Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-11-30
Georgc wilkins Kendall.

year 1907, at Amherst, New llamp
shire, and had, consequently, passed
tho age of three score, lle had few
advantages of education, and learn
ed the trade of printer. lie work
cd at the case in some well know
offices in northern citiesi ut Wash
ington with Gales & Scaton, in tn
National Intolligenc and will
Duff Green, in the Telegraph IL
New York with Horace Greeley
and after he came South, at Mobile
in the Register office, with Sanforc
a. Wilson. At the age of abou
twenty. We he came to this city, anc
was compositor in the Office Of John
Gibson, the Faithful and the Bold.
In 1887 he joined the late +. A
Lumsdcn in starting the PicaTunc
and therein found his true vocation
L speedily developed in him those
rare faculties which soon made him
one of the most agreeable and pop
ular writer's of the day. A quick
perception of character, keen OBJ
servaton of places and things, a
quiet sense of humor to be extracted
from all objects, and unfagging
checrfulness of tone, all clothed in a
pure English style, gave his writ
ings speedy popularity, which they
nevsr lost to the day Of his death.
He learned speedily, too, the profit
ableness of that personal repute he
had already won, by agreeable man
ners, quickness Of wit, and strict at
tention to all duties.
The success of the enterprise, af-
ter working through great Difficult
ties, enabled Mr.. Kendall to indulge
in long entertained desire to cx-
plore the far West. There was in
the desire taste for a life Of phys
ical activity, which was one of his
traits, but it was not a mere spirit
of adventure that lured him into
the Western prairie. The great re-
gion beyond the settled strips in
Texas was then almost unknown
1t was even at that day a leading
idea in Mr.. Kendall's mind, that
Western Texas, and the mining and
grazing regions beyond, were to be-
come parts of the American Union,
and to be inexhaustible sources of
prosperity. He believed New Or
leans destined to be the centre of
commerce for that unlimited region.
With these ideas, and with the fur
ther desire to use his own words, of
finding "new subjects on which to
write" he joined the i'll fated Santa
Fo expedition, which started in 1941
for the then Mexican city Of Santa
Fe. The story of that disastrous
adventure; the march and camping
on the prairies the wild excitement
of buffalo hunting; sufferings from
fatigue among burning sands, and
from scarcity of food; the capture
of the party by a band of Mexicans;
the cruelty with which they were
manacled, dragged along, robbed
and beaten, and some of them bru-
tally murdered; the incidents of
life in prison, and the long tale of
\ varied hope and disappointment un-
til the day of release came to him,
were told by Mr. Kendall in the
work he published after his return,
entitled, Narrative of the Santa Fe
Expedition" The interest Of the
subject would have insured it a wide
circulation. 1t was the first book of
travels in those distant regions since
the narrative of Pike, and opened
a new field to the lovers Of excite
ment-no less than new visions of
the future to the student Of progress.
These were enhanced in interest by
the raciness of the style, and the
graphic delineations which it gave
of the incidents of the journey, the
nature of the country, and the traits,
manners and custrms of the strange
people through which he was car
ried as a prisoner. The tide of eX-
ploration has since crossed that
whole region, and the work of Mr..
Kendall has become obsolete to
readers seeking for the material
facts for commerce or settlement
But it retains its place as a lively
darrative of adventure, of which no
change of time can take away the
/ interest. If there were never such
a place as Santa Fe, the narrative
would have its charms as fascInat.
ing fiction.
This work, prepared after his re-
turn, was scarcely given to the press,
when, the Mexican war having bro
ken out, Mr.. Kendall having entered
on another field of activity, much to
the profit of the Picayune, and
greatly to the advantage ofthe pub
lie. The United States Government
did not then possess all the facili-
ties for communicate which has
since grown up everywhere, and
New Orleans from its vicinity to the
seat of war, was the centre of intel
/ ligence for the whole country. The
Picayune organized system of cor
respondence and express, which en-
abled it to lead all its cotempora-
ries and the Government itself in
news. Mr.. Kendall was assigned to
the Mexican end of the line, and he
was fully adequate to all the heavy
responsibilities Of the charge. He
| was on the staff of Gen. Scott in the
campaign of Gen. Taylor on the Rio
Grande, and thence was transferred
to to the column of General Scott,
with which he went to the city of
Mexico. His correspondence was
constant, full and amazingly minute
and accurate, and his energy fire.
quently provided for its quick trans
mission even when the government
could not get their own dispatches
through.
On his return from Mexico, he de-
voted a great deal Of his time and
cara 10 the rrpnaratioD of A costly