Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-10-21
The Overland California Mail.

Il nC OSCEIunU SsehhhOIBbd Iustlus
There were great rejoicings in ST. Louis
on Saturday last, OH the arrival of the first
mail from San Francisco, overland, under
care of Mr.. Butterfeld one of the contrac-
tors and Mr.. Bailey, mail agent. The
mail was but twenty-four days from San
Francisco; shortening therefore our mail
facilities with the Pacific Coast some ten
days. Ofcourse the time will be improv-
ed when arrangements are perfected, so as
to reduce the time to perhaps twenty days.
This mail is to he semi-weekly one. The
St. Louis Republican of Monday; 1lth,
says:
Nine years ago, when the discovery of
gold in Califarnia led to the immense emf
grafton in that State, it was regarded as an
expeditions trip if made from the Missis-
sippi to the Pacific in eighty to one hun
dred days. Thousands were occupied
much longer time, and hundreds perished
on the wayside. The establishment of this
mail route, and of the route from St. Jo-
sephs to Utah, and thence to Sacramento,
has changed the whole current of things;
and it is now demonstrated on a first trial,
and under adverse circumstances, that it is
practicable to carry mail and passengers
from ST. Louis to San Francisco in twenty
four days; and this will be reduced if nee
essary below twenty days. We rejoice
over this result, because we have all along
predicted it could be done, not precisely on
the line over which the travel has been
made, and because it must soon become
the great mail route between the Eastern
and Western oceans. Our citizens will
not now wait for semi-monthly communi-
cation across the Isthmus, when they can
avail themselves of semi-weekly mail
by the overland route, thereby gaining time
aud additional facilities. Very soon, too,
the stages will be crowded with passengers,
called by business or pleasure to travel
East or West, and not year will have
passed away before this route will be made
perfectly secure by the establishment of
stations at short distances, where settle
ments will grow up, and the accommoda-
tions will be as good as they were thirty
years ago between St. Louis and Philadel-
phia.
Mr.. Baily, an agent of the Post Office
Department, we believe, was the only pas
senger who came through last night, the
others having stopped at Springfield from
fatigue. Mr.. Baily being called out by
gentlemen who had assembled at the Plan
ters' House, on the occasion, gave brief
but interesting history of his trip. The
great difficulty in the was the want of wa
ter, in some of the deserts, but this was
remedied to very considerable extent, by
the foresight of the company, in sending
water forward for the use of the animals
The company has more than two hundred
stations on the road. Mr.. Bailey believes
that all the difficulties which attend this
trip will be overcome liz u short time, and
he proclaims the whole enterprise 81 per-
feet success" The Indians gave them no
trouble. ...
Mr.. Bailey stated that at least four days
time were lost on the trip from causes
which will not likely occur again. The 1st
462 miles from San Francisco to Los An
gelos were travelled in eighty hours the next
2s2 miles from Los Angeles to Fort Yuma
in seventy-two hours and twenty minutes;
the next 26O miles from Gort Yuma 10
Tucson in seveniy-one hours forty-five min
ules; the next $50 miles from Tucson to
Franklin in eighiy-two hours; the next
42s miles from franklin to Fl. Chadbourne
in one hundred twenty-six hours thirty
minutes; the next 282 miles from Ft. Chad
bourne to Colbert's Ferry (Red River) in
sixty five hours twenty-five minutes; the
next 1872 miles from Colbert's Ferry TO Fit.
Smith in thirty y-eight hours; the next 3Is
miles from Fort Smith to Upton in forty
eight hours and tifty-tive minutes; the next
l6O miles from Upton to St. Louis eleven
hours and forty minutes.
This mail, of course, brought the latest
news from the Pacific Coast. The particu-
lars of the death of Lieutenant Allen, of
the army, who was reported as killed by
the Indians, are given, by which it appears
that he may have been killed by his own
men. The Portland (Oregon) Standard
of September lst, says:
We have the statement that the circum-
Allen were somewhat as follows: There is
division among the tribes West of the
Columbia river relative to fighting troops.
Some desire to fight, and others wish to
make peace. Ouhi and Qualehien decided
to remain hostile, while Cothaute and
Chosbosekan, with their families, were for
peace. The latter separated from the hos
tile, and taking with them their families,
were proceeding towards Sirncoe. They
met Major Garnetts command, and the
chiefs entered his camp with flag of truce;
they represented themselves and their peo
pie as friendly. Blu: an Indian who was
with Garnet's command reported that
among these Indians were four who were
in the fight against Robertson, and that
the chiefs had lied when they said all in
their camp were friendly. This induced
Major Garnett to retain the chiefs as priso-
ners, and to order Lieu. Allen with de-
tachment to surround the Indian camp
while the Indians were asleep. "
Accordingly, about 2 o'clock on the
morning of the 18th, he, with one or two
of his men, went into the Indian camp,
while the remainder Were stationed in read
mess to fire at the first signal of distress
Lieut.. Allen attempted TO rouse them from
their sleep, when one Of them jumped up
aud started to run away, and Allen fired
at him. At the discharge of his gun the
whole camp was aroused, and Aliens men
outside fired indiscriminately into the camp,
one shot taking effect in the body of Allen,