The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-20

Hos the Poet OF the sfsrras was mar
rted. Divorced. and MT Last NC
united with his Wife.
rsau FRANCISCO Chronicle J

newly n1TIltu. Nti! h'l''''v a.. ..o,,,
strong and happy. And so, twen.! IN n
400 fiIis spring, while we were living IN
fhe ton OF y house on Fulton street. oa',
Francisco, No. 42l. with this singular anu
| sad notion in her head, she one evening
half playfully said that, whatever came v
ne. n died first she would write me wen
before the world aid let none do my mem
orv wrong. And she eXacted the same
nromise O., me. And from that tillle' 80
| far from forgetting the foolish covenant
che reminded me OF ID ever after. she re-
minded me of it IN his city only Few
DAYS before her death, last May. In ihe
| fuifiment of this promise now underiake
this most delicate and most difficult tash'
| For IL Is on nv conscience that the occa-
sion is opportune, and that L cannot wen
conclude these sketches OF my life In the
Siefras in this journal without try
ing, after years delay, to Keep
this covenant and solemn promise
Of twenty years ago. IL was Whiie
| was riding Mossman 4 Miller's pony
express from Walla-Walla to MiilefsDtir2,
IN the mines OF Idaho, In the summer OF
1861. that first was attracted by her W.T..
tipos in the newspapers. wrote her ana
had replies. Then, when ] came down
from the mountains and embarked IN Jour
naIism she wrote TO me, and our letters
grew ardent and full OF affection. linen i
mounted nv horse and rode hundreds OF
miles through the valleys and over tue
mountains till | came 10 the sea at fOrt
Oxford, then a 1ourishing mining town,
and there first saw - Minnie Myrtle"
Tall. dark, and striking in every respect,
this first Saxon woman had ever address
ed had il all her own way at once. she
knew nothing at all Of my life, except that
| was an eXpressman and country editor.
knew nothing at all Of hers, but | found
her with her kind, good parents, surround,
ed by brothers and sisters, and the pet end
spoiled child OF the mining and lumber
camp. In her woody little world there by
the sea she was literally worshipped 10y the
rough miners and lumbermen, and the heart
OF the bright and merry girl was brllnming
full Of romance. hope, and happiness. ar
rived on Thursday. ON Sunday next we
were married oh. to what else but rum
and regret could such romantic folly lead!
Procuring a horse for her. we set out at once
10 return to my post, far away over the
mountains. These mountains were then as
now. and ever will lie, / reckon, crossed
only by dim, broken trail, with houses
twenty and thirty miles apart for the few
travellers.
The first day out we came upon great
hand of elk, Towards evening | drew Il
revolver, and with wild delight we dashed
among tie frightened beasts, and, following
them quite distance, we lost our way
And 50 we had 10 spend our first night to-
gefher-tired. hungry, thiisty--sittng UNI
der The pines on a hillside. holding on 10
M A. rgaglgI
home ali right, however, at length. after
a weeks ride. but only to iind that
nav paper had been suppressed by
the Government, and we resolved TO seek
our fortunes In san FRANCISCO. But we
found neither fortune nor friends IN the
great new city, and so returning to Oregon
bought a band Of cattle and we set out
with our baby and party OF friends ana
relatives to reach the new mining camp,
Canyon City, in Eastern oregon. In fact.
had gone before TO spy out the land. We
fought the Indians and got some foothold.
and we selected this location for our fu-
ture home
And what Journey was this OF ours over
the Oregon Sierras. driving the believing
cattle in the narrow trail through the dense
woods, up the steep, snowy mountains,
wild. glorious, fresh, full OF hazard and
adventure. Minnie had made Il willow
basket and swung il 10 her sadd,e-hOrn,
with the Growing and good-natured baby
| inside. looking up at her, laughing as she
| Ieaped her horse Oyorthefailen logs or made
full hand with whip and lasso, slashing
after the cattle. But when we descended
| The wooded mountains TO the open plain
1 Z la af fIa ha
dians were ready to receive MS, and we
almost literally had to light our way for the
next weeks Journey, every day and night.
| And this woman was one OF the ruesl
souls that ever saw battle. | think she
never, even in the hour OF death, knew
what fear was. She was not only a Won
derful horsewoman, but very adrOit in the
Use of arms. She was a much better shot,
indeed, than myself. In our first little
skirmsh on this occasion ] bad taken posi-.
tion OH a hill with a few men, while the
cattle and pack-animalS were corIalled by
the others in blight in the foothills below
TO prevent stampede. And thus in.
trenched, we waited the attack from the
Indians, who held the further point OF
the ridge Oh which had stationed my men,
Suddenly Minnie. baby in arms, stood al
INV sur anu Ut2tl W tdtiilN uiNtuNN illt
situation and TO pass merry remarks about
the queer noises the bullets made Is they
6attened on The rocks about Us and
ylanced over our heads. | finally got hel
to go down, or rather promise 10 go down
TO camp for the better safely of the baby
But in moment she was back. She had
hidden the laughing little baby Ia the rocks
and now, gun in hand, kept AT my side til
the brush was over and the Indians beaten
off.
Here is one leaf from her journal, OF
rather, / think. her recolieetions OF tho
Journey, which she left me along with hel
other papers when she died:
zone night of that journey | shall not
soon forget. There had been some fighting
ahead OF lis, and We knew the foe wa:
luiNing In ambush. They made kind Of
fors OF the freight, and while we lay down
In the canon, baby and ], away up on the
high, sharp butte, Joaquin stood sentinel
And | say this tonight in his behalf and in
his praise, that he did bravely, and saved
his loved ones from peril that night that
he stood on that dreary summit. target
for the foe, and no one but me TO take note
OF his valor--stoOd till the morning shont
radiant, stood till the night was passed
There was no world looking on to praise
his courage and echo il over the land only
the frozen stars in mystic groups far away
and the slender moon, like a sword drawn
to hold him at bay"
Reaching the mines in safety. |. as de,
tailed in a previous sketch, practiced law
mined, fought Indians, and, indeed, was
indeed the busiest OF men i'm trying al
means TO get on. Iplanted the first orchard
in all that land, pushed ahead az hard as |
could, and tried to be punctual and steady
and thoughtful. Yet was still but lad
in years. forgot TO mention that was
mean time elected Judge of the county
and had begun 10 write the "Song.
| of fhn Sicrrns y Ny lifn uas a