Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-05
If modern pedestrians made as good time as
he did that afternoon they would certainly


luOsO
DIR. j. II. MURPHY's "REMINISCENCES.
o. S. Murphy was required by o. S.
Marshall to relate his experiences in trading
from Fort Crawford by a French train. The
came up the river that way with Gov. Mar
shall. Each had Frenchman, pony,
meil bag and sled. When they were under
way and going along nicely, both thought
the route preferable to the overland one, but
when Marshalrs pony broke through the lce
and his Frenchman had to lift tie pony out
by rcpe round his neck, the governor said,
ave ought to have gone the other way; l
told you So At the mouth of the Iumbro
they had to get ashore as best they could
and finish the journey by land. The
doctor was glad to celebrate tie cross
ing of the Mississippi on
bridge at Fort Smelling. Twenty-Five or
thirty years ago he would have said he would
be ready to give up the ghost when the Mis-
sissippi was brdged or when this place could
be reached by railroad. He was IN the
legislature and introduced the bill authoriz-
ing the St. Anthony suspension bridge, tue
first bridge ever bailt over the Mississippi.
Bill Murray tackled on an amendment re-
quiring that the building of the bridge
should be begun within three years. The
Doctor went home to ST. Anthony and told
his constituents how Bill Murray had killed
their bridge bill. when o. S. John II. Stew
ems said, ''Put tho bill through as it Is; We
can surely get one stone hauled in three
years and 50 save the charter" The Doctor
went back encouraged and the bill was
passed There was no bridge then and be
didn't expect to live to sea one; but that
bridge was finished within the three
years set apart for beginning it, had
paid for itself twice over as toll bridge, was
free bridge now and had once been re-
built; and be had lived to gee twenty-six or
twenty seven bridges across the Mississippi,
river
o. S. Marshall-''rell them about your
p lssing the Maine law at that same ses-
SION"
o. S. Murphy-"I had rather not, on this
OCCASION" He was glad he had lived to see
the bridge at Fort Smelling. He had some
experiences at this fort eighteen years ago,
and he would not then have believed he
could ever find here such meal as he had
enjoyed to-day. He was glad he had lived
to see his friend Moss filled up and that at
Fort Smelling. And it had pleased him to
see that the old settlers had not lost their
hearty appetites of thirty years ago-though
they may be only recalled by the appetizing
feast spread for them.
GEN. JoHNsoN's REMIN IsoENCEs.
o. S. Johnson, also came i'll the Indian
DAYS, and wore moccasins as did Rice, Mar
shall and all of them, and he related pleas
antly his experience with moccaslns IN re-
turning to the fort one evening from visit
to the grandmother of the infant he had IN
troduced to the company little while be-
fore. He had been surprised at the pros
perity of this region. 1t was most remote
section thirty years ago. AT best the mails
came 40 oftener than once week. No one
then expected to see the great river bridged.
There is lady yet living who saw over the
hills o. Mendoza the first steamer making
its way toward this post, and who just forty
years afterwards saw the first railroad train
set in motion in Minnesota. He alluded to
Mrs. Gen. Van Cleve. Thirty years after he
came lieutenant to Fort Smelling, his son
came Eere.
THANKS.
0. s. Rice, said tina. in the carly days the
stranger here had no otter place of rest and
entertainment but at Fort Smelling, and its
hospitality was most freely extended to al
who came. He thought it proper to say
that the old reputation of the Fort was kept
up to this very day, and confirmed here.
On motion of o. s. Elicit there was
unanimous expression of thanks to Lieut..
johnson and family and friends for the kind
reception of the old settlers and their COM
panions.
On motion of Gov. Marshall the company
also unanimously voted its thanks to Messrs.
Cook and Elicit for the delightful excursion
they had planned and carried out. The
GLOBE representative, knowing that Mr.
Elicit will excuse his separating the two,
will here add that Mr.. Cock has, on this oc
casion and others so handsomely displayed
his public spirit that he has well earned both
thanks and good will. We will not under
take to express the feelings of the old set
tiers for him, but will merely suggest that
some pleasant day of the future when the
very old settlers an ong the ladies want to
ride over the new bridge to Fort Smelling
or Minuehaha, Mr.. Cook will furnish
them with well appointed carriages
or 81 ighs, and the GLOBE will print
what they will have to say, for they could do
Justice to Mr.. Cooks liberality.
The ride home was all too short, for the
old settlers had many stories to tell.
THE ABSENTEEs.
Among the old settlers whose absence was
commented upon, the following had excuses
furnished by their friends. Gen. Sibiey was
said to be feeling unwell. Judge Goodrich
is laid up on account of his shoulder having
lately been ont Of joint. Hon. Edmund
ice, Col. A Allen and DR.. David Day are
absent from home. Secretary of War Ram
sey was held at Washington by business.
Hon. W. P. Murray and Judges Nelson, Viii
kin and Simors were detained by court bust
ness. We have no disposition to grieve or
scold These, but we must say to those old
settlers who have no good excuse for their
absence. that they missed one of the pleas
ATTEST events of their long lives and were
recreant to the manifest duty of old settlers
to meet and be happy together whenever
they can.
The Bridge.