The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-12-17
Western Characteristic Pioneer OF
tho Plains,

FFoR a Kaasas Letter In he Chicago Tribune.
The plainsman is character, He Is
ma GeR6is. He Is the connecting link be-
tween barbarism and civilization; and,
with him, it is difficult to tell where the
batbarism ends and civilization begins
He Is q ChieitiAn without followers; an
Emperor without subjects. He asks not
for retaincrs He is not aggressive, but
he Is absolutely fearless He never courts
q fight, except on extremely rare Occa-
sions, and when on a 'spree," which he
seldom INDUCES in. He Is not model OF
temperance and sobriety-his name is
never found enrolled in the Father Mat
thew societies; but he Is far from being a
drunkard. He seldom drinks TO excess,
and for weeks "nevcr tastes drop" His
diet for months is meat only; vegetables
he never cats; flour Is consumed
when he has it. and, when he
don't, "jerked" buffalo for contin-
uous chaw answers very well. lie is
generous and magnanimOuS to friends,
hospitable to strangers, and relentless to
enemies. He does everything on the
square. His drinks are Square drinks"
his meals arc all square meals" He is
your best friend in a fight. II dozen
savages are to be "Chawed up" if q
gambling house is TO be CLEANED out"
gone through" cviscerated, to use anoth.
CT term for tho Western phrase, by all
means let the contract out to the Pioneer
Plainsman. He will do the job with as
little noise, and with as little use for po-
liccmen, writs OF teri .taciaS, certi0rart,
and subsequent hGbtdS corpus, us any other
man. In finishing up the job there will
be no use Tor judges or juries. A coroner
and vigorous 1rishman with spade,
will be about all that 1t is necessary to
provide for. ...
The plainsman is not unirequently
educated. His perceptions are quick, his
intellect vigorous, active and strong. He
is not vulgar and habitually profanc.
Alone so much, he becomes by nature tact.
turn, and always in the presence Of the
grandeur Of the mountains or the limitlcSs
expansc Of tho wide, extended plain, he
uncOnsciously becomes almost religious;
hut he will swear Mt mule. Alexander
NariOres is the only man ConvGrSant with
the plains / have ever known who did not
consider il necessary TO use by-wOrdS in
castigating mulish quadrupcds The
plainsman, in most instances, is q gentle
man. Strip him Of his buCkskins aud
place upon him u jaunty cap, and hobby
coat, and choker collar, and he would pass
for New York dandy, He is at home
wherever he is. lie would be al ease as
much ut reception Of Grant or Sherman
rs in the rude tent of Satanta or Satank.
Years ago he had the advantages ola good
common school education. He commit
ted some youthful indiscretiOn," cropped
the tail of some old farmers horse little
too short, or accidentally "pushcd" q
companion too vigorously in a saloon
brOil and has fled 10 the prairies to allow
his wild oats 10 germanate in kindly
and retentive soil. Once having summer.
ed and wintered here, he never returns.
lie is both married and not married. lie
has no wife; but lie has ono or more
squnws among halt dozen or more wild
tribes. .Hc firmly believes that the savage
tribes can only be improved aud civilized
through the medium of amalgamAtiOn;
and he finds confederation and conhrmA.
tion of his theory in the history of the
semi.civilized tribes of the Indian Terri.
tory and the failure to civiliZe the Blanket
or Plains Indians.