Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-11-19
Old Times 8 in JuIesburc.

wick, Julesburg is three miles north.
Here tie Lodge Pole sweeps off to
mountains in northwesterly direc-
ton. Here the Union Pacific makes
its detour from the Platte and the
great overland route to Denver
Here at last was the occidental city
of the plains-as famous and infam-
GUS for it's iniquity as the city of old
destroyed by fire from Heaven.
On hot August afternoon OF the
past summer our wagon train camped
on the banks Of the Platte, near the
ruins of the fort. Our corn was gone;
cur flour was exhausted; we were
"out of meat;" our teams were tired;
so we concluded to rest and see Jules
burg.
The Platte at this point is wide and
extremely shallow, and its shifting
quicksandS are somewhat dangerous.
AS we cross it, our driver is heard to
say, soto voce, "Ihis river ought to
be d-dw Whether his remark
was piece Of profanity or a sugges-
ton for the eternal improvement of
the river. it did not transplre. Hor-
ace Greeley made the same remark
touching the Platte.
Twenty minutes took us into Jules
burg. How is the mighty land In
iquitous) fallen! Julesburg once had
from four thousand to six thousand
inhabitants. Now it's burghers num-
Der scarcely twenty; and the town
consists OF a few dilapidated old
buildings at the foot of a long range
of sand hills. In its old days, as the
terminus OF the Union Pacific and
the great line of stages along the
Platte, it had hustled with life and
activity. Now scarcely a human be-
ing was to be seen in the streets-no,
not even a dog Here and there big
patches Of large weeds stood where
houses were once built.
Dilapldation and listlessness were
the chief characteristics of the town.
We went into the only grocery in
the place. This establishment and
two saloons comprised the business
of the town. We bought our camp
supplies and inquired for corn.
"You'll get it in that saloon over
yonder."
We went to the saloon, where a
buxom six foot woman dispensed
both corn and corn juice. The saloon
itself wcs curiosity. The ceiling
was perfectly riddled with bullets.
The walls were also filled with pistol
bullets. On the wall opposite the
bar, the open hand could not be plac
ed without covering three or four
bullet holes.
We hailed Julesburger on the
street, and he spoke with sad pride
of the place. He feelingly told us
of how the ancient denizens were a
choleric race who shot and knitted
each other on the slightest provoca-
ton; how the stronger man had taken
the purse of the weaker man; and
his eyes fairly glistened when he re-
, counted how the telegraph poles had
many day borne crop of 'road
agents"-hlghway robbers = strung
up ruthlessly by vigilance committees.
Nearly every morning they chad
man for breakfast"
Gambling and dance houses COM
posed the largest portion of the town.
Mysteriously he seized our arm,
walked across the street, turned and
pointed toward the sand-hills.
stranger" SAID he, "do you see
that graveyard"
We looked and nodded assent
About three hundred yards from tn
town something like two or three
scores of graves were visible; some
of them y very few marked with
modest marble slabs.
"Well, there are fifty people buried
there. Forty-nine of 'em died with
their boots on--shot, knitted, or hung
by the vigilantes. The other man
was some id fool who came
along here in an immigrant wagon,
got sick, and died a natural death!'
as Julesburg lolerably quiet now?"
'Oh, yes; nobody shot since last
winter"
"Who was then shot?"
"The U. p. night operator here"
"Who shot him?"
"That man yonder" Here he
pointed to man lazily summing him.
self by saloon door,
And this murderer Is still at
large?"
"He was taken to Denver, but the
most important witness was kept out
of the way, and he was discharged
for want Of evidence"
He sighed as he remarked that
"Julesburg is gone up. The houses
were all moved away when the road
was built further, and now nobody
stops here except traveller or ranch
man once in while who come for
supplies"
We had seen Julesburg to our
hearts content, and turned away sat
isfied
A Yankee Portrait CT the Camel.