, 1869-12-12
WILD WESTERN SCENES.
George B&lden, The Wbito Chief.

/
An Ohio Boy's Adventures .
Among the Wild Indians q
Of the Plains, II
wrtrea fas 7ns cAftass T1bH4a.
nr AARoN Apout.
uo1 ear1Y In rfa bosaa 70 long for adventure .
1 nor not, but II the ase Of u, the crartag foe
Wild la being no longer tolezable. l fan away
from home, to aeek M fostune In the boundless
West NebraAta VII then fag out on the frontier.
and, 1t the c!oee Of . beautiful summers day.
cked my bundle, and lett the hanks OF the Ohio,
caring little where went II the path lei toward
tns setting mu- ru dan time croaed the bouu- |
ary OF civilization, and was n LAST tn the West-
he slos!ous Weat. How bouudleas 1t seemed. with
tt4 mighty pE1tres IT. vast resources, Its houea
tor tina homeless and iaud for the laatiess-
Wrote To ny friends describing III Gaw. and ny
father, Impressed h9 with said, sod oat III ohto.
ard moyed to Aebssaka- We began oar new LIE
1t nspwnT1llc. then vlllage Of nine log caolns
uefe We estah1isaed printing on1ce, the azst
thlnk, wess Of the Mlaaous.. and tssaed tho
weekly Atnsaha s'oit7 Jo"rn&t. penny sheet:
but one that gnye some reputation 10 Neo1algar |
and capsed many larues In the Esst to pull up
s,ales and sett:e Ia the youpg Territory. The
vnlsge thtoTo amazingly. and IN couple Of years
the lo1 cabin teeAu to daappear, and Substantial
dwellings, took 1heIt place Land agents, farm
en- md specuta.osf. crowded n, 1na soou al the
landa, for mues and niles back from the Missouri
wss taken up or under cultivation. The little
weetlJ jousIai Wa4 changed luto ds1y, ana
double duty xks required OF tbs componsorA |
never liked steady work, and, ~ the indians and
ghme began to d!ssppear, became 1est.
less. and lonEed again 10 go "eaI !
! told nv father ! ioEed hunting better
! than typo setstnf, and that the county
! wa becoming TOO th1c1.y settled for ne; but he
| babe ma be content, and think more OF my Wosk
| than chasing the buffalo ........
| I,Hxs about this time gold WIS discovered 1t
| Pixies Peak, aud the ,rer1 Epread Ike "1loeFe
over the county, Here was my opportunity Tor
wild lhe--hefe my chance to see the monntA1ns'
With their eternal caps OF SNOW and, peshaps'
| naRe 4 fortune. Al I'll events I baeasd auot
the hutalo, tap, aud i've wtsh tho indiana, and
that was enough TO IRE MT 1ounE Imagination.
Haatf sunered u ux-t1ain after ox.rAin ar'
y1yed II Tho Missouri Aud departed for the neN
Eldof1do. l leave the reader 70 Imagine.
| knew uY father would not allow me to 90, 5ei
VA. deteruiued 10 leave = country, the very
smoke Of whoae ceotns wM nom hateful to me.
Privately offered my se1vlcea 70 the proprietor
Of a srsin, but was plainly told such punJ
. boy - had better dig for gold
ia n, fathers sa''eo: IN WIN WI.
IL cough. to work ny way ou''
| No one would hare me and waA almost In
despair, when an event happened Wa1ca uade INC
| the nappteAt hoy On earth. ......
> An old friend OF uy father. from TuscalaNal
County, Ohio, arrived with trsin bound for Pke'a
: | peak He nag kind.heArsed mAn and knew Il
: ! Early IN the evening On the day Of ha arrival
sought N interview with him and told nlu
frankly oI my longing for adventure and desire Il
e | f1h m M Hk4fJf
= could make myselt oa the WAY out and hinset
plainly II he did not take me would run aWal
= irom none and 20 an3 way. Alter good deal o
. coa1ing the old fellow agreed TO SEA ny faths
tnd take me With him u my parents Would con
"A sens- How anxious1y waited to hear the resu!
~ ~ Of thas, 10 me, Important vtats. The minute
" seemed hou1s and the honra years until ny OIL
~ ~ friend resn1Eed WITH ,hs good news that wa
- permitted to 70. Ihsd strong advocate OF N
= ambition IN my tAsuerh friend, and stl n
~ member with regret how tllJ requ!scd bin "a
~ the kindly interest he took Id NE. Should he II
;, be living. and his eye see these uues the ht
n Eoused, t!ud-heasted, generous old man will kno
a I have NOT forgot, and never ahal, while ~
An forget how much owa 10 him
r. Having bought my outat and received p
~ iental lecture, which lasted from tho ttms Il
- train began Iosdtrg until I took my seat IN Il
r. ieur.mu wagon BY the Ride Of ny friend. b
ke goodbye u everybody, and. with many beastn
ut tom MT mother, departed.
~ The wagon rastled down the Streets OF Bros
a. vile ovcr the as river bottom, up the bas, n
II. / as tsAt rolled out upon the bsoad pralr1es
tho West II u impossible to describe the ieeu
Of relief I experienced at the thought OF oet
free from the "case." No more printing for q
10 moEo picking sf "breFlet," no more oIow1s
p, up frpm the foreman, OK or sweating over
ii copy. I was free nan; naJ more,
II oEn man, and felt proud and happy, taousl
lle will not deny that II hight took little CRY O.
nas tho reco11ectops Of hoc and the thought Of lei
VI ing my mother, perhaps forever.
