The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-03-14
Comm ttntc0tiO1l.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia, March 10, 1879.
EDITOR FREEAAN-while perusing the col
umus of your paper yesterday. as is my usual
Sunday custom, my eye caught the notice of
the return to Ebensbur2, of Evan Griffith, In
which you say that while in Council Bluffs Mr..
Griffit tn WAS a witness to q deadly assault in a
hotel Now, although these deadly assaults are
OF too frequent occurrence in the west, and es-
pecially in this great railway centre, the par
ticuiar one of which you speak occurred about
FIVE miles south OF this CITY, at a halfway and
out of the way house. Mr.. Griffith, who was
on his way to Red Oak at the time, Was compeIl-
ed TO stop there over night, and was thereby a
forced witness to the ARRAY. You say also that
the ''altercation which accidentally arose, as
IL will out West etc. Now, Mae, that is au
unpurdonable slur on the W est and unless you
take it back you can-continue to send my
FREEMAN. When we remember the fact that
last year there were more criminals hung in
Pennsylvania than in all the rest of the States
com bined, does ii not look trine "traDspar-
enl' for Cambria county paper to be talking
of muTderous assaults which are Iiab BILE to occur
"out west''2 l cannot find fault with the law
life,' and think more iron. clad one in iowa
would be good thing. In our neigbbOring
many miles can he seen from almost any point
in Council Bluffs, there are at present just Gve
men under sentence of death, and seven or
eight who stand a good chance for ascending
the Gibbet at no distant day. This looks large
to Iowa people, but can scarcely strike the aver
age Pennsylvania in the same light. Among
those who will soon be put on trial for their
lives in Nebraska are Olive, the inhuman "man-
burner and his followers, the details OF whose
outrage are doubtless familiar TO your readers.
The West, taken altogether, is not such an
inexperienced and rather narrow-minded
down easter" might be led to suppose. Iowa
is not only law abiding State, but is also one
of the grandest and most successful in the
Union to-day. True many who come here with
Great Expectations" are. sometimes, like Pip
! OF Dickens creation, subject to many misfor-
tunes, discom forts and surprises, and return to
/ the East es soon as possible. But there are
/ many men when once settled in the West, who
would live nowhere else.
At the present time we are enjoying weather
I of decidedly June nature. The to. do y
/ Is shining warm and bright. The majority oi
the farmers in this vicinity have already plant.
( eG their wheat, and are preparing for their gen
/ eraI spring work. Corn is bringing "a cents al
/ present and wheat So. aad the farmer rejpiceth
because that is a big price for this country.
| The western fever is striking in on US quite
early this year. Hundreds of Western land
/ seekers pass through Council Bluffs daily foI
/ points in Nebraska and other regions. ThoJs
! ands, too, are going 70 Leadville the new Ell
/ dorado OF ColOradO, but the majority of the
latter are doomed to sad disappointment. tn,
/ Nonpdrcd, of this city, is daily in receipt Oi
J communications from reliable persons there
! 10 the effect that Leadville is already crowded
! to its utmost capacity, and that there are many
/ there already who are unable to get employ.
/ ment of any kind. So, il there any of the
FREEMAN readers cOmtemp plating a trip ia that
| direction, advise them by all means to wait
/ They bad better remain where they are, especi-
/ ally if employed, than rush 10 ills they know
| not OF. e. 5. CLARE.