The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-09-01
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY
WESTERN CHARACTERS.
DENVER, June 81, 1859.

DENVER, June II, 1859.
know tits not quite correct to speak oil
this reeion as Western, seeing that ii is in
fact the center of North America and very
close to its back bone. Still, as the terms
Eastern and Western are conventional
aud relative-Castine being Western to
BluenosC aud Carson Valley Eastern
to a Calfornian-I take the responsible
ity of grouping certain characters | bave
noted on the Plains and in or about the
Mountains as Western" begging that
most respectable region which lies east
of the Buffalo range-also that portion
which lies west of the Colorado-to ez-
cuse the liberty.
The first circumstance that strikes a
stranger traversing this Wild country Is
the vagrant instincts aud hatits of the
great majority of It's deuiseo--Perbaps
| should say, of the American people
generally. os exhibited here Among
any ten who you successively Ueet, there
will be natives of New England, New
York, Pennsy sylvania, Virginia or Georgia,
Ohio or Indiana, Kentucky or Missouri
France, Germany, and perhaps Ireland,
But worse than this: you cannot enter a
circle of dozen persons Of whom at least
three will not have spent some years IN
California. two or three have made claims
and built cabins in Kansas or Nebraska.
and at least ore spent year or so 10
Texas. Boston, New- \ York, Philadelphia
New Orleans. St. Louis, Cincinnati, have
all contributed their quota toward people
ing the new Cold Region. The next u an
you meet driving an OK team, and white
as miller with Gust, an ex banker or
doctor. broken merchant or uanuiac-
turer from the old States. who has asscraPed
together the candle ends charitabiy or
coutemptuously allowed bim By bis cred
itors on settlement and rirked them ou
last desperate cast of the dice by coming
hither. Executors, ex printers. ex-cierks,
ex steamboat meD, are here 10 abound
anee-all on the keen hunt for the gold
which only few will secure. Que Of the
stations at which we slept on our way up
the rough tent With a cheering hope
(siuce bssted) of log house iO the near
future-wss kept by an ex lawyer Of Gin
cinnat and bis wife, an ex-sctress from
our New York Bowery hciDg cook
Omuibus drivers from Broadway repeat
edly handled the ribtons; ex Border Ru'-
fans from civilized KaDsas-some OF
them Of unbles-ed memory-were en-
countcred ca our way. at Intervals none
too long. All these blended with veter-
au Mountain men, Indians Of all grades
from the tamcst to the widest, Half
Breeds, French trappers and roya9euTS
(xho have generally two or three Indian
wives apiece end an occasional Niger,
compose medley such as hardly anoth-
other region can parallel. Honolulu, or
rome other of the South Sea Islands could
probably match it most nearly.
The old Mountaneers form caste By
thcmsclyes, and they prize the distinction.
Some Of them are Frcucbmcn, or Franco
Americans, who have been trapping or
trading in aud around these mountains
for quarter Of a century, have wives
and children here. aud here expect to liSe
and die. Some of these have ccumula
ted property aud cash to the value OF
100000. which amount will not easily
be reduced, as they are frugal ia every.
thing, (liquor sometimes excepted), spend
but pittance on the clothing Of their
families, trust little, keep small stocks OF
goods, and sell at large profits. Others
came years ago from the States, some OF
them on account each of difficulty"
whereiO they severally killed or savagely
naiued their respective antagonists un-
der circumstances on which the Law refu-
ses to look leneDtly; whence their pilgrim
age to and prolonged sojourn here. des-
pite epticiug placards offering $500 or
perhaps 81 goo for their safe return to
the places that knew them ouce, but shall
know them no more. This class is not
numerous bat is more Influential than it
should be in giving tone to the society OF
which its members form a part Prone
to deep drinking. soured in temper, al
ways armed, bEistlipg at word, ready
with the rife, revolver or bowie knife,
they give law and set fashions which in
country where the regular al dUiuistrstion
of justice is yet matter of prophecy, it
seems difficult to oyerrule or disregard
/ apprehend that there have been, during
my two weeks sojourn, more brawis, more
fights, more pistol shots with criminal in