St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-07-22
The True Inwardness of Going
West.
DEMISG. n. NJ. July 6. 1881.

and let the country grow up with him,
a little wholesome advice is of more
use to him than grip-sack full OF
mining prOspectuses, railroad land
charts, or letters of introduction and
recommendation from former en-
plOyers. The first essential requisite
is self-reliance without self-conceit
Without self-reliance he had better
stop east of the Mississippi, for west OF
there a young man without capital,
land the average westward bound
Young mans calf-skin is not usually
very corpulent) is thrown wholly on
his own resources. ''LOOk out foI
Number One" is a good rule the world
over, but here he must look out foI
Number Two as well i. e., he must
look out that Number Two don't get
the start of Number One. In the West,
to use "A homely phrase, one man is as
good as another, "and burned sight
better" Don't wear too fine clothes il
you are going into mining town, OF
in fact any town on the frontier. II
you've got on a plug hat, or n dandy
Derby and kid gloves, throw them out
of the car window when you leave
Kansas City, for they will be of no use
to you and may do you good deal OF
harm. Last summer, i'll Silver City,
saw an elegant silk tile fairly riddled
with bullets. The wearer was high
toned young man from Boston, who
represented ii wealthy Eastern mining
company. He was on his way from
an assay office to his hotel, III one OF
the principal streets, i'll broad day
light and when passing a saloon &
half-drunllen miner caught sight o.
the strange head gear and Immediately
opened fire Oh it with his shooter
This was the signal for regular flu
silade from all sides. Three or foul
balls passed through his hat before il
left his head, and as many more after
II iNil w Oilt Slohih- hb pun i'ilp''
was nearly paralyzed with fear for :
moment, but finding he had the use o
his legs, started on run down the
street, but was soon halted, anC
marched into store where regular
broad brimmed western sOmbrerO wai
| fitted to his head, paid for by the crowC
who did the shooting, and he was dis
missed with the injunction, 1" Wear tina
tChiIe you're in this tOtun.n 1t was moth
ing but freak characteristic of miners
but it shows how more than useleS
such things are among IA roughcr ele
mcnt in Il frontier town.
But | am DEPRESSING. We will sup
pose that your tile, (if you had one
has been cast aside and in its stead
modest cap or hat adOrns your Uranium
Don't be in haste to get acquainted
with your fellow passengers. If the.
are inclined to enter into conversation
with you, let them do most of the talk
ing and you do most of the listening
In Il word, keep your eyes and ear
open and your mouth shut. 1t is
well-known fact that organized gang
of pick pockets, sharpers and conf
dence men of every description run o.
all the western trunk lines, and de
spite the efforts of the railroad officials
fleece the unsuspecting emigrant i
divers ways. But we will suppos
that yOu are possessed of at least com
mon sense-have kept your own coun
sci, and been proof against the wiles {
the three card monte men, the littl
strap game and others of the sam
class, and have arrived safely at you
journeys end. Now you are going t
be homesick for IA few days. tn
country looks inviting. You miss til
green hills and woods of old Ne
England, and the far stretching pra
ric seems mOnotOnOus. The peOpI
are all III great rush about somethin
and take no notice of you. There III
no ten cent eating houses, and yoI
board is costing you $3.50 Il day at I'll
hotel. There are no nice young ladit
i'll the place-cOnsequently no picnic
ice cream festivals, church fairs, ,
anything of the kind. The people a
rave about ''leads," "indicatiOns,r "fi
sures," "croppings," which is all Gree
to you. You see crowd of men {
the corner and you run over to :,
what the row is, and find man in
}, red shirt and overalls, holding i'll h
/, hand bit of rock and dilating to tt
crowd upon the richness thereof al
the width of the vein" But there
t. no gold lying round i'll the streets, i'll
no one offers you half interest i'll
"Big Bonanza" and so you are di
gusted with the "blaIsted country
a and, if you have money enough to p;
your fare, will take the next train f
the East. But if you've got lots
grit and no money, then you're !
right Your homesickness will so,
,e wear off and you'll soon get the han
of the people. If You are IA tradesma
YOU can soon get work at your ira
, with good wages. If yOu have
e trade and are not afraid to work, v
can find plenty of it, and by giving t
> saloons, dance halls and gambli
hells "A wide berth, can save lit
sum in short time for some invei
- ment, when good opportunity pI
sents itself. But more anon.
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