New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-07-04
Our Newest City.

| George Alfred Townsend, IN the Chicago
Ji.ib.H-. gives his experience at Bismarck
the present western terminus OF the North
egn Pacific railroad:
About eight O'Clock n the evening, broad
daylight, we came to Bismarck, an assem-
bia 20 of canvas tents, plank houses, turf
| huts. military structures OF frame and log,
with a fort-like nciosure, and a broad
plaza, Spanish fashion. between the rail
road and the town. on which the entire
| population was assembled tc hail the new
arrivals.
In the enormous ezpanse OF this Dakota
! country. the hilarity Of the Bismarckers,
| and the stable bulk of their town, affected
me like the most solitary place l had eyer
! known. To see. in this far corner OF the
| w0.ld-2G0 miles from any settlement
f! worthy OF the name. and immediately Op-
! posite hostile bands OF Indians who had
taken scalps the day betore-the huddied
avarice, enterprise and cutianism of civil
ization standing gallousIy out in the van
was somewhat like presentiment. of the
dag of judgment. Omnipotent, ubiquitous
nature was all before them, and on
eithe: side; and yet the bully of
the slums, and his Moll beside
him; the old army sutler a little the worse
| tor his probation; the shiftless negro bar
| ber. who had come as far as he dared, and,
| with all his record, was permitted twenty
| times dav to lay his razor at gentleman's
! throat; the great, quiet gambler from the
| gulf. whom everybody Ill the Mississippi
| valley has sometimes seen, now smoking
| his cigar in front of his premises, where,
| perhaps, forty sweatc,oths invited the
stranger; here were society's refuse mixed
with many men of official position and de-
| iiberate purpose. twelve hundred miles
| northwest of Chicago, and tie nearest
| neighbors of the Sioux
III this town there was nc law OF iurisdic-
ton whatsoever. There was no mayor.
There was not even q vi lance committee.
The Territory Of Dakota has as yet taken
no steps to extend its authority t. this new
! town. And the military authorities, close
at hand. had made Ii. their minds that
w,la. happened among the civilians of Bis
marck was none of their business: ana.
therefore. nobody had been arrested for
fighting or shooting. But there may have
been something in the very loneliness OF
humanized it. Perhaps the consciousness
of the laws non-existcnce made even the
criminal feel unprotected. Certainly more
subdued settlement OF the kind l have
never found in our country. All the des-
peradoes who had infested the Union Pacific
railroad, and had survived such lapse of
time, were here at Bismarck; but with the
tXCtpCiOu "a Two .!lAcC cCuIIcS VI uO
consequence, life had been safe and prop
erty secure. The organic spirit of the
American, uneXercSeG:. but still extant.
made law in Bismarck without code or
a magistrate.
Right opposite the place where the cars
stop. | saw new sign. 1.-The Capitol
HOTEL
Therein was a register, BARRIERS chair.
a bar. and well-spoken proprietor. Car
yNlt a a n n az
sides OF the room. Supper was smoking at
the inner table, where women from New
England were doing the cooking; and the
men who handed You the dishes had arms
like ship carpenters.
After supper We strolied down TO the Mis-
souri, river, about q mile from the town;
and right across the way was Fort Abraham
Linccln-an imposing post. with long bac-
racks and quarters OF painted lumber. a
parade ground, Notifications and landing.
Standing on a high bl.f Of the river, It
was al object to be see:i .Oc perhaps thirty
miles.
The Missouri river rolled beneath, nearly
as wide as at Omaha great, sprawling,
red-,nans liyer, tuil Ct oxide and 'mire-
living, as 1t rolled alou :. upon its own
banks, biting concavities from them. SO
that they fell and splashed and were borne
away every day in the year. 1t seemed to
me that natures greatest gutter. around
which she had assembled her red canaille
to soak their feet in hex pools and edCles,
and mediate grand larceny on civilization.
A river tawny and beinred like this for
tGi! 5000 miles, it had yet descended from
some of the sublimest sceneIies in the
world, and begun its course under the best
motherhood, but had been spoiled by the
length of its career No longer the laugh
ing. leaping thing which drew its milk
from the splendors of the Yellowstone, and
washed bare the gold veins beyond the
great Upper Cataract. it had become insen-
safe, heavy and heather. like these very
children of the plains, whose origin was
perhaps no worse than ou.s at the begin
ming OF time.
In the evening strolied around among
the Cabooses. l found one trading firm
which had made sale OF $40 worth Of
goods the previous Sunday; for there Sun
day is like every day in the week, only
more 40. Another firm had made sale of
$4,000 worth of goods in June, and in
twelve months had sold $4,000 worth. IN
the neghbOrhood 500 acres have been
brought $4,000 worth OF freight the first
week it was opened to Bismarck. OK 1899
tons.
Amongst the despe,adOes at Bismarck is
Mr. Shang, said to have been christened
Charley Stanton. He is huge, youthful
piece OF flesh, with lazy, easy face, and a
loud voice. He goes around attended by
admiring boys: for he has Killed his man.
He killed Mr.. Shumley, whose Christian
| name I am not informed of. They kept
saloons-that noblest o: occupations in q
| new country-and gambled between drinks.
A disagreement occurred at the town of
Thompson; Mr. Shumley threatened; Mr..
| Shang killed. He shot. I believe, from the
| inside of his pocket, obeying the precept
not to let his left hand know what his right
hand was doing. After this, they said:
Il tell you, Shang vii. shoot as we'll as
| talk about it Y
SO Shang tell il lose with himself and
! found he had a word and character to be
respected. His voice mas insensibly grown
| higher in key, his strut little more pro
Hourced, and l wondered how he could
sleep well at nights. having SO good an opin-
ion of himself.
Ed Morton ia also prince of Bismarck.
| must call him Ed because everybody
spoke of him so lovingly. as if he were d.
brace in the social edifice. He said to me.
in q hospitable way, that he had read ME;
be proffered entertainment: there is a nat
ura! affinity. l suppose. between great
pioneers. Ed was thick man Of the mid
die size. with a practical. commercial face
and an executive education. His voice was
geut.e and assuming. His bsronial hall
was = mighty mass Of boards. with a bar
in front. a shell or stage in the rear.
and tables up and down the sides,
wherea, his stae officers threw dice.
dealt cards. rolled roulettee and put
their elbows on sweat cloths. The
whole establishment was IN one room. At
the tar end four lank and bursted frontiers
man sang. with doieful want of melody
or attention, the celebrated ballad by John
Hay on the fate of Little Breeche.. wish
Brother Hay had heard it. to turn him from