Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-07-10
AN ADVENTURE IN COLORADO.


| | AN dweller in towns and a lover oI
them. To me, meaningless are the rllap.
sodies of those who delight in the males.
tic solitude of nature and the wild, glori-
Gus freedom of the untrodden desert.
Central Park, and that portion of New
York lying within mile of it, was al.
ways wild enough and varied enough for
my taste; the Jersey City or Staten Island
ferries were marine enough for me. As
for the tales of adventure from the
frontier, only shuddered at them, and
held the whole race of gold-miners, above
all, in something like terror Yet it was
fated that | should become gold-digger,
by proxy at any rate, and most success
ful one too, and this is how it came to
pass
1t is not so many years back since nv
wife's brother died in Colorado. He had
always been a wild sort of fellow, fit only
for life among miners, yet we liked him
much, for he had many good qualities.
lie was injured by the falling of some
rocksy and the nearest doctor-they had
one not more than sixty miles away-said
that although he might linger a good
while, even months, perhaps, he must die
from the accident. So Dick got COM
.rade, who was going eastward, to send
me Il telegram as soon as he got where
telegraphs existed, detailing what had
happened and begging me to go to him.
L.9Hed scarcely say how little this was TO
ment; we liked poor Dick, and thought
it very probable that he was lying on
bed of pain without & friend and without
dollar My wife was naturally even
more solicitous about him than myself.
The trip westward has been told too
often to need any description from me-
journeyed through what seemed almost
interminable space, and at last reached
that gathering of (then) mean habitations
called Denver. Il was there again last
year and found it slightly changed( The
place where Dick lay was, | found, about
a hundred miles from Denver; and /
found also that the best, if not the only,
way to get there was on horseback; and
now the real horrors of my journey be-
gan travelled by myself, or, if by
! chance had companions for few miles,
these were so so rough, wild, and un-
csuth that | was always heartily glad to
be rid of them; and the same when the
monotony of the mountain track was
broken by descending teams, or parties
of horsemen; their presence frightened
me a great deal more than their absence,
yet | cannot recall a single instance of
scared generally.
| had of course talsen oaro to osCcI-
tain before starting on my lonely ride
| that there was no fear of Indians, who
had all, it seemed, temporarily left the
district; so one great cause of fear was
removed. Briefly, then, | reached In
auguration Town, so called because of
the day when the first tent was pitched
there, and found it a miserable place A
dozen log huts, five of them being saloons,
and about forty tents formed the city"
as il not unfrequently styled itself. In a
wretched room at the back of the largest
saloon | found poor Dick, in sad state.
He was very glad to see me, but 1t was
plain he was not long for this world; he
knew this well enough, and talked of his
death as calmly as though lie had been
speaking of some one else. On one point
was quite surprised-so far from need
ing help in money matters, he was really
rich man, and handed me deposit notes
amounting to some thousands of dollars
and made over to me the gold and valu
ables which were lying to his credit al
the bank" Everything was done in q
most informal way; but complete
answer to all my doubts and queries was
given by saying that such was Miners
Law" and, anyhow, had the proceeds
of the gold duly handed to me the day
after Dicks death.
When the poor fellow was gone / ha(
nothing to detain me at Inauguration
Town, and SO left it, as had approached
it, on horseback. | could have had com
pany, as the landlord of the saloon told
me there was an "outfit starting TO
Denver on the next morning; and taking
it for granted that should embrace thu
| l.. Of
"boys" to me at once; but such wilt
desperatelooking set never saw, ant
would not have travelled with them for tn
world. Very greatly to my hosts aston
ishment called for my horse, and rod
off at midday, more nervous on the scor
of my possible companions than of an.
roadside enemies.
: had got on very we'll that day AM
slept at house where had stopped o.
} my upward journey. The citizen VIII
D dwelt there seemed glad to see me, afte
4 the apathetic fashion of these Wester
people, but seemed astonished, too,
Q thought, and when | was going away ht
: in his rude way, complimented me on m
0 courage he said had more grit than an
; down-easter he had ever seen. " In fac
boss, there's many Western man woul
be skeary at riding alone through this Il
5 cality now the Utes is back so thick, an
so nasty as they are, too; but" he wen
4 on, 'SyOu have the real grit, | can see"
0 rode off, completely staggered by hi
speech; and doubt if any man in til
0 world was ever so utterly cowed by
/, compliment of his courage, lresolved
4 ride very slowly and allow the viii
1 "outft" from Inauguration to oyertak
6 me; but one can't control ones fate.
: had not ridden half a dozen miles befol
| saw winding up hill, to the brow
which had just climbed, at least scoi
2 of Indians. They were, luckily, at leai
q a couple of miles from me, and so thel
was every opportunity for me to avol
6 them. I# .e
!. 1 did not like the idea of riding d
>" rectly back, so ] determined to take a
vantage of ravine which ran parallel
the road | was pursuing, and which la
ter was little better than a ravine itsel
e especially as, from my elevated positio
81 | thought could see where it issue
n into the plain below. / hesitated !
10 longer, but turned into the ravine, al
st was glad to find traces of road and
e travellers there; so, judging one way W,
10 used about as much as the other, joggt
,e cheerfully on.
10 saw no house at which to get my mi
s. day meal, but | did not mind that, q
" from the rate at which had been
le scending, / reckoned L should SOC
OF strike the plain. dismounted by Il
{. side of little spring, and, with my Ifiai
m and some crackers and sardines, ma
Z. aged pretty we'll | had just lighted n
n cigar, and was lying under the shelter
be a solitary tree, when suddenly mounts
figure came over little stony ridge ju
behind me. started up and he start'
a, hack A mora aucnicioua 1oolftno oh,