Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-07-14
[ From the Chicago Chfonotype. !
1ha II busters.

hlm-Were he 10 travel through the
country--is William Walker. Curiosit,
would prompt people to run after him a:
II once did 10 run after Black Hawk, Dav,
Crockett, or Lola Montez. They are
curious to see man who has attracted St
much attention during the last few wears
nor does 1t matter TO them what has been
The nature o. the service; whether it has
been ruihlessly butchering women and
children, burning 10 vns and murd eripp
prisoners, or whether it has been perfor-
ming deeds of galIantry and heroism.-- -
They still want to e him, and for few
weeks or months he will be hero, and
alter that he will be what nature intend
ed him TO be-nothing.
The hl.busterlng expeditions in which
Walker figured were not originated bv
/ hhseif. They had their origin in minds
OF larger capacity than his, and dated
lack 10 period when he was a briehess
lawyer IN Marysylle or a newspaper ed
iior at San Francisco. The leading
spirits IN all these forays were Henry a !.
Crabb; Solomon Heydenfeldt, and Ed
mund Randolph. Crabb was an old wing
| politician from Alabama State Senator
IN California, man of bound!ess ambi-
tion, and most intense prejudices. Hey-
denfeldt was long Judge of the Supreme
Court OF California, a man OF narrow ca
| pacity, and Judgment sadly wrapped by
| political ideas, and arsocratlc in his feel
| lngs beyond endurance. His ambition
| was to be rich planter, or ranchero with
the same domestic institutions as existed
In his ni'lve 5 at, and where he could
have his thousands Cf acres and lhousands
OF servants, aud live in a style of orinent-
al magnificene. The last of this trio, Ed
mund Randolph, was man of more abiI-
iiy than all the rest of them, but eccentric,
mlsanthropic and excessively poor. There
were other men of influence and standing
besides these, who sympathized with
them, among whom were S. W. Inge,
Y. ). District Attorney for the Northern
| District of California, and A. p. Criten-
den, his law partner, who was Walkers
confidential friend and Agent IN Calfor-
MIA. The United States authorities were
supposed to sympathize with all these fill.
clustering movements, and they certainly
wInked al many acts that We're clearly
unlawful
While these men were plotting some
way 10 advance their own political for
tunes, and OF introducing the domestic IN
stltutlon of the South to the shore of the
Pacific. William Walker, under their
encouragement, undertook, the invasion of
| Lower California and Sonora. He had
no sympathy at the commencement of his
lawless career with the men who have
more recently been his allies. He cared
nothing for The institution of slavery, and
was always understood In California to be
an antl-extensonist. He certainly acted
IN conjunction with that portion of the
democratic patty most bitterly hostile TO
the political schemes of the men before
alluded 10. But he was a man of action
he thlrsted for notoriety, and so he
started off on the first wild expedition into
Lower California and Sonora. The
others favored hin, for they believed if
ne met with any success they could step
IN and gain the ascendency and control
the poillcal destiny of any country tha,
nght be acquired. Walker, however,
cut a ridiculous figure there, and was
soon driven out, after having made as
many swelling proclamations as ever did
! WIllhemus kelft or even Bonbastes Fu-
rioso.
Defeat could net subdue the ambition
| OF Walker, and his next expedition was
| the famous descent on Nicaragua He
had learned by this time that his only
| nope was IN close affiliation with men OF
political proc iv.ties like Crabb in Cali
Iornia and Pierre SouIe of louisiana
He therefore broke with his old political
associates in CaliforLil, and became a
| lf.rt nj . h.A e Il
sionists. Crabb; HeydenfeIdt, and Crit
tenden, were giving him all the aid in
! their power, and encouraging every BODY
to 60 and join the army OF Walker. Bu
Walker 5 success was long doubtful The
actual leaders or movers OF the wires, ex-
cepting only Randolph, kept away from
the scenes of war. They used Walker as
a puppet, as he was brave and fond of
| hghung; intending, as soon as he was
fairly established, 20 step in and supersede
him. But, alas. their schemes all failed
and when Crabb found that ne could never
nope 10 reach the Scna,e Of the United
States by way of the Nicaragua route. he
turned his eyes towards Sonora, and got
up the lll-fated expedition which ended SO
dlsastrousIy to all concerned.
d
said OF Woolsey, " of an unDocnded stom-
ach.' He was man who would always
be a leader. He could not act n subor-
dInate capacity. As a whig, he made the
wing party of California endorse his Pc
cullar views; as a Know.Nothing, he
was at the head of the party in the State.
And yet he was a man of ordinary talents.
As a speaker, he was slow and unimpres-
slve, as writer, he had no pretentions
above mediocrity, and yet he was born to
rule, a man of social habits and afable
manners, dearly beloved by his friends
and inveterately disliked by his foes
He was a man of some heart, of which
Walker is not. He acted from principle
united with ambition. Walker was ever
aciuated by grovei.ng ambition for no
torIety.
The unhappy men who followed Crab
, IN his wild and fool hardy expedition were
If i L