The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-12
Letter from Milwaukee.
From Our Travelling Correspondent

MILWAUKEE Feb. 4, 1864.
TO the Editor of the Pioneer:
would write to you more frequency, ou'
(perhaps from q dizziness of perceptlon')I 10
not find much to write about, that is, unless 1
were to rehearse news that you would know
before nv letter could reach you. thirst Tor
a sensation incident have thrown open my
window at the "witching hour, and invoked
the dark. robed spirit of the night for my MUIR
derer. and got only cold in my head. have
rushed into the " thoughtless crowd" and
came out of course, without an idea. As
did so. the other day, felt hand slide into
my pocket. turned, and with wild laugh,
told the owner thereof that was literary in
dividual and correspondent with the PIONEER.
One of the eyes of this industrious disciple of
communism was bunged up, but never will
forget the soft beam of pity that welled up in
his unchanged optic as he withdrew his empty
hand; my heart went out to him, this is
rather tall language, 1 suspecD. and it was with
lively pleasure saw him, few minutes after
ward, gently showing against the plethoric
side pocket of q patriotic army contractor.
thieves" will not hold good here was very
glad to exchange the city of mud for the city
of bricks. What fine commercial situation
Chicago commands is fully shown by the fact
of there being city there, for it is the fOulest
mud hole ever was in. Even the lake fails
to lesson its nastiness, for it is sunk below the
lake, one can get no good view of the latter
from any point unless it may be from the
cemetery, where there is little rise. The
dead have the most healthy spot in Chicago
to themselves and often went there to breathe
little fresh air. The water used for drinking
is of a rather handsome straw color, and as
one lifts it to his lips memories of decayed
cabbages enter through the nose. 1 have
drunk of it, and shudder when l think what
hideous monsters the microscope might, even
now, discover, grazing on my inside pasture.
But nevertheless, Chicago is great Institution,
a bee hive of industry Patriotic bees, too, its
citizens are. and
Improve each shining hour"
in extracting honey from Uncle Sam. Mil
waukee in q commercial point of view, cannot
compare with Chicago, but the first is a far
handsomer city and has beautiful location.
The car | travelled in to this place. was filled
with soldiers returning home on furlOughs-
this is one of the flights of the war cloud"
but it was not all light in this instance, for
many of the soldiers were drunk and brave
Captain favored us with John Brown. > at the
top Of his voice. When l looked upon the
flushed, drunken faces of these young men,
(some of them but boys and handsome boys
too) listened to their blasphemous language,
and pictured to myself what they were but
short time ago. in the homesteads scattered
through the country, confess to you, bitter
feeling sprung up in my heart, and I said in
the words of Mercutio, "A plague O both your
houses Z"
Two or three timd citizens picked up their
carpet bags and went into another car, and as
I watched their retreating figures thoughts Of
military dictator rose to my mind.
There will be very large emigration next
summer to Idaho and Utah. I am writing to
my friend Brigham Young, to look out for his
wives. am happy to think he can easily pre-
serve them in Salt Lake.
The short time have been in this city,
have met quite a number of persons preparing
to leave for Idaho in the spring.
p 8. In my rambles, have seen no place
like half so we'll as dear st. Paul.