The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-08-17
The n. r. r. x. In Dakota.
From A0ore's New Yorker, Aug. ID.

From Aoorcs Nsw Yorker. Aug. I'd.
Col. W. Milnor Roberts, Chief Engineer
of the Northern Pacific Railrosl, has just
completed careful examination Of the line
Of the roai across Dakota, from the Red
River tO the Missouri. distance Of 200
miles. lie found SPLENDID grass lands al
the way, and thinks farming. especially
wheat. growing, will hc very successful.
The ''Mauvaises Terres" and alkaline plains
Ut the maps have not been found on the
route. Good springs have been found in
several places, and the railroad contractors
get good water anywhere by digging eight
or ten feet. A good portion Of the route is
turagc but no trees The streams. however,
were fringed with timber. and the banks Of
the Missouri are heavily wooded. The soil
Is shown in railroad cuttings 10 bc rich and
deep, the underlying strata in several cut.
tings proves TO lie gravel, which insures
natural drainage and immunity from fever
and aguc. The located lands are \ success.
sion Of tangcnts connected by easy curves,
the first tangent west Of Red River bcing
80 miles long. The grades arc generally
very light, the levels long and frequent.
and the difficulties and consequent cost of
construction much less than was supposed
Truck is now going down at tho rate
of two miles per day, and there Is no doubt
Of the completion Of the road to the cross.
ing If the Missouri river in October next.
The telegraph was to he finished to that
point by the lst Of August
Il Fellow by the Name or Holmes.''
In lS4j. says correspondent Of the Free
Press, Abe Lincoln" ~ lie was then called.
came to Bloomington, ILL.,, about sixty
miles from his home IN Springfield, to de-
fend an aged father in suit for SANDER
brought by his son. The old mans spouse,
a second wife, and not altogether sanity in
the estimation Of her step son, had spoken
severely Of her step.son's wife. and l,c pros>
ecutcd for slander, US was supposed by
some more to get the old mans money than
to keep peace in the family. They had gone
through the evidence, and Lincoln made
the closing speech. As he approached the
close lie called the father to his side before
the jury. and spoke Of the unnatural aspect
there presented in man Of these gray hairs
defending himself against the conduct Of
his child. Raising his hand higher than
that frosted head, he summoned the spirit
Of the departed mother to console the de-
fendant in these unmcrited sorr0ws: to
shield him IN these days when he needed
some reqninl Of affection from the as
sault Of their thanklcss child. Her spirit of
love is NIL that remains to him now. For
The mnssy marbles rest
On the lips that he has pressed
In their bloom:
And the nancs he loved 10 hear
Have been carved for many aycar
On the tomb"
These lines fitted in like ~ exquisite piece
0f mechanism. The case was gained. A
witness on the scene who reports the case
says that ut the close he asked. Mr.. Lin
coin, who was the author of those lines you
repeatedly" Oh" said he. lit was \ fel.
low by the name Of Holmes" This fellow
by the name Of Holmes had become pretty
widely known sixteen years after, when
Mr. Lincoln took up his abode in the White
House; but the lines which had helped the
lawyer 80 we'll in gaining his case clung to
the memory Of the President, who was &C.
customed to refer 10 The Last Leaf"
as inexpressibly touching, and those six
lines specially as the finest in the English
lanwuane for irne ,,sihoa