Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-07-29
An Author in Close Quarters.

EARLY in 1859 Charles Collins wrote
book about the then unknown country
Colorado, and Pixies Peak, in which he
gave a glowing picture of the whole re-
gion. This book had good deal to do
with stimulating emigration. After the
rush to Pixies Peak had been going on
for some time, Collins, with the late A.
ID. Richardson, set out for that place.
Collins kept distributing his book all
along the route and collecting his sub
scriptions at the ranches previously can
vassed, until after some days of travel
both began to be aware of the fact that a
great many of the emigrants, who had
gone out weeks before, seemed to be re-
turning. Their wagons no longer bore
the bold inscription, spikes Peak or
Bust" but it was transformed to this
effect, spikes Peak Busted" The two
travellers, unaware of the depth of cha
grin and significance behind this,
thought little of it until they had ira
versed about one-half the route, 500
miles from st. Joseph. Here was Ia
nous stopping place, known as Jack
MorrOw's Ranch, a place where Collins
and Richardson had determined to put
up at that night. Collins, who was well
acquainted with Morrow, got some DIS
lance ahead of Richardson, in whose
wagon, beside himself and the driver,
were a number of emigrants, also bent
on trying the new country.
Collins, as he drove up to Morrow's
Rancho, was considerably surprised at
the sight. The place was every where
swarming with miners and emigrants,
all excited and savage about something
or another. There was loud talking
every where, and loud threats about
somebody who in every breath came in
for the most violent and bitter execra-
ton. Collins was about to toss one of
his books to Morrow, who came forward
hastily when he saw him, and getting
up close to him he said, in voice husky
with suppressed excitement:
"Collins, git!''
"What do you mean?" said Collins,
excited.
''Git out of here quick" said the ex-
cited ranchman. as he waved his hands
and disappeared.
Collins, now thoroughly aroused,
thrust his book back under his seat and
babe his driver get out and mingle with
the crowd and find what was the matter. |
In few minutes the driver returned |
with face white as a ghost, and told |
Collins that the miners were offering |
reward of $4,000 for the bodies of Col |
Inns and Richardson, dead or alive. |
Having heard that they would be along |
that way they had come to a stop at |
Morrow's Rancho and secured couple |
of ropes, intending to hang them.
Collins quietly slid down from his |
buggy and sauntered out to the edge of |
the crowd. Here he heard himself and |
Richardson denounced in the most I'M
sparing manner. Seeing there was no
time to lose, he instructed his driver to |
strike another route, while he himself |
circled around the crowd until he
reached some tall grass, when he took
to his heels. After running for more
than mile he stopped. Like flash
the question crossed his mind, where
was Richardson He turned around
and struck across diagonally for the old
route, in reaching which, some distance
from Morrow's Rancho, he presently
met Richardson's team moving along
leisurely. 1t required but an instant for
Collins to inform him of the true state
of affairs, hearing which he was not less
frightened than Collins himself. The
result was that they struck off on a new
route, and finally reached Denver with
out further adventure. Denver was
then settlement of about one thousand
all living in tents. Soon
after their arrival there the two pre-
empted 12O acres of land each. Becom-
ing disguised afterward, they threw up
the land again. To this day Collins
brings his fist down on his knee and
says with an empatic air of comic re-
greet: "And fools that we were, this
land is now the heart of the town and
sold in less then ten years afterward for
4 thousand dollars an acre"