Smyrna times., 1865-11-01
MISCELLANEOUS NJ
LIFE nv THE WEST.
ANNIVERSARY RRcoLLECrIoNs opANo1nu.,

On this day, September 10th. 1863 fort,
oIe oI ears ago, my feet for the first time pres:
"a the FERTILE SOIL of Illinois. | am by birth
we" Ierslan. Lured by the noble reports tha
were In that day pouring eastward from ~
Tar West, | left my home and struck out !,
search OF what | conf dently expected to find.
fortune. L reached Pittsburg with but littl,
oinculty-lt travelling the quarter of tbe W.,
on foot would not be considered a adit1icnIt ma
ter but beyond this point lay an unbrote,
wilderness, almost filled with wild beasts anl
WIDER Indians; hence, as you will readily sun
II pose was put to my wit ends to know how
~ llocGel' 4 beIeve L was brave in those
u5Sys-thaT o5 Is to say, brave in my way Rear
81 up as had been, in the midst Of ciyiIiza.
non, and schooled to believe all the .c;,,;i;
Ied stories OF Western life, if I had NOT haar
oiaVe i Is scarcely reasonable to sunnnsa
"oI;u nave undertaken such a journey alone
~uu 1 "a Tue lace OF every opposition nv friends
couId invent. Yes, was undoubtedIy hravo
snq' rs fortune always follows the brave I
! n1u come IN Tor my share Of its good gracas
aaniGu dlu III the fact that broad horn or
aaI goat J was lying at Pittsburg, just ready 70
this GOmn I n,nna aue river Tor New Orleans Upon
sli' ~ managed to obtain passage 10 Sbiw'
nee aIterWard Shawneetown, in Illinois
with newly-purchased rifle | enhorlod
ii'app9 enough to have fallen in with such , ,
lucky star. 10 obtain a ready naSt.l,o 'Jen J.' .
the river III those days was strcoT of I',nii
worthy to be proud of, for it waS "On i"Un
oeioTe SFoanboats had yet become source of
~ pGi I'eAIy 70 canoe navigation, or keel boats
~ HcO. AlcAed from the stage Of action to re-
TT. tn iolcfgr among the things that were =
!rue' people rent d0trn and cG1eUD. hnt COIN,
aoWn and coming uD compared with snobe eoil.s oa.5
AZ IuIS age OF St. Patricks and St. NichojaSSnS
enu e oonh Aelgouns, was quite different al
4ai' heels. arks, broad horns. rafts orJ -
n9eS We're then the chief Instruments aI,,rl' 1 W"
ca III tne naval 1reoduS operGaldi Of tbo WR?ny
eLn LLn "@teIS ana slew as they now seem to ~
Iii onia'1 ouo%.cSA % Chen considered inventions
wen calculated to render any age e.. -
Alter pleasant run of two or three W.. u.oI Illei
was canoed ashore and left at Shawnee, tba
least prepoSSesslng and wild looking Of all wild
places. few "g9od d-bye, Yanks-" from tLa
boatmen, tor they had all along called me Yant
the short Tor ankee, and the broad horn swant
around nelghhoring point, and was lost To me-
| was alone in the world-not exactly a1oro
cl1her' lOr Just up the bank short distance
prom where had been landed might have booI,
fseen some three or four men-the hardest looLI
r,hg characters that ever found their way into
ene Drains OF the most fertile writer's OF robber
f1T 5ypIieS' Better by far that had been alone
~ say the least OF 1t, felt very lonely, more
~; perhaps, than would have done with them
nan tiie width Of the earth away. Ihad enough
cns 20 MAKE me feel lonely Over one Thousand
mics Iroln home; in the midst of a vast wilder
~ 3ad people, doubtless at hand no friend
,L aen "Tolh could communicate, and, worse
.r"J .uan all perfect stranger to the mysteries OF
"oouIcTaH. Almost an age Of time seemed 10
ssto%d sko 20 Itself into few ,brief moments. for
.. nTSt tIIue began to feel the rashness of the
pY9p 1ad taken, and 10 wish myself back at
olae--at fittsburg-On board the broad horn
any pace but the one in which found nv
sf seh' but 1t was too late to wish! [ was
= lere aud the broad horn was gone, and
'naC q! ~ was all that could be made of it.
Hello, fank, where be you bound for?"
Lou may guess that such an exclamation aS
she ABOVE startled Inc mo little as stood tLera
"a \ my lonely mood forty-one years ago to.dav
sso9,Aing V,Ig up, found that the words had been
acters before referred to, '''0A'- ''0Ains cllar-
ero 5iaYe ~ ge had the pleasure of meeting be-
..M, ..Mell, calculate how we havn't" said be
"Cause i" ! Ias posed yJs thst;. e call cal, me Yank2'
hat led you to such asupposit;on y,
Cause hearn them are feIlers -, Al
boat a calm ye Yank On 'he
bin. y - " i'i'A naine' sir my name is Mar
Well, | calkerlate it may be Martin in some
eoontues, but here it's only Yank. PEOPLE
pever have. sich a long name as Martin out
nere andthe stranger laughed such q laugh
as showed it all in fun. - ''''' : '''O
.nd u. ..S : pose you talk sense" continued he,
anu tel teller where yer bound for, and
what yer striking arter." - -
!, snou9n az the best plan was to be plain and
nonsst o. with him; SO ItoId him my whole story.
. pose you wouldn't like lob for the win
ter then, would yer?'' -" 80 ''-0 "--
character Of the job. '''' - s'.e
,vb;ch heh ~ W hunt r. he asked, eyeing my rifle,
s1y bat the way, was fine looking piece for
isnsVvred IN sbe Affirmative.