The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-01-05
srecial Cprresnonaenea.,

DEAR GENERAL: 20
Some time ago you
remarked inSthe CouR1ea that the
great North Westsrn III r. ,Nas rum
ming great mary trains less pcr
day thar formerly, yet the travel
across the State ofIowa is large, so
the great diminution in the business
ofthat road, must be attributed to
tile tact that she has powerful, and
taking" rivals, chief among them,
is the G. B.GQ., ana R.& n. r. r.
No one can pass ovor these roads
without noting the vast .dvantages
possessed by them for doin large
freight and passenger business. =
TEis was the FIRST line in the State
to introduce the dining.room cal, md
eastern bound passengers are served
with the choicest meats of the ives.
tern plains. The number OF stock
trains On the road is immense, and
il this country don't have sham
enough, for at least q yenr, then
present appearances are deceptive.
Chicago is at this time excited
ovcr the appearance Of tho Swedish
songster "thc greater than Jenny
Lind Friday night was her fifth
or sixth appearance, yet Farwell
Hall, tho largest one in the city, was
crowded, seats in the gallery com.
manding two dollars. The question
is frequently aeked, '.is she as good rs
Jenny Lind2" It must be remem.
bered that Jenny came TO this conn.
try ut 4 time when music was less
cultivated than now, and she was the
first singer ofnots to visit ourshores.
She came advertised IN Barnum' q
best style, and 60 excited were the
people of New York. that over six
hundred dollars was paid for o single
seat on the opening night, and 10 q
town on the Ohio river, IN order TO
induce, her to come, they signed .
guarantee, pledging to raise five
Thousand dollars. Let no one sup,
pose that this WAS the first time q
guarantee was heard of; it Was
not only popular then. abutis now"
II is said . fond mother sent her
soa athalf past two to the box Office,
20 get atiokst, for the first grand
NILSSON concert, the boy took his
turn, and saw the deepiDg shades Of
night falling around him, and yet no
tichct.q LiEo the boy awho stood on
tho burning deck, he would not leave,
and aboutthree o'clock tho next morn
ing her darling son returned with
the 'sPasteboard.p / did not "take''
pill this story, yet Chicago invested
eight thousand in tho concert. Miss
Nllsson is pronounced, by critics, to
Be the greatest, singer that the
world has yet produced. With the
wo5d at her feet, yet she IS not
proud or naughty, She met hero q
woman with whom she rOamed the
woods OF the great North Land, !"
when they were girls Forgetting her
ermine and. satins, she knelt on the
noot Of tbs. plain hoase and embraced
her fsicnd's children. The Swedes
hereabopt have had many tokens of
her ri ndness. $3.50 81,
Tho city has been visited this
winter with snow, and a few days
ago sleighing MAS delightful. One is
reminded on every side that this is
holiday week, The fancy stores arc
lavish in their displays, and the
people wear smiling faces, as if glad
that sold Time" is about to mark
tone" on the dial. 1t IS Saturday
night, the street cars are crowded
with homo bound people-tho fond
mother holds in her hand the basket
of toys from the "Dollar Store"
while ut her side sits one whom
fOrtuae has favored with wealth and
. home on the Avenue Alike they
seek the fre.side "most dear" From
enc home the gas jet throws its light
far out on the placid lake; from the
other comes faint light, shut out, as
it were, by the cold, damp air ofthe
cellar. May tho happy new year
reveal brighter hopes to the lowly
and the forsaken in this great city!
J. G. NJ.
Chicago, Dec. 3lst, 1870.