Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-11-10
An Incident or Indian Bar.

1 Sdoe ooOFt ONtO.O tOSAOA OoA. O1 tA-N
north fork of the Yuba, there is little
valley. In 1916 ii was covered with oaks.
We called it ''lndian Valley" and the bar
above we then called ''Oak Bar" The
valley was thus named because Of an In
dian family that had pitched their tents
there during the long winter months. They
were curious huts, made of pine boughs
and skins; and, even IN those early times;
| discarded gunny bags, and pieces of canvas
had been utilized by the squaws to supple
ment the rude comforts of their bark and
| bower houses Our hone was at Oak Bar.
Our houses was made Of poles, covered
with boughs of trees. Our bedroom, q
bunk; ouf roof and coverlid, an India-rub-
Der blanket; our pillow, our boots; our
kitchen, an overshadowing pine our laun-
dry was the rushing Yuba. For cooking
utensils we had bake-kettle,a a frying pan.
a coffee-pot; for table furniture, tin cups,
tin plates, two timed forks. and sheath
knives. Our knives were wiped upon our
boots, and carried in our belts; our plates
| and cups were hung upon a nail. This
saved washing; our kettle, pot, and pan
needed no Washington we never placed
anything dirty in them; and though beans
succeeded bread in the kettle, bacon sup
plemented beef IN the trying pan, and slap
JACKS succeeded lean or fat and stew or fry,
| 1e were not faslidious. We had no time
to prepare luxuries for our palates. Our
appetites, lying below our plates, demand
ed prompted service; and the quick passage
OF the pleasure path of the throat was made
that the stomach might perform its more
| r-aosioa1 A,1txr ctr 10
bone and muscles-that all day strained
with pick and shovel, or rocked the auri-
| ferrous gravel.
In the valley was the store, made Of can
vas. 1t was not large, but It was a store
that held great assortment of that kind of
merchandise that was indispensable to
wear and to eat, and that was comfortable
| to drink. II was hotel, and a warehouse,
and a post-office; club, and C general in-
telhgence Office, and gold exchange, and
a market; a reading-room, and a court
house, and a hospital, and IL gambling hell.
| /: was never SO crowded that there was
not room for another TO stand on the out
side, or sleep with his blankets under tree
IN the immediate vicinity. Its proprietor
was every inch gentleman, and the writer
gave honest weight of flour and sugar, and
raw potatoes, and beans-all at a dollar a
pound. Pickles; vinegar, and potatoes,
eaten raw, were articles of antiscorbutic
luxury; -four, bacon, coffee, and sugar
were the necessaries Of life. Brandy was
eight dollars bottle: certain other lux
uries cost an ''ouncen pound. Our mer-
chant host dealt an honest card, and when
ever he presided at faro, monte, or engaged
in the social game of ''draw'-was the
very embodiment of judicial fairness. He
always dressed the gentleman, and, while
the common miner was content with pant
aloons of buckskin and boots of horse
leather, with coat of canvas or shirt of
'.hickory check" he indulged in the lux
ury of immaculate linen, a suit of fash
ionable black, and boots of Furnished
brightness. Upon his domestic relations
he was silent, and seemingly sensitive.
Kate was modest and womanly-beauti-
full, we all thought; for she was the only
thing IN dimity from Longs Bar to Down.
isville. She never attended the store. but
she some sometimes presided as lookout al
the faro game, when her husband dealt
ier room was canvas square, From its
opening iiy we caught glimpses of carpet,
easy chair, luxurious bed, and books; and
from its recesses We sometimes heard the
plaintive touch of the guitar-not the
music OF ski led hand, but the patient,
picking-out Of melodious notes, as though
the hand sought to find a strain of music
to satisfy some want of the soul.
| That he killed Alexander fairly-Wil-
A a .ts.,-x h,
certained after he was dead-''Wiid BilT'
everybody called-eyerbody agreed; that is
he told Bill to draw and defend himself,
and if Bill was not quick enough, that was
not his fault. Bill was drunk, and this
was urged by some of the more conserya-
tive of the miners as reason why he should
have been spared; and all agreed that he
was clever, harumscarum, good fellow
although | do not, at this distant day, recall
any particular good that he. ever did, or
thai was mentioned at the time 1t was
universally agreed that to insult a lady was
an objectionable Offense, and that hate
was ''perfect lady have her own auth
orlty for saying; for once heard her make
the remark, in answer to the unguarded
expression of miner that ''there wasn't
an honest woman within two hundred and
fifty miles of this Internal hOle"-referring
to Indian Valley.
However, Bill was dead-killed in the
presence of the lady whom he had insulted
by limiting that she was less than wife. She
Sat upon her lookout stool. q calm and
unmoved spectator of the deed that sretch-
ed dead before her human form. With a
serene and unmOved expression, she gath
cred together the checks and the cash, and
Withdrawing to her private apartment, did
not again appear TIL after the funeral.
With generous liberality that silenced
all unkind criticism, the gentleman who
did the killing claimed the privilege OF
paying all the expenSes Of the burial, which
he did-as we all agreed-handsomely
Nothing was spared, OF either expense OIL
trouble. The only articles that Bill left
his saddle, silver-mounted; u bride, also
silver-mounted lariat of braided hair
his spurs, his bowie-knife, and his revolver
with his name engraved upon gold plate
were carefully preserved for his friend;
! or relatives, if they should ever turn up. y
There was no clergyman in that vicinity,
but there was scarce a miners cabin thai
ndu uOt DlDiC VI Pia1 LIE
grave was dug, and we all gathered around
1t. With reverent voice and prayertu
heart, the writer of this sketch read oyel
it the service of the church In his pint
coffin, with the wire sieve Of a sluice-bo,
for the glass plate, we took the last look a
poor Bill, in his clean white shirt anC
clerical necktie. We buried him, ant
planted at his head q board duly inscribed
with the name and date ofsdecease, anC
piled rocks over him to keep the coyote:
from digging him up.
| st. Aagnus.