The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-11-06
The Story of Ham.

Holm Brent, Sir Biron Biddulph
IAN English bSrone0 and Richard
Wade who tells the story are return.
ing across the plains from California,
when they meet with Cham" under
the following circumstances =
Winter chased US : close. 1t was
full December when tue plains lett us,
fell back, and beached US upon the
outer edge of civilizatlon,at Independ-
ence. Missouri.
The muddy Missouri was running
dregs. Steamboats, were tired OF
skipping from sand>bar to ssnd>bar.
Engineer had reported to Captain, that
kangaroo, No. 5, would bust, if he
didn't stop trying to make her lit her
self over the damp country by her
braces" No more steam boating on
the yellow ditch till there was a rise ::
until the Platte sent down sand three
and water one, or the Yellowstone
mud three and water one, or the Miss
sour proper grit three and water one.
We must travel by land to st. Louis
and rail roads. F.
We could 90 with our horses aS last
as the stage coaches. sc we sold our
pack beasts and continued our gallop
of three across Missouri.
Halt way across, we stopped one
evening at the =meanest tavern i'll a
mean town-a frowzy country town,
with dusty public square, hoxy
church aud a Splitty court>house.
Fit entertainment for beast the tav-
ern offered
We saw our horses stabbed and had
our supperS .
"Shail we go into the spittoon?''
said Biddulph. g
Certainly" said Brent. The bar
room-I am sorry to hear yon speak
of it with foreign prejudice-is an in
stitution, and merits study Argee. up
on which the bar-room is based, is also
an institution"
"WelI, l came to study American
institutions. Let us go in and take a
Whit of disgust"
Fit entertainment for brute the bar
room offered.
In that "club>room" we found the
brute class drinking, swearing, spit
ting, squabbling over the price of
hemp and the price of ringers" and
talking what it called, ''politics."
One tall, truculent Pike, the loudest
of all that blastant crew, seemed to
Brent and myself an old acquaintance.
We had seen him or his double some
where. But neither Of us could fit
him with a pedestal in our long gall
lery of memory. Saints one takes
pains to remember, and their scenes !;
but satyrs one endeavers to lose.
"Have you had enough Of the spit>
toou % | asked Biddulph. "Shall we
go up? They've put us all three in
the same room but bivouacs in the
same big m-Out>Doors-are what
we are best used to-"
Two and a-half beds, one brokers'
backed chair, washstand decked with
an ancient-f ringed towei and an aban~
doned toothbrush, one torn slipper, u
a stove,pipe hole, furnished our bed
chamber.
We were about to cast lots for the
halfebed, when we heard two men ems
ter the next room. The partition was
only paper pasted over hath, and cut up
as border rufian member Of Congress
had practiced at it with bowie knife
before street fight. Every word Of
our neighbors came to us. They were
talking OF slave bargain. [ eliminate
their Oaths, though such filtration does
them injustice.
Eight hundred dollars said the first
speaker, and his voice startled us dead
man We knew had spoken. Eight
hundred, that's the top of my pile tor
that boy Ell he warn't so old and
hadn't one eye poked cut, | agree he'd
be wu.h heap more.
w aal, a trades Il trade. I'll take
yer sUump. Coun out yer dimes, and
I'll I'LL out blank Dill of sale. Mnrk
Ell, the boys your'n.'
'Murker'? We started at the name.
This was the satyr we had observed
in The bar>room. Had Fulauo's We
tim crepL rom under his earn III Lug
geruai Alley, and chased us 10 take
flesh mere and harm us am. (Fulas
no, W AIDES horse, had trampled to
death william of that name who at
tackled them on.the plains
The likeness, look, voice and name
were presently accounted for.
You're looking for yout brother out
from Sacramenter bout now, l reck
on said the trader,
He wur comm cross lots with a man
named Larup, pardener of his'n.-
Like enough they've stayed over win
t-r IN Salt Lake They oughter rake
down a most mountainous pile thar
'Iormons is flush and sassy with
their dimes sence the emergration.-
Now thar's yer bill OF sale, all right
And thar's yer money, all right
That ares wut call schreechin'
good price tor an old, one-eyed Niger
Fourteen huldred dollars-an aIl>tired
price
Eight hundred, you mean
NO; fourteen Yer see yer not up
ter tame on the nigger question. II
know 'em like church s,eeple. When
l bought that are boy,now comm three
year, seed be was spright'y nicger,
one er yer ambiShus sort, what would
be mighty aptto git fractions, an be
maxim tracks, onless | got holt on
him. So, SEE | to him, Ham you're a |
sprightly niger, one o the reel am,
blshus sort, now aincher?' He allow
ed he warn't nothing else. WAL
sez l, you jess scrabble round and
raise me seven HUNDRED dollars, an I'll
sell yer to yerself, and cheap at that
so yei see be begun to pay up, aud l
got holt on hun Hes handy mig |
ger aud likely niger, an pop'ler