The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-06-25


Because there are no warbling birds here,
except magpies and turkey-buzzards. -
And tfey don't warble any to signify, be-
cause, if they fooled their time away with
that sort OF nonsense they would starve to I
death, suddenly, l tell Joa, Madam,
that when a buzzard moves his family in |
to Nevada Territory. he soon discovers
that he has got to shin around and earn |
bis living by the sweat Of his brow, and
that singing is played out with him
Moreover, Ma, you know as well a. any
one what a great pufed-up. stupid buzz
zard looks like. SO you can picture the
bird to yourself as I invariably see HIM
hore-snnding soiemnly ona decomposed
OK, {and looking for the world as il he
had his hands under his coat tails, with
his head canted to one side his tcff Ter
advanced to steady himself, aud chewing
fracia;s, th NJ oientrails with their ends
dangling about bis patty bosom. ] ask you
in all candor, Madam, il the best dis
posed buzzard in the world could warble
under such circumstances Scasely. But
wouldn't it make bully coat-of-arms for
the Territorye-neat and appropriate,
and all that And wouldn't it look gay
on the great seal, and the military com
missions, and SO forth, and so on, and
ceteras / proprosed it, but the Secretary
Of the Territory said it was disgusting"
So he got one put through the Legisla-
ture with star spanged banners and quartz
mills and things in it. And nary buz-
zard. tits all right, perhaps-but know
there are more buzzards than quartz.
mills in Nevada Territory. / understand
it though-Ae wanted The glory Of dis
covering and inventing and designing the
coat-of-arms Of this great Territory -
sayery with a lot Of barbarous latin
about "Toiens ant Potens" able and
willing, you know, which would have
done just as we'll for my buzzard as it
does for his uarz-mills.
But If you want full and correct nc-
count Of these lovely Indians--not CLEAN
cd from Cooper novels, Madam, but the
resul, Of personal obssrvation--s strictly
reliable account, which you could bet on
with as much confidence as you could on
four aces, you will find that on that sub
ject am Fund Of useful information to
which the whole duty of man isn't cir
cumstance. For instance; imagine this
warrior Hoop-de-doodle-do, head chief
OF the Washoes. He is FIVE feet sew
en- inches high; has a very lfoaa face,
whose coat OF red pain. Is get1.ns sp3tty
and dim In conseq one ,ce Of accommodating
dirt and grease; his hair is black and
straight. and bangles about his shoulders;
his battered stove-pipe hat is trimmed all
over with bits of gaudy ribbon aud tarnish-
/ cd artificial flowers. and he wears it some
times over his eyes, with an exceedingly
galIus air, and sometimes on the back Of
his head; on his feet he wears one boot
and one shoe--very ancient; lis imperial
robe, which almost drags the ground. is
composed OF vast number of light-gray
rabbit skins sewed together; but the crown
1 ing glory of his costume, which he sports
on great occasions is corduroy pants, and
dispensing with the robe, is set of Ia
dies patent extension steel-spring hoops,
presented to him by Gov. Nye-and when
he gets that arrangement on, he looks
like very long and very bob-tailed bird
in cage that isn't big enough for him.
Now, Ma, you know wha. the warrior
Hoop-de-doodle- doc looks like--and if
/ you desire to know what he smells like,
| let him stand BY the stoves moment, but
have your hartshorn handy, for tell you
he could give the stink-pots Of Sebasto-
! rai four IN the game and skunk them.
/ Follow him, Zoo, when he goes out, and
burn gun powder in his footsteps; because
/ wherever he walks he sheds vermin Of
such prodigious size that the smallest speoi-
men could swallow grain Of wheat with
out straining at.it, and still feel hungry.
You must not suppose that the warrior
drops these vermin from choice, though.
By no means Madam--for he knows some
thing about them which yos don't; viz.
that they are good to eat. There now
Can you find anything like that in Coop
err Perhaps not. Yet | could 60 be-
fore magistrate, and testify that the por-
trait is correct in every particular. Old
Hoop himself would say 1t was "heap
good.
This morning | had visit from three
| OF the head-chief Hoop -de-docdle- doc s
wiyes-graceful, beautiful creatures, call
ed respectively, Tmid- Rat, Soaring Lark
and Gentle Wild Cat. You see, like
al Indians, they glory in high-sounding
names, they had broad, fiat faces, which
were dirty to the extreme Of fashion, they
wore the royal rnbit skin robe, their
stringy matted hair hung nearly to their
waists, they had forgotten their shoes,
and left their bonnets at home, only one
of them wore jewelry, the Timid Rat
around whose leathery throat was suspen.
ded regal necklace composed Of scraps
~ - 49, Thn;~ shanolnec cauepd them