The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-10-05

A ST. PAUL Boy ON HIS TRAvELs-A
BIT OF ROMANCE AND GOOD DEAL OF
STERN REAL1TY-MIsFoRTUNE AND For
rUNE.-Some three years since we formed
the acquaintance, in this city, Of young
man whom we will designate by the initials
ofS.J P. Sam, for that is his christened
name, is genuine specimen of the John
Bull, short in stature, thick-set, with a
logged pertinacity about his look and man.
ner, but withal, a pleasant, agreeable, jovial'
companion-"h hail, fellow, we'll met" ev-
erywhere. We became attached to Sam.
because he was frank, intelligent and honest.
At the time we knew him, be was employed
as clerk in an uptown book store, but
year subsequently he became infatuated
with the excitements occurring on the gold
en- shores of the Pacific, and concluded to
risk his all This life, for be had no money!
in a venture. The counsels of friends did
not prevail over Sans newborn zeal, to be
"oph" from St. Paul-their admonitions and
advice was not heeded-he had fully deter
mined to 60, go be must, and go he did,
We felt sorry for the poor fellow when we
bid him goodbye" now little more than
two years ago, but wished him no more
harm than safe journey, hoped he would
find friends, and big fortune.
Sam started from this city direct for San
Francisco, and we heard nothing more from
him until one day the mail brought us
letter informing us of bis safe arrival in the
Golden Gate City, penniless and in search
of employment. For weeks Sam paced the
streets of that city stranger in strange
place, and found neither money or employ
ment. Things began to look blue. For
tunately, about this time, new gold ex-
citement broke out, and Sam concluded,
instead of having some one to sell him for
indigo, to try his luck at Frazer river.
Accidentally meeting with friend he raised
enough money to enable him to reach
Victoria, and had few cents left in his
pocket after paying the expenses of the
trip. Out of this remaining sum, eighteen
dollars and fifty cents, he paid weeks
board in advance for himself and a penni-
less friend, whom he had fallen in with while
en- route, leaving him only two dollars and
fifty cents in his pocket, and the clothes
upon his back, as the sum total of his world
ly possessions. The gold mines, as we all
know, at Frazer river turned out to be a
magnificent humbug, and after one weeks
hard labor in the mines, Sam and bis friend
returned to Victoria sadder but wiser men.
Destitute again, Sam accepted the position
of waiter in Hotel, where be had put up,
and collecting the wages of two days. SER
vice in that capacity, conceived the magni-
6cent idea OF investing his "pile" in the
oyster trade. Adopting the French motto
peu ct peu, by careful dealing he managed to
clear, the first month, thirty dollars over
and above all expenses. Elated with such
streack of good luck be commenced business
on a large scale, hired two rooms, and
opened a first class saloon, calling it the
"Union Oyster Saloon and Cigar Divan."
The first week Sam went along swimmingly,
money flowed into his empty Golfers pretty
freely, but the humbug about the mines
soon exploded, in the wake of which followed
Sam and his first class saloon. At the end
of the month his books were balanced, when
he found himself not only utterly bankrupt
but forty dollars in debt
Discouraged but not disheartened. Sam,
in two days thereafter, secured place as
assistant steward on board a steamboat.
This place he retained for twenty-four days,
at the end of which time, a quarrel ensued
between him and the head steward which
resulted in the former giving the latter a
sound drubbing. Sam, therefore, drew his
pay and quit the boat.
A few days after this coup detail with the