Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-12-20
From the MnAt.

LINDEN, Missouri Dec. 10, 1850.
Mr. Estell;--I have just got home from Saint
Lewis and found in the Post Office paper from
you containing my letter. You dun il up brown; !;
am under many obligations TO you for publishin
that letter. As q small rekempenee for your
kindness hav killeda young bear and sent IL TO
youby Express. told you was going for TO go
down to Saint Lewis to sell my furs and skins
Well, I've bin down there and had bad time Of
IL. They said Linken was elected President, and
expected he wood be for voted for him; you
know was always forninst the Dimekrats. They
hav offel times in Saint Lewis sense Lnken Is
elected. They say the Union will be devided
and the country all split into eternal smash; the
banks isbustin, produce fallen and nothing wont
sell for anything like a decent prise. | sold my
skins and furs for about half as much as | did
when was down before and got paid in Illinoys
money. | thot it was bully, to get money from
where the President lived, but when come to turn
it into the yaller boys | found how the Suckers
money had sucked me. had to stand shave of
from 25 to so per cent on it, and one bill they
sed they woodent take at less than one hundred
pep cent discount | thot that was almig ighty hard
Shawn but l had to stan it, tell you things
looks cloudy down there, and if ever vote a
mother Republican ticket hope to hav my buddy
shivered into kindlen would my legs taken for
bOck-logs and my arms used for hand spikes.
When was comm home from Saint Lewis
stopped to stay over night at Austnville, Caldwell
County. The town kontains seventeen cabbins
Over one cabbin dore seen q sine that red: "Good
Livin for Man and Beast" As was in pertckelel
want of "good Twin" concluded to stay there
went into the hous without nockn and | founC
that they KEEP tavern there darnd site wos mel
people do in Indanny. The anlord was settir
on an empty whisky barl playin the Arkensaw trav
Ter on an old fiddle, the lanlady was Citing sup
per, a young man was attendin the lanlord
grocery and one of the gerls was tendin the Ian
lady's grocery. You see there was two grocerie
in the tavern, arranged in this way: hole wa
cut in the perttion between two rooms an whisls,
bari set so that one end wood be in each room
each end had a spigit in it, and one end belonged
to the male and the other to the female depart
ment of the hotel. took a small drink at eacl
grocery SO as to get on the good side of both de
partments of the hous. The young woman tha
was attendin the female grocery was mighty
purity girl, and she appeared to be very modest
She reminded me very much of my Jane, and OF
that account kind of felt friendly towards her,
| will not stop to tell you about our Jonny cak,
supper, socable chat &c. / went to bed in due
time and in the mite l was dreaming about the
purity gerl and Jane, my dear Jane, when a terrif,
noise and a horrible shakin awoke me from m,
peaceful slumbers On openin my eyes who
should behold at my bedside but the landlord
dotter with nothin on but her mite close, and look
in for all the world like Swamp Angel. Befor
| had time to speak she Civ me mother shake an,
said: "Wake up here you crate big overgrowl
hog, hav you no sents; you laid here and talked il
your sleep an snored till you've druv my bea,
away, an now you won't let me Sleep" wasen
altogether awake but reached out my arms t
catch her and she skipped away. sayin "no We
don't ole hoss." When got awake and realize
my peculiar situation felt kind of aloverish
dident sleep mother wink that mite. met wit
a mother circumstance when | was comm up tina
scared me a little. | layed down on log to ia k
rest and accidentally fell asleep; while in that pc
culiar situation. with the part of my buddy tina
was slowed away in the seat of my trowsers kin
of TUNED up, an old she bear come along and pick
ed me upby the slack of the trowses; it walked m
and dident like bein carried off in that sort of
way without my luggage, and ackordnly drawe
my bowie knife and stuck the pint of it into bruin
heart. She dropped sudden and let go of me-
! think I will hear from Jane in Il few days an
if all is write you may look for me at Millersbur
purity suddinly. | kommensed my School la,
week, 1t aint such School as you had on Yale
creek | hav only eleven scholars. I Good ha
twelve but one of them that was goin to come wa
free niger and sents hav got sick of Linkenisl
| woodent let him come Give my love to Jane
Yours Forever
JONATHAN @. SMITH