Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-28

tnt spring. FOR miles before and Dehlnd US,
rs far as the eye could reach our road was
literally covered with the white wagons Of
emigrants for the Far West. Both sexes, all
ages, from the infant at the breast TO the tot
tering old man, wealth and poverty, and all
nationalities, seemed to be represented in the
motley caravan. The scene was strlkingly
suggestive Of Whittier's beautiful lines:
We cross the prairios, a. ofold
i TOmake the West, a. they the East
| The Empire of the free
Many ofthe wagons bear quaint inscrip-
tions, such as itWere bound TO try the Peak !"
+" Good BY, friends hurrah for the Peak -
"The Eleventh Commandment: Mind your
own business etc For awhile this evening
our road was among the sand hills, but just
at sunset the rich yalley was again at our feet,
and the smooth, broad Platte spread out be-
fore US for many miles fringed with few
trees, and cleaning and flashing like a river
ofsilver Days travel, % miles.
FVlssnh Day Saturday June 2.-Lik
many parties crossing the plains, our com
pany is a me ley one, composed Of persons
of the most diEsimilar pursuits and antece-
dents While write from my tent this eve
ming, an ex-clergyman is gathering wood
for a fire; the late principal Of New Hamp-
shire academy is mixing "batter cakes for
supper; steel engraver from Boston Is as
sisting an old California miner to grease our
wagon, and Missouri railroad contractor
and an Ohio carpenter ara guarding the
horses and mules. During the day we have
\ met several parties Of Sioux Indians, NOV
/ ing their villages. Their lodge poles are
/ strapped to the horses at one end, the other
! l. Ia A.. H., sr,
baskets suspended from these poles are cdr-
ried buffalo robes, cooking utensils, papOoses
and squaws. The poor ponies find their bur
dens wearisome, but trudge patiently along,
while their masters-Arabs and Tartars ofthe
prairies-roVe from one point to another, with
theie towns following them. The parties
we met begged pertinaciously for whisky,
ham and tobacco; and the boys among them
exhibited much skill in shooting arrows al a
! target. With the exception Of cloth about
the hips, the young abOrigines-some of them
dozen years old-Were entirely naked
They had fine, muscular FORMS and perhaps
verified the old saying in regard to 'beauty
unadorned.p Days travel 20 miles.
Sixteenth Day, June 3.-Met several par
ties of Indians, and few returning discour-
aged emigrants from Pixies Peak. Ante
lopes and wolves numerous, but too shy to
come within gun-shot Road exceedingly
sandy, and the faces of our whole party look
ing as if we were being turned into the orig
inal dust of which man was made During
this afternoonlour wagon took fire from the
stray sparks of a cigar and before it could
extinguished, several carpet sacks and pack
ages Of clothing were considerably damaged.
Had the flames been discovered five minutes
later the wagon and all its contents must in
evitably have been consumed, as the wind
was blowing almost to hurricane. Days
travel, % miles.
SeUentsenh Day. June 4.-Roads continued
extremely sandy. Passed the Upper Cross
ing of the South Platte, where the great road
to Fort Laramie and Salt Lake diverges from
the route to Pixies Peak Encountered hund-
reds of emigrants for the Gland of gold,
forming as usual an almost unbrokeu cara
van Of wagons several miles in length
Among them was gentleman from Ports
mouth, n. H., some sixty years Of age, and
weighing $50 pounds Days travel, %
miles.
Eighteenth Day, June, 5.-Among other
emigrants, passed handcart party of four
! One of them was extremely i'll from dysentry,
and the Others were drawing him and their
''Outft in the cart and journeying about
twenty-five miles per day, Another party
of faeetiops gOld-seekers were driving six
eOl0s, attached to wagon which bore the in
scription: sFemale Express-Milk for Sale"
At several points along our route the wa
ter was so strongly impregnated with alkah
that neither men nor TEIrr1Ers t'FfITh a.
with safety. Rumors reached us that one
t L II - 4 sI,oh nT gan-
eral cattle were bleaching by the roadside
Our road for several miles was through desc
late drifts of sand, extremely trying to the
( patience and muscle Of our horses. Met tif-
teen wagons Of returning Pixies Peakers.-
Days travel, &c miles.
NinetseTh Day, June Cur road led
/ through heavy sand nearly all day, A pair
of mules in the company took fright and ran
away, stampeded by party of Sioux Indi-
ans The gentleman owning them was
| thrown from the carriage, and wheel passed
/ over him but his wife had sufficient presence
/ of mind to gather up the lines and check
the mules; so one lame leg was the only Sc
/ rious result. Met some eighteen returning
wagons. One of the "go-backs' told US that
/ he belonged to an Illinois party of thirty
three, and that after spending two weeks IN
! the diggings, they are all returning to the
/ States except three, and they owned mining
-Iaims which they were unable to sell out
I shsse returning Pike's-Peakers tell the
All -tbrious stories about the gold re-
most ius Ney are much less in number
glon; but "a. IOiRed the backward stam-
than those wnC ~any people rush thought
pede last year. % L. 1t extrayagant expec-
iessly, and with the mo. - tbsf there "a al
tations, to a mining count. - disannoirted
ways a steady returning tide I. 5s r1;Iss
and disguised men. Days travel g .ho -
T,OeHtieth Ddy, June MANY o. '''' az
turning emiprants whom we met to-day,
ON their way to the Missoari river Tor SUP
niles and machinery, and bring excellent re-
1orts from the mines. This evening our
large tent was crowded by our own party, en-
| HANGED by several emigrants from nelgn-
| boring camp, and an hour passed pleasantly,
| enlivened by song and the music Of violin:
( The inimitible HArkansaw Traveller, and
other mirth-provoking pieces opened the en-
tertainment; butwhen they were succeeded
\ bv -nAnuie Laurie" ado they miss me at
| Home ~ the shouts of laughter died away,
| and some ewes grew dim that were unused to
tl,emeltinr mood. As the Pickering light OF
Jingle candle threw its rays upon the group
80 WRrthy, sun-burnt men in the rough garb
~ - plains, lying in grOups upon the
S..onnd ~, and joining in these simple touch
~ OI nj 7dies, it revealed strange, impress
si9s s Met nictn 10 To stranger, unable to hear
The the IDns;c ,SsS & would have seemed more like
a pirates d, u or smngglers cave ihan .ll. ths
tent of a mart Of geRtlemen on their travels
to to'is Piis,s = Pssi & Da;I a;I5trsve'. 70 miles.
q z,aSnt,-s-.t - 80. ~: ,H'QS s-Boon aftel
.t.-tin,, ,"% tS;. mo rn;gg Somo three miles west
of Beaver Creek, passed the ir, ~ boSy
& child five or six years old. 4 go
(which had apparently been there six 60 -
was found last night by party Of emigr. =
upon an island in the river It was wrappe,.
in a white blanket; but as the skull was
broken and the clothing stained with blood
the child had probably been murdered, and
the corpse placed upon the secluded island
for concealment. Ten miles further we
passed another new Qrave-that of Mr. G.