, 1873-06-30
closure, and q broad plaza, spanish-fashion bo-
twoon tho railroad md tho town, on which tho
entire population WAS assembled to lai1 tho now


In tho enormous expanso Of this Dahota
country, tho hilarity Of tho Dismarckora, and
tho szablo bulk OF their town. affected mo l[lto tho
most solitary placo lad ovor known To aoo,
In thiB far oorncr Of tho world,-20 ln'loB from
dihtcly opposite hostile binds Of Indiana who
had taken scalrs tho day bofore,--tho hutlllol
nvarco, oi,torprae, and rttfllaniBm of civilization
standing gallo,la1y out In the yan, wan no,nc-
mont. Omnpotent, ubiquitous Nature was all
before them, and OH either sdo; mud
yot the bully. Of tho slutns md hia NIcll boHidc
hlm tho old army-sutlor, q little tho worse for
record was permitted twenty tines day to
lay Ills razor at . gcntlo,nans throat; tho
great, quiet gambler from the Gulf, whom
eyeryeoay IN tho Mise.selpPi Valley has
In front' Of his premises, whore, perhaps,
forty Bwcat-cotlss invited tho strnngor; hero
were society g rofloo mixed with many mon of
Official position, and deliberate purpose, 1900
noighborg Of the Sioux
Whatsoever. There was no Mayor, Tl,oro was
Tot,;t Tos oy,e oyon =, % Vigilance Committee. Iho
no stepa to oxtond lts authority to tha
now town. And tho military authorities, close
at haud, had mado up tholr minds TINT what
happened among tho Civilians Of Bismarck was
sA'SAo
Ind, been arrested for fighting or shooting.
Bnt There may havo been something In tho very
loneliness Of this cnlony, which kept orimo down
and humanlzed It. porhaps tho consciousness
Of the LAWS Ton-oxistcnco made even tho
criminal focl unprotected. Certninly 4 moro
subdued Hettlcmeut Of tho kind have nevor
found In our country. All the dospcradoes WHO
had infested tho Uulon pacifo Railroad, aud hnd
Bismarck; but, with tho exception OF two
or throo acufllos Of no conacquenco life
had becn aafo aud property secure. Tho organic
spirit OF tho Amorican, uncxorcieed, but still
or magistrate.
saw new sign, :" Tho Capitol Hoto1."'
Therein was register, ? barber'a ohair,
Carpet-baga iay in N tor4aess % against the M
pnpor-sides Of tho room. Supper was
smoking at tho inner table, whore womon from
Now England were doing tho cooking; and the
men who handed you tho dishea had ntm8 like
Blip-carponter's.
THE MISSOURI.
After supper, VIC stroiled down to the Missouri
River, about a milo from the town aud right
across tho way was Fort Abraham Liucoin,--a
Of painted lumhor, 2 parado-gronnd, fortitica.
tionB, and landing. Standing on high bluE of
tho river 1t waa IN object to bc aeen for pe1hnps
30 miles.
The Missouri nivor rolled bonoath, nearly as
wide as Of Omuha,-a great, sprawling rod-man's
river, full Of oxide and miro, living, as 1t rolled
along, upon it's own banls biting concavities
from them, 50 that thoy fell, and aplnshcdd,
seemed to me to DO Natures greatest gutter,
around which she had assembled her red camille
to aoak their feet in her pools md eddies, and
mediate g1anti-1arceny on civilization. A river
miles, It had yes descended from some Soma
Of the. snbllnlest sceneriea in the
world, and begun itB oourae under tho best
motherhood, but had been spoiled by the length
q q It's career No longer tho laughing, leaping
the Yellowstone, and washed bare the gold veins
beyond the great Upper Cataract, it had become
iusenBate, heavy, and hoathon, like thoBo very
children Of the plains, whose origin WIS per-
haps no wosse than Ours at tho beginning Of
time.
/ NIGHT At DI6MAnCK.
In tho evening strolIed around amongst tho
cabooaos. found ono trading firm which Ind
made sale Of s74o worth Of goods the previous
tho week. only moro 80. An thor firm had made
Halo Of $4,000 worth OF goods in juno, and in
twelve months had sold s7o,ooo. In tho nelBh-
borhood, 6,a0o acroa have been pro-e1nptcd al
ready, and tho railroad brought 522 GOO north Of
freight tho first week it was opened to Bismarck,
or 900 tonB.
Amongst the dospcradoos ut Bismarck is
afn. suASa,
said to have been christenod Charley Stanton.
Flo Ii huge, youthful piece Of tlosh, with a
lazy, ensy face, and u loud voice. Ho goes
around attended By admiring boys; for he has
killed his man. He killed Mr: shnmloy, whoBo
kept saloons,- noblest OF occupations in 4
now country, and gambled between drinks. A
disagreemont occurred ut the Town Of Thomp-
son. 5! Mr.; !. shumley n, throatened; Mr., Slnng
his pocket, oboying the proccpt not to let his
left hand know what his right hand was doiug,
Aftor this, they aaid:
.,"t ~ tel you shang will shoot as vol ms talk
30 shang fol- in love with himself, aud found
ho bad q word and q character to bo
respected. Els voice has inBensibly grown higher
III key, his strut q little moro pronounced,
and | wondered how he could sleep well at
nights, having 30 good Nh opinion Of himself.
Id Morton Is also prince Of Bismarck. I
must cali him Ed, becauHe everybody spoke Of
him so lovingly, na II ho were 3 brace in tho
social ediflce. He said to mo, in b hospitablo
way, that he had read mo ho prorered enter
tainment; there ia q natural affinity, suppose,
botweon groat pioneors. Ed Was thick man Of
the middle size, with o practical, commercial
faco and an executive education. Ills voice was
gentle and assuming. His baronial hall was D
sheu or etago In the rear, md tables up and
down tho sldos, whereat hts Btafr-officera threw
dice, dealt cards; rolled roulette, and
put their H6ows on s"eatcloths Tho
lie
At the far ond, four 1anls and burstod
frontiersman sung, with doleful want OF mclo-
dy or attention, tho celebrated ballad by John
Hay on tho fate Of Littlo Broeohes. + wish
Brother Hay had heard 1t, to turn him from lis
sinful path. Truly, In tho words OF that per-
for1nance, 1T WAS hell to split ovor tho prai-
rie." The gamblers on this frontior arc men
wearing the American SHIRT, and endowed, ont Of
our abundant Institutions with only tho neces-
aary garments Of freedom. Gold-pteces saw,
but no gold-chains. Tho liquor is taken straight
Intercourse is deliberate and republican. Evon
rroach. It 10 behavior, anaenity, simplicity, and
prosperity which We arc I'LL pulauing and, II
We need back oay TIC vota it, Tor that Is tho NOR
al law. "Thou shalt not hit. Ia a rising COM
mandment. And no, from teraeo to Terrace
like tho ascent of tho BtoppoH Of the Rocky
Mountains, the American character approaches
the deal table-lands Of perfection.
There mad beon disagreoablo people In town.
No reference Ia meant here to Hi. Jack O'Neill,
who keeps tho dance-houso at Biamarok, and