The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-01-22
@he1ntteILlleg11lfEer J d

-SETH fINH'tr5S"JZS
Letter from a wheeling BOy---ExPeri-
enee ola, TEIp,AcrOss she Plains
ArmyLIEe-on the western Frontier
interesting Memoranda from n
Iieutenant's Diary.
FoRpRRARrSEY,- -NEBRAsKA TERRrToRY,l =
AIt. January 4th, 1853. E,fJE
teooyyTesp6 sp6,.dence Of ne Wheetiag 1nteaigeIeer9
ss 5Westarted from Fort Leav-
enworth No3emBef ifth, 1865, Captain
s., his wife and myself, with two COM
panies of cavalry, bound across the
plains for Fort Kearney distant three
hundred miles. It was to be a long
ride, and fo1t6e time of year rather a
dangerous and uncomfortable one for a
lady.
The command by fours isgiven, and
we are off, bidding good bye to class
mates and fellow officers we may never
eaata eraiTIs aIJan1iri7s' TOM l,i2 +-SH ~ IA
AS we march along the crest of the
high bluffs which separate the prairies
from the Missouri river, and pass some
intervening knolls on our right, the
vast plains of the west stretch out be-
fore US. The sight is a magnificent one,
and to a novice, pleasing and peculiar.
One experiences thesame feelings when
he stands ON some high'promontory and
gazeS for the first time upon the ocean.
The distinctive difference between the
ocean and prairie is, that when one first
sees the latter all Recollection OF buffa-
10. elk. antelope. and deer hunts he
has read of comes to his memory and
his pulse quickens with excitement as
he already imagines himself riding
alongside, 9 huge hairy specimen OF the
first above mentioned AMER marching
a few miles an accident occurred which
our left a few rods ahead a road led
down along a rocky ravine with steep,
roughTsides tolthe river5 Several loads
of hay were about to descend drawn by
four horses. heard q clatteG of hoois
and looking up saw poor fell lowhytng
over precfpice. He struck far below
on mass of stone, and for moment,
there hung upon the air a piercing,
aRonizedr scream. lit was an awful
sight, They picked him sup broken,
disfigured, dead. 1t was all typical of
life. On one hand was the beautiful
prairies, while close by on the other was
the dark rough raYine, and in it the
before was SO full of health and ami
nation. The poor soul had just cross
ed the dividing ridge from life to death.
We descended the hill to the right,
and riding ahead of the column reach
ed the foot and looked back upon our
little,caYalcade with its long train OF
wagons winding down. 1t presented to
me rather pretty and novel sight.
Here we struck the prairie and here
began our prairie life.
travelling ON the plains one must
dress plain. The costume consists
principally OF Lrevolvers. Twas well
supplied with some of Colts navy, and
COZ rf1Inp nlnnD
with his belt strung fun and one stuck
in each boot. One thing troubled me,
and 1t appears to operate the same way
with all new comers, and that is for the
first three or four days your eyes are
confronted at almost every turn by
fences.g This to me7was hardly conn
patiblelwith 'barbarism. Before finish
ing the journey a fence became very
agreeable object to the eye, no matter
how dilapidated.
Nothing OF interest occurred until the
third night Iout, when man COM
planned of being too sore to ride, and
who let ride in the wagon, deserted
with three of my horses. He no doubt
intends setting up small livery stable
| in Leavenworth.l I have him charged
with S4S5 on my muster rolls, which,
although no doubt will remain charged, I,
i have the satisfaction of knowing is
charged. We could not follow him,
T
sible, not Knowing at what time the
SHOWS would commence.
| amused myself by hunting, having
been unanimously appointed to that
honorable position by Mrs. s., and
many were the lpartridges and prairie
chickens that graced our board, Ut was was
board, sure enough,) a proof of my
/ skill as marksman. Since then, L
find other game in elk and antelope.
1 WDurfne one of my huntSIv got lost.
While searching; for the road and riding
lalonR near one ofthe rolls OF the prairie
| what should / behold ride over. the,top
but an Indian in all his paraphranana
Iof paint and feathers.
Il Having just then no other description
| Iofofiinafice fliania shot gun, one barrel
| of which was empty, 1felt scared. This
being the first red skin ever had the
lpleasure of falling in with, and having
| heard of their late depredations,
Thoughts ofcaptivitY, torture and death
\ at the stake flushed through my mind.
There being some distance yet between
| ms. I had time to make the following
| conclusions: 1st. That If / ever got
back to that road again, / would stay
there '2hd. Il would resign my position
as hunter. Sd. Fhat1 was not going TO
run. 4th. Iwas not SC. badly. scared as
| i thought Twas. 5th. i would cock my
TIE, Indian came on Iperpe ndtiIcplar 70
! NV direction, and as we approacheds L
| expected to see his tomahawk- making
! familiar with my repository for what
little brains "a possessed.Il Il wished
| lust then the brains gwere some place
As he passed me by / felt disappo
| ed that my scalp stillwas my own prop
ertv.11tWe scanned Seachi other closely
and after passing i kept casting furtiye
1 dances over my shoulder, wondering
what devilish tricks he was upito, and
Srhy. he DELAYED his attack. AT thatthe
eurned and came at a Jgallop. For the
| instant I thought my legs were hollow,
my heart fell SO near the sole OF my
boot, I made a promise II Il ever got
| first was not, however,
| assailed with a shower of arrows but
| theiouestion, where got 9Witha majes-
l tic wave of my .hand I pointed. West,
| Then thin king I had better bel polite am
swered Fort Kearney. Hegayei a grunt
and , started of. Il felt relieved and
thought Gooper's noble savage had istllt det
AZ his momant u caught sight Of Q
! for him. He seeing me coming for him
\ put to his horse, For quite while Il
was nip and tuck, tnck gaining. Al
| length, seeing was a white man ana
/ had no particular hankering for his hair,
he 6reWfup. 4 When I came alongside
we took a look at each other, and COM
| ing 10 the concl lpsion we were two bad
1ly scared individuals,i burst into
| hearty laugh aHe idifected me to the
road, and when 1stfpck 1t T fell, It, 1T was WAS
| NothinT ofSinterest occurred after this
4 until we reached a town called Seneca.
/ Tha inha hitautS gave it a good name