The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-09-30
GREAT SALT LAKE Cry, .; T., }
September 18Th, lS6o. }

Editors Journal: +
When [ left Evansville, L promised
my friends to write to them once IA |
week through your columnF. 1t |
strikes me I have kept that promise
rather poorly when / remember that |
seven weeks have passed since | sent
you line. The exigsncies OF West
ern travel will not admit of regular
correspondence.
1 stayed five weeks in Nebraska.
much longer than I had intended,
and took my departure from Omaha on
the afternoon of July 31st. After an
interesting ride of just twenty four |
hours. we reached "Shy Ann, asal
the late " Magic City" is rather ir.
reverently styled on the iplalns, and |
found it very quiet little village of
one thousand FIVE hundred or
two thousand people. as all
the floating population has passed
ON to new fields of &C
ton west of the Black Hills. After
spending a day there, passed on to
Laramie City, the proposed capltai.ot
Wyoming. another evaneseent city
which is already beginning to decay,
though the railroad shops and Ter
ritorIal offices will probably furnish
basis for permanent population OF
two or three thousand. Two men had
been killed a few days before my ar
rival, and while | was there young
woman attacked her "felloW" with
pen. knife. and stabbed him thirteen
times. while he was too drunk to re-
sist. unfortunately without killing
him. As a reason for these proceed
ipgs. the citizens stated they were out
of meat" Leaving this delig htiul spot,
/ rode on through a succession OF
wild and beautiful scenes to the
new City of Benton, at the o9oth
mile-post from Omaha, and the pres
ent terminus Of the road, though the
track is now laid a hundred and fifty
smiles further This town seemed to
me the jumping of place OF all
creation Situated in the most bar
rem spot of The Great AlkaH Desert,
the whole surface of the country
looked like a dried mass of soap and
soda; the white dust lay six inches
deep in the streets. and when wind
storm arose the white clouds were 50
binding and disagreeable that every
door and window had 10 be closed
and business was entirely suspended.
There was one heavy rain during my
stay, and the water ran IN thick
streams along the streets, and formed
a lake half way around the town
looking exactly like q puddle of thick
cream, Of which one quart would Kill
the oldest OK on the plains. Like all
AhogA i,.n.1 I the
cnerisheo nome 81 eEeIy spenHles; ~ y.
XktlqgIIny 81 ten days there was one
murder, one lynching (hanging), some
mites south, one robbery of So 900, and
woman whipping and fist fights were
numerous Here one might see a
faint type of what all communities
would be without the restraining in
hdence Of law and religion. l have
been through Smoky Row in its
palmy days and have visited more than
one Z" Five Points on Saturday
night, but what is done there under
cover of darkness and behind screens
is here perpeti ated unblushiDgly in
the face of day. No need for green
door blinds here. You might as well
put a gauze veil over the mouth
of hell. / am amazed at the
reckless prodigality which seems to
actuate all the plainsmen who spend,
with the widest freedom, the money
obtained by severe toll and hardship
Day after day one could see the long
trains coming in from the plains, the
men paid off for months of toll, and
then at night drinking champagne at
So per bottle as though it were water.
and dancing the night through with
painted cyprians at a dollar q set
and whisky furnished" And if they
do not get robbed besides they con
slider themselves in big luck" At
ali hours of the night the music from
the dancing tents can be heard. and
the bullwhackers and mule-skin-
ners who have but day or two to
stay seem bent on getting rid OF as
much money as possible in that time.
And the music, OF, which the devil
seems to have monopoly, draws hun
dreds OF wanderers to these places
who would not otherwise so. The
happy resident Of a quiet house
cannot reallze the wonderful power f
soft and plaintiye music, heard a.
night, when lar away from home and
friends. Many a time in my wander
ing DAYS the dis ant sound of music
has subdued all my enerpy. while .
feeling of unutterable loneliness seized
upon my heart Here, too. I have
watched the houseless wanderers
gather In crowds at the doors of con-
cert saloons-too often brain weary
and heart-sick-while the ravishiug
notes of " Home, sweet home, rolled
out on the evening air, till moisture
stood in eyes long unused TO weeping,
and trembling softness stole DER
bTonzed and hardened features. Alas,
"'TwaS old Abaddon's voice, to lure
The thougntless SOal to deatlh."
soon grew tired of Benton, and
set out for this place Angus the 18th,
with SIX mule Uutft of ten
teams, the property of Nisbitt &
HIndley, commission merchants. of
this city. started as passenger.
but the fourth day on the road one 81
the teamsters took too much red
jacket" and ran his wagon into >
ditch, upon which the wagon boss dis
charged him aud delivered his team
to me. as being the only one of his
passengers who claimed any knowl
edge OF mules. Think Of me then for
the rest Of the trip as mule-skin-
ner, seated on my {" near wheeler. y
welding q whip nearly as heavy as
myself over the backs of three span
ofmules, viz: Brigham" and "Sall1
Ann, " Ponce and julie" Z" Kit
and Mexico. do not know wheth-
er the name Of my "off-leader" has
any reference to one of the real Brig
hams numerous wives, but you may
- readily judge, from such uses, the rev
erence these young Mormons have for
their dignitaries. OF our little marty
OF hfteen, two OF the drivers and tbe
night herder, and the three nossenS
gers, were Gentiles-all the 'ra5t ' NJ
mons, among them two granSSonS Of