the hotels will undoubtedly
attract crowds of fashionable people, or as he says beau
ty and fashion In short my dear friend there SO
many streets opening, many houses pulling down and
middle of the Streets many vaults and yawn-
ing in all directions that the city without
serious apprehensions Of either tumbling into pit
being overwhelmed by pile of falling bricks or having
my head broke by piece of lumber precipated from the
top Of one of the vesory palaces in of erection
bore this very phosophicay, being out of the vor-
tex of all this hubbub But let man hug himself in
the deusion Of being beyond the reach of the malice
fortune. One day rumor reached mine ear that Mr.
Goahead had proposed to the corporation of Persepos to
open broad avenue from Centre Squarethe court end
Of the city, where all the mllionares are building pal
aoes-nght through the beautiful lawn in front of nv
house, which you know in that would become the
rear in other words the house would be turned back
side in front Before had time to digest this pill Mr.
doahead called to say that the corporation had
agreed to his PLAN and passed resolution accordingly
swore would resist such invasion of my property
but Mr. Goahead politely informed that though at some
distance from the town. my grounds included in the
limits assigned to it by the act of Incorporation and
therefore subject TO the discretion of the board of alder
/ men. III. 5a#a. tt # Elk
Besides my dear sir, said Mr. Goahead sit will
increase the value of your property at least three hun
I dred per cent
Not to me sir, said !, 81 don't want TO sell it. My
farm produces just much if it worth times
4 it's present value. -
a mot sell il' said Mr. Goahead sNot sell lei Why,
what is property made for but to sell
That very evening formed my determination / re-
solved to make journey in search of place that