The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-06-02
Correspondence of the Guardian.
Council BLUFFS, May IS, 1859.

After many weary and tedious days
of travel, we find ourselves encamped at
this place, only three hundred miles from
home, when we ought to have been at
least twice as far on our journey as we
now are, and yet, we hesitate We ar
rived here last Sunday in a drenching
storm, by means of which several indi-
viduals of our honorable company sue
ceeded in bringing into camp several
gallons of rainwater NUISANCE would
have called it condensed aqueous udpo,.,
but you see l have too much personal re-
gard for NUISANCE to publish his failings
to the world) in their boots, besides a
small quantity in their bre asst pockets.
In sober truth we got thorough mois-
tening, and it took two days of warm
weather to dry us out.
The gold question is here, as every
where else, the all-absorbing topic. Par
ties of emigrants, who passed us two or
three weeks since, we have met return
ing and scores of others are passing
through here every day on their way
back to their homes Some of them re
port they have been within two days
drive of the reputed gold mines, and yet
have turned about because they met 9th
ers returning. Many of them do not 90
as far as Fort Kearney, and some, even,
have gone only forty miles west of Oma-
ha, and then turned their backs on Pixies
Peak. Others, however, are going on
some TO California, and some to Pixies
Peak, to test for themselves this perplex-
ing gold question, There are two sides
to the question here, and it has under
gone some slight modification, for the is
sue is now, simply, "hunaJug' or " no
humJag." The residents maintain that
it is ''no humbug,'' whilst returned en-
igrants pronounce it " humbug" OF
course | cannot give you any opinion,
founded on definite information, of the
merits Of the case, now but | hope to
be able, in six weeks from this time, to
send you practical solution of the knot
ty question from some pointin the mines
There are men here who have offered,
and still offer, fifty dollars for one ounce
of gold dug on Cherry Greek, yet it is.
not forthcoming. On the other hand,
former residents Of this place, now living
at Auraria City and Cherry Creek, have
sent back for their families to join them.
The family of Henry Allen Che Of Aura
ria City letter notoriety) J left here two
weeks since to join him at his present
home in the mines. Not fifteen rods
from where l am writing, Tin our tent)
there lives a widow lady whose name is
Mrs. Foster, who has received from her
son, jeremiah Foster, civil engineer, liv-
ing at Auraria City, since we came here,
Il letter, in which he directs her to make
her preparations and come out to that
place with her family, as soon as posi-
bic. She does not intend going, howev-
er, until fall, as she is an old lady, and
thinks travelling in warm weather decid-
edly uncomfortable
There is, at present, great deal of
splitting up" among companies who
started and came thus far on their way
to the mines. Our own little party is
among the "splilters." c. L. WHITE
leaves to-day, Withdrawing his interest
from the copartnership. The rest of US
will probably so on day after tomorrow
Captain MELLIsH is now with US, having
overtaken us seven miles west of Des
Moines, on the third day of this month.
In connection with the name of our re-
doubtable captain, l cannot refrain from
mentioning little adventure of his,
"''SiSi''' " SN ldtlUi
for we all know him to be possessed of
courage-he unequivocally displayed his
back to the foe, and showed himself to
be very white liyer( bed fellow. He
was in the act of stepping out Of the
front end of the wagon with pan of
flour in his hand when his foot tripped,
throwing him headlong from off the wag-
on tongue to the ground. Just at that
critical Juncture, there happened to be
sudden rise and jail in The flour business,
and the captain, unlike other -four deal
ers, who generally profit by the rise of
that article, became suddenly and extern
sive!y enriched by the taH Of it. 1t is
but just to mention that the captain had
on a perfectly white coat-just after the
fall Of flour. There is the Rev. (now)
J. c. D., who had the presumption to
take Dandy by the horn { | just wish to
say that Dandy is the name of one of
our oxen) last night, aud took back
ward tumble over the tent ropes into