The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-10-15

Gated that they could be approached only in
boat My horse got his foot IN corduroy
bridge and put his ankle out Of joint, so that i
left him, with saddle, bride and spurs, hoping
some one would have compassion on him.
| Passed on to a cabin and was directed to the
stage road, where waited two days before the
stage came along. 1t arrived with six passen
gers, among whom were young Bcaublen from
Chicago whom | knew, and three Indian
Chiefs on their way to Washington to talk with
| the Great Father" We had a lively time in
that coach for several days. Two Of the In.
dams repeated the speeches they were 10 make
in Washington, ard young Beaublen was as
noisy as any of them.
We made Ypsilanti, where We struck the
only railroad in the slate that ran by steam,
1t was built on stumps cut off evenly about
two feet above the ground. 1t was sixty miles
to Detroit and rather contrary to my expecta-
ton the locomotive took US through safe
The Indian Chiefs had couple Of hundred
ponies for sale IN Detroit, and they presented
Beaubien and me with one each, and we bought
the necessary equipments His destination
was Quebec, Canada and nine was New York.
But it made little difference to me which way
| went, and we passed over the river together,
and at the first tavern we came to stopped and
took drink. AS we came out to remount we
were arrested and pat into corral, ponies and
all BeaubIcn wrote to his uncle in Detroit
and the old gentleman came over with passes
for both of US. As they had to be shown and
countersigned every few miles, ! lett my young
friend and passed back to the land Of cIvilza.
ton" ! returned my pony to the Indians and
took passage IN the little steamer "Gen. Brady"
for Toledo, The reason Why they were so par
ticular IN Canada was that 1t was in the midst
of the Patriot War"
There were but few passengers on the steam
err, and on the way we stopped at Monroe,
where about 300 men were concealed in the
store house, who at once seized the boat to i'm
press it in the Patriot service. Ishpped ashore
and took last fond look at the craft as 1t
steamed away, glad to get off so easily. A few
days later the news came that she had been
seized and burned, and all on board made
prisoners.
stayed at Monroe a couple Of days, and
then took the stage for Toledo, but as it broke
down at the end of the first mile | made the
rest Of the distance on foot arriving as muddy
as hog out Of ITS wallow and altogether in a
sorry plight Next day, after being fed and
washed up, walked on to Perrysburg on the
Maumee; stayed day or two, and bought an.
other horse, which got through to New York.
Alter u tedious journey through Ohio |
reached Buffalo, where stopped at the Eagle
Hotel, then the headquarters of Major General
Winfield Scott and his staff Found the socie.
ty so good that stopped two weeks, dining at
the same table with the General, who one day
sent the waiter to my seat with his long necked
bottle, and tapping me on the shoulder said
Gen. SCOTS compliments" filed my glass
and drank it OFF with military salute to the
General. had never spoken to hun before,
though had frequently saluted him in pass
ing; but the incident made me a big toad in
the Eagle Hotel puddle, and everybody want
cd to make my acquaintance.
There were in Buffalo at that time four dis
tinguished men-Gen. Scott, Gen Van Mater
of the Patriot Army, Major underni.l, sent
out afterwards with Gen Mcclellan to thcI
Crimea, and Dir Rathbonc, the Patriot leader,
in jall between the two hotels AS the people
rose in mass to lberate HIM, he walked out on
the balcony and in beautiful language told tie
people not 10 do 1t, for if they liberated him
he would return to his prison
1t would be tedious to descrbe the rest of
my trip 10 New York, where arrived in due
time with no notable occurrence by the way
and will close with just one incident because
it had slight connection with something re-
lated above.
1t was in 1912, | think, that was standing
on the railroad platform in Baltimore when
Gen. Scott drove up and alighting from his
carriage with a bundle Of dispatches in his
hand asked if there was any gentleman in the
crowd who would carry them to the Secretary
of War at Washington | stepped up and SAID
General would like TO do myself the honor
to carry your dispatches to the Secretary of
War" He took me by the hand and gave me
a hearty shake saying ~ think Irecognize in
you an old acquaintance" | mentioned the
glass of wine had taken with him at Buffalo,
and he said he remembered it, adding that his
house would always be open to me. ID. II. L.
Washington Letter.
Irregular COrrcspondence)
WASHINGTON, u. c., Oct 9TH, 1881.