The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-02-08


The snow arrests the Fastening rilIs,
The snow enshrouds their icy hands;
And east or west or high and low
Cleans but one shining sheen of snow.
Two wild and stormy streams of hu-
manity, one from Oregon and the other
from California, had joined and flowed
on tumultuously together. They were
| on their way to the new mines of Idaho.
On Comas prairie, winter swept sudden
ly over them, and there down in deep
canyon that cleft the wide and wintry
valley through the middle, the stormy
stream of life stopped, as river that is
frozen over.
A thousand men, trying to escape the
the blizzard that swept over the valley,
tumbled hurriedly into the canyon to-
gether, and took shelter there as best
they could beside great basalt blocks
that had fallen from the high, steep cliffs
of the canyon, or under the crags-any-
where to escape the bitter cold.
And how the Californian did despise
the Oregonian! He named him the
''Webfoot" because his feet were large
and he came from the land of clouds
and rain. And how the Oregonian did
hate the Californian! He named him the
AAOL ALCi. buU dts UuClC wa tQOTG
truth than poetry in it, unlike the other
appellation, it did not stick. The bitter
enmity and the bad blood of Germany
and France was here displayed in cpl
tome, and in its worst form. A won-
der indeed if there would not be some
sort of tragedy played here before the
storm was over.
The Oregonian wore long hair at that
date, 1861. Leggings and blanket with
his head thrust through hole in the
center made his chief raiment. A tall.
peaked hat with band about it, some
thing like the brigand of the stage. COW
cred his long, straight, and stringy hair.
Sometimes he wore an old slouch hat.
He was rarely without the blanket He
was never without the leggings.
The Californian wore the traditional
red shirt in that day, with hardly an ex-
ception. He often carried two pistols
in the great leather belt, and always
one, with bowie-knife. He generally
wore dark trousers tucked inside of great,
long-legged leather boots. If he was
''on the Shoot" or t'come from the
shoulder" little investigation would,
in many cases, disclose an extra pistol
or two tucked down deepin those boots.
And even whisky bottles have been
known to nestle there. He rarely wore
coat. II he was cold he put on his
other shirt. The coat interfered with
his fighting and he despised it. And
how he would howl at the long, lean,
and silent Oregonian as he marched
about in his moccasins and leggings,
with his blanket tight about him and
his hands quite hidden.
"Hello! webfoot; where's your handsP
Come show US your hands. Are you
heeled? You can't fight that wayr'
'sTry me and seer'
The blanket flew back, two hands shot
forward, and the two garrulous and
meddlesome Californians let the web
foot 90; for he was heeled.
We had but little wood here; and that
was of the worst quality-willow, and
green and frozen. The little river CUR
gled plaintively for the first day or two
its icy banks. But soon its lips were
covered the silent and dead waters as
with shroud.
The day after the little tilt between
the parties as above described, the two
Californians walked up and down before
the quiet and unpretentious camp only
few steps from their own, for we were
huddled in together there, and talked
very loud and behaved in very insult
ing manner. The canyon was all on
tiptoe. The men began to forget their
misery in the all-absorbing topic of the
coming fight. Cautious old men held
aloof and. tried to keep peace. They
kept most of the men out on the windy
plain, freezing there with the half-starv-
ed and freezing mules, horses, and
ponies that paved pitifully and help
lessly in the snow, which was now al
most to their breasts. This it was hop
ed would give the men something bet
ter to do, and keep them from battle.
But the dreadful situation, the cold,
the hunger, the possibility of all perish
ing there together, seemed only to mad
den the men. That night duel was
arranged to take place at daylight on
the plain above. The Californian and
the Oregonian were to fight with rifles,
at ten PAGES. Both were center, deadly
shots. Both had their friends and back
ers. The whole canyon seemed about
10 DC IilCO Luo OolIlC VI uuO
men were now very hungry. All were
cold, cross, desperate. A general bat
tie was imminent.
Let us look at these silent, and des-
pissed Oregonians in their blankets.
Comely they were not, nor graceful.
They were not well-read, nor had the
eyes of the world been upon them as on
the Californians. But be it remember
ed that away back. before California
was ut all known, these Oregoians had
met under the pines. and most
emphatically, as well as ungrammatic-
ally proclaimed that they were a part OF
the United States, and not of England.
They had decreed war against agrees
i've tribes, had raised an army, main
! tanned it in the field, coined their own
money, and provided all on their own
occount. Their coin was pure gold, not
! particle of alloy. The beaver on the
! one side of their crude coin showed the
quiet industry of Oregon's pastoral peo.
/ pic. The sheaf of wheat on the other
side showed that plenty rewarded the
husbandman.
Against this record the Californian
had little to exhibit. He had washed
down hills and led rivers over the noun.
tains. He had contributed much to the
metallic currency of the world, but he
had done little else. And take the
responsibility of saying that, as com
| x.,sAR AZ .1ooxssoaA not