Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-04-08
la TRIPyre MONTANA TFRRITORY--THE
4@ssss y; PEK1LS OF STAGING.
A Lettsr from Jndge Murphr.

II =
4 49, sss y; PER1LS OF STAGING.
j A Letter from Judge Murphy.
Il. Through the Kindness of Col. M. l..
Il Patterson, the. efficient Clerk & Master OF
i our Chancery Court, we are permitted to
make the following extracts from private
tletter from Hon. Jno. L. Murphy, well
known to our readers, giving graphic ac-
eountofl histrip to Virginia City, Mon
tana Territory, where he now resides as
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
j Under date of the oath of March he writes :
1 am thankful and happy, almost be-
lyond measure, to inform you of our arrival
I here, and our location for the present at
the "Closby House, the best hotel i'm the
city, and kept by w. III. Rodgers and SON
i in-laW, the former Of whom is cousin of
the late Judge Rodgers, DIR, James Rodg-
4 ers and the whole Rodgers family of Knox
yilieand vicinity He is pleasant gentle
man, and max essus feel like an old friend,
| coming from Knoxville and knowing his
4 peUpfe as We do. We have suit of front
rooms on the I'd floor, with large veran-
da- for the children to play on.
We are all as well as could be expected.
fsThe children stood it better than we. All
haNeaeolds, bruises, sleepy -heads and are
| much fatigued-eempletely worn out, but
an much recruited and feeling much bet
ter this morning
I'VE left CorrinneLthe Railroad for the
/ Stage last Saturday at II ", and travelled
day andEnight, arriving here at s p. NJ the
"Wednesday following before yester-
day evening. Fortunately we had but six
inside of the Stage, besides the children
having persuaded two passengers to remain
at Corrinne for the next one.-Once started,
SzoRl must &c enorsrun the risk of lying
HSersfor weeks before you couldg get vacant
! seats, as every stage is crowded to its ut
most every day, and many are delayed at
keep right on for DAYS and nights. crarnped
up, no chance. to stretch limb. or, body
inhofd the children CAREFUL all the time
and no opportunity to sleep wink
changing all times of the. night, as roads
!afe bad, and fropAF closed coach to open
sleigh. And in the last range or main
divide Of the Rocky Mountain we had
Egreat difficulty and much anxiety. The
sleigh road is a ,Iarrew-beaten track, OH
top of thesnOw, made by the sleigh. and
tifot extending more than about six inches
on each side outside of the runners. SO
you can, see how difficult it must be to
keep precisely on the track, and yet they
do itvwith perfect ease, eveflif the track is
| covered. with new snow, and = that at
| full speed, if nothing has interferedi with
thestrack~zits being staked off. Then it
changes often very suddenly and wonder
| fully. We started cut in a storm, but
fortunately 1t subsidized till late in the eve
| iuo -ss81i1 fsB sauteiiau Aailt sSc21 's-t
Some twelve or fourteen miles from our
| station or any habitable place, we met q
wagon ON the track, which is unbelievable.
This was just turned over in the snow,
horses and all for us to pass, but unfortu
nately the wagon had been ON and Off and
greately Injured the track beyond. Now
began our trouble. The sleigh went off and
| off. The driver, assistant and passengers all
| worked hard. Horses plunged in and out
Of snow (which ranged from two to ten feet
deep: and thus we toiled till men and
horses were almost exhausted-nigh fast
approaching rising-getting colder
fast, ESTIMATED Is to 20 degrees per hour
road ruined and impossible to go back,
and seerningly no chance to go forward
al aIarn1ed- Inc frantic for the safety of
my wife and children. Just think of it
All night in the ranges and in the midst
of most tremendous and violent snow
storm. IF stay we must our trust was in
God, and our hope that we might keep
from freezing tosdeath and perishing in the
snow; if not, we would all die together.
Mr.. johnson, the agent for that division,
ruS
been the most patient and reasonable man
/ ever saw, we should have been left there
for the night and probably been lost. If
heshad ever lost his patience and once got
out of humor with the horses, we would
have been gone. If thought prayer OF
mine would ever be heard above for any
one, it would be freely given for that man.
His name will live forever in the sad but
now rejoicsd heart of every passenger on
board. When nothing else could be done,
the baggage was all thrown out on the
snow and Buffalo robes spread, and Viola,
Julia and the children were put out
and wrapped up on the snow, and
for all night. The horses, trembling and
hardly able to stand, were taken out and
got safely on the track, then the sleigh was
lifted and pulled up by hand for long dis
lance, Finally the horses were able to go,
and with all our baggage left OH the snow,
the men Walking and holding on, we were
able to keep the sleigh with great difficulty
on the track Ultimately we Were all able
to, get aboardand, half frozen, wrap ND i'm
robes and blankets. After several more
hours of dread and anxiety, shivering in
the nlgh ss 5s9fE! sss reashsd the station,
and supper, and a sympathetic and hearty
That snew-clad and barreas place and old
log cabin, was hailed by all as a paradise
and q palace slg D. Eaa ssBfsflBaaE 0Hs AZ
We are now out of the greatest danger,
and sooh arc Yelling on our{wearisone and
tedious way. This, Colonel, is the dark
part ofeHr ttns and teyentf1I Journey. L
gave the light part in letter on the train.
fo1 es e e ssIsnas b sa sis tsa
to Col. Vial. Of aIewaE superintendent of
Indian Affairs here, and to Col. Allen, of
AurUq, III, land others, who felt and cared