Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-04-05
STRAWBERRY VALLEY, CAL,
Ill ~ OH

i STRAWBERRY VALLEY, Cal,
i Feb. "a, 1861.
JOHN MAHIN, Esq.-Dear Sir:-H you
paper was read with the same gusto by al
its readers as Nos. ~ and % of the presen
volume were by your humble servant you
list would soon be as "long as tho mora
law" 1t is now nearly nine years since
perused its columns before. How time ha'
changed your city in . few short years &
say few, for it does not appear long to me +
When left there, there was nothing bu1
the telegraph; and now, Isuppose, you have
got more railroads than you could shake q
stick at, and if man falls over y-goods
box, or down cellardoor, it is surely his
own fault, not that of your enterprising Gas
Company; and the honorable City Council,
no doubt, have quite large number Of
satellites IN. P, msan) to see that their
ordinances are obeyed; and but must
quit enumerating, OF shall certainly 60
crszy!
Only think, have done all my own cook
ing, washing and msnding for Ainc years
lived on the hardest GRUB" imaginable, and
often not enough of that And work-oh,
ye gods it almost makes me sick to think
of it. You cannot imagine anything that
can compare with the heavy work done by
the miners; and ninety-nine out of hun
dred are worse off at the end of the year.
l do believe you have not got man in your
city as old as feel. The monotony of
miners life is enough to make = man grow
old, without the aid of water and storms.
l see by your paper that some of the boys
Il hope they will excuse the tern) that
were most invariably At tho fsot of their
class when went to school are now prac-
ticing lawyers. Well, see, that have got
to ''go down to the foot" for if ever knew
before came to this country have
forgotten it now, and will have to wear the
''duncs-cap'' the rest Of ny life. Would to
God had followed - covered wagon, with
a yaller dog tied to the axle" before ever
dreamed of coming to this country! But
'there is no use crying over split milk" 20 |
must make the best OF it it's long fence
that has no bars in it, and l may some day
find the bars down. This il good country
in fact there is none better-for men who
have money. or men who come with their
families, and intend to make . psrnsn ent
location for life; but those who come with
the intention of making "pile" in year
Or two, it were far better in the end for their
friends if they drowned themselves in Mad
creek or Pappoose, for it is nothing but
suicide either way.
There is q certain class of men in this
State (and if they amt careful they will find
in the hands Of Vigilance Com
mittee) who are trying to form Pacific
Republic on this coast As long as their
opers tions are confined to buncombe
speeches, we'll and good; but at the first
overt act of these traitors there will be
''hades to pay and no pitch hot" for the
majority Of California's voters are Union
loving men, and would sooner lose their
good right arms than see this Union dis
solved. l tell you that the "Bear and Gao.
tus" can never supercede the Star-spsngled
banner. Though SO far away from them,
we cannot forget that We have left those near
and dear to US in the old States. We csnnst
consent to be separated from them, merely
to crafty the ambition Of few political
1emagogues, would-be-rulsrs, or, far better,
Irast0rs-yes, of the blacksst dye If this
Union is ever dissolved, may the namss of
al those who have aided and abetted its
dissolution be consigned 10 the annals of
the blseksat sYine"-
"SeSre aem down to deepest hell,
Whe~rs spirits damned in torments dweu.'
Hoping that may some day be able to
''roll" for you, as I used to do when we
wanted to get off to . party on a Friday
night, remain
Yours, At command, FRANK.