The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-19
GheGnteltiQerrrcreer1t C. !
THX WEST.
A western MANS Observations.



Albert d. Richardson's excellent
book beyond the Mississippi" noticed
in yesterdays issue. gives a very lively
picture of western manners and Gus
toms, and abonnds in anecdotes, char
acIeri tic and droll stories, which show
perhaps better, and certainly more
pleasantly than many long essays,
wnat manner of men are they on " hose
broad shoulders westward the star of
empire" is borne.
We cannot do better than give our
readers taste of the book, in few ex-
tracts. Tns title sufficiently shows its
contents. Mr.. Richardson begins at
st. Louis, and he says of Gll rr
..-l- THE MISSOURI RIVER. ~
John Randolph exaggerated in de-
cluring that tue Ohio was frozen over
one half of the year and dry the other
half But Benton told almost the ex-
act truth when he described the Mis-
souri, as a little 100 thick to swim In
and not quite thick enough to walk on,
By dayIig ht the broad current is unpo-
eIic and repulsive-a stream OF liquid
brick dust or flowing mud, studded
with dead tree trunks, broken by bars
and islands of ureary sand, and en-
closed by orumbling shores OF naked
soil. Its water will deposit II sediment
bottom of tumbler in five minutes.
Though at first unpalatuble and medi.
cinuI, one soon. finds 1t a pleasant,
healthful BEVERAGE have seen errant
MissourIans so partial to II as TO urge
that the pure waters oil the ROCKY
Mountains were unfit to drink because
OF Ihe.r clearness!
One OF our eastern passengers, pour
Ing out halfa pitcher full for ablution,
Was utterly oisHusIed with its color In
the white porcelain bHSin. -.
"HeTe. wafer" he exclaimed, "bring
me clean WATER. somebody has washed
in this"
RppellHLIOn OF ''strunR water" and pos
siOIy accounts for the tendency OF
whites to the manor born to weaken II
with whisky. A novice iancies bathing
in ii III ust sadly soil any one not very
dirty TO begin with; but 1t proves soft
and cleansing. ~ a-at
Navigating the Missouri, at low wa
Ter, is ike putting steamer upon dry
land, and sending n boy ahead with u
sprIukllng pot.
ORIGIN OF WESTERN NAMES.
"Kansas," signifying Smoky" is
the name of Il degraded and nearly ex-
tinct Indian tribe Lewis and Clark,
and all other early explorers, spelt II as
pronounced, with II 81"
Kansas towns perpetuate many Indi-
an names. OsRwatIamie, the home of
old John Brown, was formed from the
Usage and Potawatomie rivers, at whose
junction 1t is built. Oskoloosa was
named in joint honor of Oska, an old
chief, and Luosa, bis sQuRw. Osawkee
signifies the "yellow leaf" Hiawatha
in Brown county commemorates Long
fellows hero. Kinnekuck is n corrup-
ton of Ke-an-ne-kuck (the foremost
many, great Ktckapoo prophet.
White Cloud was brave CHIEF among
the Iowas, and the city of While Cloud
is built on his old hunting ground.
waubonsee is from Waubon. sic Cthe
dawn oil day., the name gwen to Pot
IAwatOmie leader who attacked the en-
emy Justa daybreak. Lf-ys si
There is legend of an old brave
within the present limits of Wiscon sin,
whose sQuaw annually presented him
with girl. Women are of little repute
among the Indians, and the heart of
the chiettan longed for Il son and heir.
But the sHuHw had all the obstinacy of
her sex, and every twelve month the
appearance of the inevitable girl filled
him with dependency and chaRrin.
On one of these sad occasions the un-
happy brave visited little grocery,
for settlers were already encroaching
upon his domain. He was plunged in
profouudest gloom, and refused to
drink or talk.
A white loafer, knowing his disap-
pointment, congratulated him upon
the new arrow added to his domestic
quiver. With II look of unutterable
disgust, he eejauculated 'She- boy -gin!"
(she boy again y strobe from the house,
and never again returned TO the scene
of his broken hopes. And when a
flourishing town sprang up around the
little grocery, it was named by com
mon consent. Sheboygan.
Topeka is an Indian word signifying
"poIatoes." Satirisls translated il
"small potatoes"-Rn Interpretation
which the Toreka philologisus indig-
nantly rejected. 81