.M Ny father had bought ne Hawk1ns n1e
BIZ BRACE OF Colt'a rrvslrets, stout butcher kr
ln- | gun. pouch, and stouch hat, and thcse thin
w With pair Of heary blankets and plenty Of Auu
Il milton, were considered aa abuudant outat.
e. For nne days oar courae laI ostr the new 70
LETT never travelled until the gold {tsef broke out;
aed on the morning Of the tansh day We cane in a
.ek Of tho broad Platte River, and vera ason trott
do up the wel6eateu road On the south bank 10
for Fort kearneT. We had now accompshhed I
ee4' hundred miles Of our journey, and had four b
be- dred no,c Jet 10 20 hefore reaching the peak.
NJ, At Fort Kes{ueJ l met the tr5t United Sta
do. soldiers eyer saw, and VIII greatly pleased Y
nals | then. This waa In 1855, beforc the Mot1
ar ,atr war broke ouL and when the Sioux
out. other trsoes Of Indians On she plains y
rent II peace With the watsea. IcouM not but adu
e d the free and eAsy lite the soldiers led IN TIN
| peace. AQu 9elfouAl3 s<tUu&ut u 1u2AAQ444&
IA | trlp TO p.kea Peak and Joining the army
rses coupcts Of mJ friends prevailed. however, Al
aup, again net forward. 0u1 route after leIFtng
nteI- Kea7ucs lay up the south bank Of the Platte
~ i. three day 3 Journey brought u 10 Cot,onw
fad Springs, where Fort M.h1eIson now Stands.
n!ea, At Cottonwood re stopped for several d
H. reattug our jaded mules, resettlng tires,
hui nendinE Wagons, n we'll n on1 coSta
20 breeches, which III needed repairs.
With trcsh rnles, Grraaet wagons and buo
= for spirits nc were OF o. The third dsy, and
5 eaop ge night catnped twelve miles from Cottouw
mtcai where the North P.atte empties into the s.
Platte. Three days marching brought
l,oGt 1l to JnlesouEg the present stie Of Fort 8
snita wick. and nlne DAYS mort Of wears
Snt. | tou1uey1pg landed u6 nj Denver.
being a now, the crest city of the Mount
umea | Before reaching Denver We experienced our
q y great surprise on the plains. Rising ADORE
= ne hills, apparently scarcely ten miles distart,
heat | the ROCKY Mountains, With thelr tnoT-c
md peakA. We thought VI ahould reach tttts
OILY before uig4t, hut We KatEhed ALL that day.
n fhe the next and the nezt and str thosc rnJs:e
b ap5 mounfatnaAeened 10 obecton IA On. it was n
nJons s1tlts fsoea Ntcte We mat saw them inst a
eaal! I until vc reached theu~
g NC Denver IN those asyfFas vast city u, c
III the tents and bo1td shant1es. Around the city
rondi- cauaptd tho sra.ns containing 1hoa4ands Of
fne4e ho.ses and mu!ex. The xsEstts we're throng
nst ha vast heterogeneous 1ass OF men Of III Tribe
IeHnat klonf, Ind color. Hundreds OF hZ-Fh!s
the Cd fFoa1eraeo, clad iu bsckaklu. Aanvts, and
he ID. ets fas.ened Mout then With lea:hern belts
q tes fte, 10 acd no evet3 ore intent % hts own
rradu- rees, and cartag 11e Tor the lnsetests OF
]olTsa modstion Of his lellowa Each carried
70 toa Inevitable bowie knite and revolver,
~ ;aS some. OF them sekenblca snoxA
n Ehst ,arseAal He1e and there WAS met r
hard tfppxrd By th9dtSeft RQn, and armed Vita
Ire IN snifc or PISTOL Al seemed happ! and In 4
10 ct on to the gold heldz TO gather the gin
Of the and precious d1ss. TWAS AE1id snoad
.pe1ted IN the great crowd. and % at1ck close
: ts9e. friends wagon.
snon l. 1he mines Isy in the heavy numbering mou
: 1ni3S. xaar hy;s md Thousands at mtnfrs were 4
urnt1gs tearing open the stetp ades Ia search Of tn
a bflsft fexr r1ncceeded, but nAoJ could get uc
"a ous Than enough 70 n,J pEoEihons and keep
p.,tes sh&.s hod.ea- Some ,deapalred aa1 bic"
| nsa,as out, OF crowded tnso she city to die
course, run. A naszel Of whuke9 tn tent, with Il
lot c1l rase Of 4Na&oo or piece Of hoArd for b
~ I III ,natwas nesded tor hotel, md often ps
n IL Eau digging IN the nines- \ covered
piss of would ses se for gambling her and hero II
become miner, af,er savtn9 BY days Of patient toll
ssaIss peiaes stx aoua1s In gold deat. wo
! ns s -. aud toalhniy ~ his luet. !nr
i ts4as 1ox.uR Ill be had uiSht 1E.se A*aoie I
u3pEion In describing seenea m md Azcund Denver
nsasen dsyy; but Mo<s Eeaerz ne already tanntit
heE se,r ~. lie u ms mmas, and vii. to1beAs.
Among the n1forsuultea u the mines
. which tneud. Ho vn1xed Win wri, BIT we got
eres5 tay. and, X iass, atsS months OF -
ID ooke tsacS@u9 sese ~ Aou usse.. ~ ~ y
OF who homo Il TA 4ad AnnoaooeNseaN ~
did kneP | v.1knish crushed III ny hopes. ! v1shet
~ H. v~+1. mt thx nh m An sAtd he Ind HfcUu