Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1860-04-18
assiseeilosleoas.
One of the Pioneers.

Tom Holmes, of the far West-no town
or State in particulars one of the pioneers
Decidedly he IS one OF them Tom has
faced more wild LANDS, fever and ague, and
Indians, than almost any other man now on
the borders Of civilization towards the setting
sun, and still westward the course of his
empire takes lis way When the writer saw
Thomas IN Shakopee, Minnesota, in the fall
of 1854, he had never seen railroad car or
q telegraph wire in his life. He has since
paid visit to Chicago, city which be laid
out and pre-ompted when there was nobody
IN Chicago except Tom Holmes and the fe-
yer and ague, and he describes his first ride
in 9 railroad car, from Mississippi across Hi
nois, two years ago, as being q fearful ex-
perienco. Tom says that the "tarnah thing
skittered along SO fast that he was skeered. :"
and he didn't care to deny il He sat with
his legs drawn up under the seat, and his
trepidation was SO apparent that he attracted
, the attention OF all the passengers in the
car Tom says he had rather met three hun
dred Indians full OF whiskoy, than ride in
one OF them swift sliding concerns.
Tom was the original settler of Chicago
vherche pre-empted tract of land and laid cut
! l toan-an easy thing to do in the West He
then laid out GAINESVILLE, Wisconsin, and he,
with two or three others, laid out the city of
Milwaukee. The repid growth and present
size and Importance Of these places. Attest the
judgment Of this pioneer in locating towns.
After all these towns had been started,
Tom went up into the country Of the Win
nebago Indians on : trading tour, for he has
been = veteran Iudan trader. He had not
seen his property in Chicago for six years,
when one day gentleman arrived at the ira
ding post where he was stopping, and en-
tered iato conversation with him. The stran-
ger was well dressed, wearing broadcloth aud
"biled shirt as Tom is want to call that
garment, when it is com posed of white cotton
or linen material The gentleman asked Tom
If he vas not the owner OF some land at Chi
cagc, aud what he would take foy It. Tom
didn't exactly know. What would the gen.
deman give? The gentleman was about to
build some mills &C that point, and as it
happened that TOMS land lay right on the
spot where he would ike to build, he was dis
posed to offer him more than the real value
of the property-he would give him six thou
sand dollars.
Tom pricked up bis ears and set up a vio-
lent thinking If the stranger had offered
three thousand dollars he would have snapped
at it immediately. But SO large an offer led
him to suspect that there had been some
lAiIuS EOA-lS OL NOHH LlcTS III IulCaTo tIdL ne
was not aware OF to raise the price Of mud
Tom therefore hesitated and told the stranger
be hadn't seen the property for six years
guessed he'd 20 down and take look at it.
Stranger said he had but little time to wait
must start for home that same afternoon, aud
would give Tom one hour to make up his
mind. The pioneer ''chawed tobacker,'' for
an hour, and told the stranger who wore
billed shirt that he might have the land for ten
thousand dollars. Stranger drewbis pocket.book
with amazing alacrity and paid the amount
Tom afterwards ascertained that the land
even at that time was worth one hundred
thousand dollars, and be had been picked up
as a fiat
Tom Holmes assisted in laying out and
developing the fiourishing town OF Shakopee.
on the Minnesota river, about thirty miles
from st. Paul, bat civilization begins to bore
him, and he is now purchasing cattle and az
outfit for a great stock farm at Buffalo city,
three hundred miles northwest of St. Paul.
Such pioneers as Holmes are the men who
open up new regions to the productive indus
try of the world.-Bostan Herald