Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-06-26
From Des MOines.

LES uOANLS, cuuC LIZ.
e DEAR JOURNAL After many trials an
E tribulations have at last arrived in this city
f and am now quietly domiciled in the Saver
5 House. 1t would be needless to recount tn
, trip in detail, as most Of your readers hav
made it. We arrived, however, at Malcolm
called station by courtesy. (for not hous
} is to be SEEM in due time, where we exchang
ed the luxurious cars for the slow lumberin
old fashioned four horse coach, by which W
finally arrived at Grinnell, distant seven mile
from the jumping off place yclept Malcolm
This town is situated on broad prairie, will
scarcely tree in sight in any direction
The country from near Brooklyn to some dis
lance west of Grinnell is rolling prairie
containing some fine farming lands. 1t is
however, sparsely settled, and but little of i
under cultivation. In fact from Brooklyn t.
within short distance of Newton, a stretch
of about twenty-five miles, there are but few
cultivated farms. The railroad is being push
ed vigorously forward, however, and it will
not be many years after the whistle of the
locomotive resounds over the prairie, before il
1, will be thickly studded with farm houses
Grinnell contains population of about
eight hundred souls. 1t is not much of a
business place, there being but few stores in
its limits. 1t is the seat of Iowa College,
formerly located at Davenport.
The country from Grinnell to Newton, Jas.
per county, is nearly CT the same character as
that surrounding the former place. 1t is a
little more broken, however, and as we near
Newton is better cultivated. Some of the
finest farms have ever seen in the West
lie contiguous to it.
Newton is the county seat Of Jasper county,
and contains population of twelve hundred
1t is beautiful little place, situated like Grin
nell, on prairie. 1t is laid out after the fash
ion of many western towns, with a public
square, in which is situated the Court House,
and around it the business houses of the
town are to be found. The Court House is
magnificent structure, said to be one of the
finest in the State. 1t is two stories high,
surrounded in the center by dome, or rather
cupola. 1t was built in 1858, by Mr. Hus-
kins, of Iowa City, at cost of thirty thou
sand dollars. Around the square are sever
al good b.ick business houses.
After supper at the Phelps House, three
story frame building, well apportioned for a
hotel, and kept in superior manner, We
started for Des Moines, thirty miles still
West, by that most tedious and tiresome of
all modes of travel, the stage coach. We ex-
pected to be at our destination by eleven
o'clock, but alas for the fallacy of human
hopes, we were doomed to disappointment
Soon after starting we arrived at the first
station, where horses and drivers are chang
ed. The driver who undertook to carry US
through had never been over the road, and
the consequence was, it being very dark, we
soon strayed from the track, and followed up
a country road. After wandering around
for nearly if not quite two hours, we finally
struck the right road again, some distance
back from where we had first lost it. Of
course this dampened our expectations of an
early termination of our wearisome journey,
and good nights rest in comfortable bed,
Subsequent investigations have however
proved that the latter expectation was doom
ed to Disappointment in any event, no such a
thing as good bed being obtainable in the
hotels of this city, so far as my experience
goes, at least.) We finally resigned ourselves
to rest.
There were fifteen of us in and on coach
calculated to carry nine, so that you can easi-
ly imagine our situation. with the prospect
of ride nearly all night, was none of the
pleasantest. The nine fellow sufferers inside
disposed themselves in the only position pos
sible, sitting bolt upright, with their knees
dove-tailed in between the seats. We ofthe
top, who had been jeered at all day for riding
in the sweltering sun, by our then more for
tunate companions, now had our triumph
Gathering all the carpet sacks, we placed
them under our heads for pillows, and lying
"spooney across the top of the coach,
courted Morpheus. As there were five Of us
lying there-the remaining outside passenger
sitting on the front seat with the driver-we
were of course rather crowded, but this was
all the better, as the night was getting chilly,
and such close proximity served to keep up
the animal heat, and for that matter the
animal spirits too. 1t was useless to attempt
to sleep however, for with the eternal sudden
settling of the coach into some chuck hole,
bringing our heads down on the hard roof
with an earnestness and vigor not at all de-
sirable, and the practical jokes being contin-
ually played upon some member of the
" family" causing peals of laughter from the
rest, entirely dispelled any foolish idea that
the unfortunate would-be- e-sonambulist may
have entertained, of unconscious bliss.
At one station, delegate from Louisa
county-our load was made up of delegates
from Muscatine, Louisa and Cedar -alighted,
and going to the stable, returned with an
armful Of hay. On being questioned as to
what he purposed doing with it, he coolly
informed the driver-who was firm be-
lever in the old adage of "the merciful man
is merciful to his BEAST" and acted accord
ingly, allowing them to take their own time
that he ''intended taking it along, fearful
that the horses might starve to death be-
tween stations" This, of course, raised a
laugh, but better still, it had the desired
effect, and the horses were urged forward
with an accelerated speed. But all things