Daily national Democrat., 1858-12-04
Have the DlTrers Henrtsi

Have the Dlggers Henrts'
One would suppose, to look at the speci-
mems, everywhere at hand, of this truly de-
graded and inferior race, that they were al
most if not wholly destitute of all human
affections, or, at any rate, Of those which are
of a more exalted nature. This may be, as a
general statement, very nearly the case
But, short unvarnished story, which we
shall here take the liberty of relating to our
readers, will show that if it be true that this
is the general rule, there are at least exeep
ceptions to it. And it is n true tale that we
"are gaun to tell"
A company of American hunters were up
/ in the northern mountains of California, one
summer, enjoying the luxury Of such life as
belongs to the hardy mountaineer They
took with them, on mules and horses, their
sugar and coffee, SALT flour, and such other
provisions as were not obtainable by the hun
ters skill, their cooking utensils, ct ceterd, and
moved from place to place, as caprice or a
desire for localities more plen,ifully abound
ing in game might dictate In their Journey
ings they settled down at last on beautiful
stream which was the haunt of one of the
widest of the Digger tribes. Here, they cul.
tiyated the acquaintance of the naked barba.
tire confidence, and, strange as it may seem,
actually with one or two eXceptions) asked
for and obtained young Digger squaws as
wives. They were not handsome, neither
were they rery ugly, but they seemed anna
4 zingly to adore their white lords. One Of
these white lords was well educated Young
! families in the Atlantic States The other
! Yabite Digger for white) husbands were un
educated and rude men who were as happy
with a simple Digger squaw as they would
have been with the most intelligent and beau.
tiful white woman in the world, probably
happier, and they are still living, we believe,
with their Digger wives in the mountlins.-
But, the young man, to whom we alluded,
soon became tired of his life among the Dig
gers, grew weary of his Digger squaw, left
her with the promise of speedily returning,
went back to the Atlantic States and there
married beautiful and accomplished young
lady, who lives in blissful ignorance of hav-
ing had dusky predecessor in the romantic
land of California. But it is not with her
that we have to deal, but with the forsaken
Digger squaw. Perhaps, the reader, had he
not read our PREDATORY remarks would sup
pose that the barefoot, briefly -skirted daugh-
ter of the woods shed few natural tears at
her lords departure, which were speedily
dried, waited few weeks, perhaps months,
for his return, and, finding that he was not
coming back, consoled her grief and termina-
ted her widowhood with new and duskier
choice. Not so; she wept his absence night
and day-"pined IN thought"-hid herself
away in secret places that she might mourn
ndisturbed-refused the proffered protection
of all suitors who came to her fathers camp |
and became living monument of melancholy
and despair. At last, she gave birth to a lit
tie blue eyed boy, which, we have been told,
was the very image of its white father
Bearing this little innocent result Of a most
singular union in her arms, the poor mother
might be often seen around the old haunts
where she had wandered with her lover. 1t
is a fact, that she has often been seen to bend
over her infant in an agony of grief and shed
a wild flood of apparently exhaustless tears
AnXiously would she inquire of every white
stranger that she met ifhe had heard of her
wandering lover. Aftera while, she vanish
ed from among the camps, leaving her little
one behind, and was seen no more. She had
grieUed herself to death. Her poor simple,
Digger heart had broken, under its weight Of
misery and heap Of sand now marks the
spot where her ashes lie (for the Diggers fire.
quently burn their dead before they bury
them) on the banks of that mountain stream
beside whose musical waters she had lived
and loved.
VIII any one say, now, that the poorest of
Gods human creatures are not worthy at
least of some small degree of kind regard?