The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-02
THE DAILY STAR
PETER SCHROEDER.
bret Harte.j

When we heard that Peter Schroeder
had 'struck it rich," or, to paraphrase the
LEGAL idiom, had that morning taken
$4,000 from suddenly developed 'pock-
ct in his claim, only one expression,
that of sincere oongratulation, went up
from Spanish Gulch. 1t would, per-
haps, be wrong to say that this feeling
arose from any instructive perception OF
his fitness for good fortune, or even OF
his practical deserts. Spanish Gulch
was seldom moved by such delicate
ethics. But he had always been a Iowa
BILE figure in its rude life; his quaint,
serious good nature, his touching belief
in ourselves as representative Americans,
and the legitimate results of those free
institutions he admired SO in theory; his
innocent adoption of our slang, and often
of our vices, which made even an oath or
vulgarism from his lips as harmless and
irresponsible as from chllds-all TINS
gave "Dutch Pete" as he loved to be
called, certain place in our affections
which no stroke of enviable good fortune
could imperil. More than this, | think
we took a great satisfaction in believing
that in some way we were part OF that
Providence which had so blessed him.
A few, think, intimated as much. a.
pm so glad allus told the ola man
to stick to that claim" said one, with an
air Of wearied well-doing; 81 allus kept
him up to the rack, and | reckon he now
sees the benefit of my four years ex-
perience in these parts" 49,
"Only yesterday" said another, 81
.ent him pick, seein' his was rather
shaky-and they say thar's luck in old
tools in green hands"
A majority of the camp called upon
MIN at once. The result of their visit
satisfied them. Unchanged, unaltered
by good fortune, Peter Schroeder wei
coined them in his old simple blunder.
ing slang, which, to the delight OF the
camp, he was pleased to accept as lido
matte American speech. He stood be.
side table covered with vivid red
blanket, which displayed from this want.
age huge fragment of decomposed
quartz, dazzlingly streaked with the pre-
cious metal. Above it hung a placard-
the gift of native misunderstanding
the legend "Welcome, little Stranger"
"Come in, poys, and tondt be pashful
Sits doun from de front! De elefant now
goes round nit you. De pand pegins te
play. Dere she ish--look at it, shentle-
mans! You dakes your money and you
bays your schoice. Ha! ha! Vot fol
a strike ist dot? How high is dot, poys?'
When the laugh at his characteristic
version of slang phrase in the last sent
ence had subsided, some one asked hin
what he intended to do-now that hi
was rich man.
"WeH, poys, dats shoost it. goes tt
Washington first. / looks round ant
maype | finds Dick Unterwoots, and
goes nit him nit de army-and fight
a little for de Union"
The Dick Underwood here alluded tt
mad recently exchanged his long-handle(
Californian shovel for the sword, apc
was now, in this last year of the civi
war, a Colonel. Z
"But you'llget killed, Pete, and what
the good of your money thenT'
$50! sends it first to mine fader ant
moder in Shermany."
"But, it's none of your funeral, Pete
Your only a blank Dutchman."
"Eh-a Dootchman! Veil, vot's Sigel
eh9 Vot's Rosenkrans, eh? Vot'
Heintzleman? Volts Carl Schurz, eh!
In vain did Spanish Gulch point ou
the egregious folly of a rich alien engag
ing in domestic quarrel. Peter wa
firm in bis determination. And Spanisl
Gulch, having by experience learned tt
respect his dull obstinacy in those mat
ters of his private conscience which dit
not directly interfere with his duties II
the camp, yielded the point gracefully
and gave HMM one farewell de
bauch-their half-maledictory valedic
ton. -
Peter Schroeder was as good as hi
word. Within three weeks he entere
the Army of the Potomac and serve
until the Richmond surrender. II is t
be recorded that, although faithful
loval, honest and brave, only Se7
geant's chevron marked his advanc,
ment. Perhaps he was not ambitious
possibly old habits of military servitud
kept him out of the political maneu7
rings of these citizen bayonets; perhaI
he had no personal friends at Washing
ton; perhaps he was little dull. Br
it is to be also recorded that his dogge
devotion to his theories of the great RI
publican principles for which he WI
.contending never faltered amidst tt
free and outspoken criticism of superior
and general grumbling of these citize
camps. Malcontents feared him; eve
good patriots quite misunderstood h
sentimental convictions; he was conf
sion to his comrades as often as he vi
to the enemy. / close his brief milital
record with story still extant, but uni
now imperfect in its details. A gallal
Confederate Officer, and descendant
the Virginia founders of the Republi
found himself, after the shattered ons
of 4 brave but unsuccessful charge, lyil
wounded and crippled before the cart
work of battery, deserted by his me
and confronted only by the guns of /