The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-07-16
a Kansas Picfure-The jumping Oh
Place.

At this little town of Salina-so new
that a baby born at the same time would
be precocious if il had yet arrived at the
first white CLEAN of the first tOOth-the
Pacific railroad turns over its traffic to
the prairie schooner and the stage coach.
Here is the fair-skinned STRIPPING of
some noble English family seeking the
plains for a buffalo hunt; here is some
withered old geologist, with his brains
rs full of rock knowledge as his cabinet
is full of gritty specimens; here is the
Jewish trader, with his submissive air,
shrewd eyes and olive skin; here is a
family from New Mexico, bound for the
Paris Exposition, consisting of rich old
ranchman with his daughter, whose
waist is giIdled by sliding silver belt,
and her finger by a curious puzzle ring
of virgin gold; here is clear-skinned
little beauty, with red slippers on her
feet, who has much the aspect OF being
that charming young widow we met on
the train; here is "Wild Bill and his
chum, Jack Harvey, the fast men OF the
community, with their massive neck
chains of gold, their permanent dis
taste for coats, and their braces OF heavy
revolyers jogging at their hips; here Is
q party of sallow invalids, dragging the
hours along wearily, but not without
hope that travel may yet distill them
some red blood; here is laughing beyy
of railroad, telegraph and exprefs men;
over yonder a knot Of Mexican OK
drivers, some lying on their faces in the
grass, Others lazily cracking their bull
whips, with u report like that OF horse
pistol: here are two stage drivers. with
their cravats in flowing true lovers
knot, and a plug of tobacco losing It's
corners between their teeth; here is
festive Irishman, dissipating in aday
whole months wages for driving spikes
on the railroad; here is an eager specu-
lator in town lots, elabOrately explain
ing that the recent flood over his mar
ketable real estate was wholly unpre-
cedented, and cannO5 occur again for o
thousand years; here is the Sheriff, who
is relating how near he came that very
morning to "belting over stranger
who gave a rebel toast to flavor drink
all round; here are the only two police
men of the town, with countenanccs
sufficiently hang-dog to entitle them to
to be first-class detectives; here is the
man who, 4 fortnight ago, nortaliy
shot some other man that called
him a liar; over there, burdcned
like hotel clothes-horse, is the male
colOred washwoman of the town, whose
tariff is Sl.7 and all the buttons per doz-
en-; following him is IL trapper of prai-
rie dogs, with cagefull in each hand,
captured by flooding their burrows with
a dozen bHckets of water poured down
in rapid succession, floating them to
the mouths of their little tunnels-it is
impossible to dig them Out-and here
and there, iningling with all, army of.
ficers, traders, emigrants, tourists, pros-
pecting spectators, thoughtful Iapi-
talists, penniless wanderers, and the
usual substratnm of providers and
swindlers.
The town itself Stands or Il level eX-
panse of prairie with n cottonwood
fringed stream for its background.
Count the houses-you will find about
seventy-ivc. with twenty-five more
perhaps in the course Of erection. All
are built of wood, and the lumber used
is Of 50 exactly the same shade Of new
ness that the town seems to have been
built in single night from one gigantic
tree. OF course there is Il main street,
broad avenue paved with the bl; ci
FIT .- -.I. 49, I.."I'iN, ana aunt
ted by double line of one and twO-stOry
business houses. Here is one store com
prising n bakery on one side and a
drug store on the Other-the staff of
life and the staff OF life's opposite.
There are two billiard saloons, with
bars attached. At one Of them you
must be careful i'll pulling ont the chalk
cups for they sometimes contain the
inky remains Of last nights rain. There
is hotel with its dish of fried meat
(you pass the meridian Of brOiling ut st.
Louis) and its rough sleeping rooms
choked up with rows of musty smelling
and filthy looking beds. You will find
at the counter Il dog-earcd register
where yOu may place your autograph
next that of n guest who writes OPP
poSite his name, "Slept out with
team last night" and, wonderful
to say, yon will discover near the
register clerk who wears no dian Ond
pin, but stutfs his pantalo0ns in his
boots, and is civil, because here IL is
dangerous to be uncivil. Ii one is very
crusty in Salina he will probably get
bit; SO good humor is in fashion. If
YOU call man liar you will be shot,
or, at least, shot at; SO the cplthet is
rarely heard. There are clothing stores,
sh oe stores, groceries and saloons.
Harness making and selling is prom.
inent business feature, for thousands of
teams arrive aud leave here
every month. There is Il restaurant
where q very decent meal may be had
for seventy five cents; and bowling
alley where for one dollar per game yOu
can display your native awkwardness,
lame your dorsal muscles, ard invite
cOpious perspiration.-Co'. Cincinnati
Commercial.