The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-02-10


The snow enshrOuds their icy hands;
And east or west or nigh or low
Cleans but one shining sheen Of snow.
Two wild and stormy streams Of I'M
mainly, one from Oregon and the Other
from California, had joined and howel
on tamUltuously together. They weIe
on their way to the new mines OF Ida.
no. On Comas prairie winter swept
suddenly over them, and there
down in q deep canon that cleft thewide
aud wintry valley through the middle
the stormy stream Of Life stopped, rs q
river that is frozen over.
4 thousand men, trying to escape the
blizzard that swept over The valley. tnn.
bled hurriedly into the valley together.
AMI took shelter there as best they
could beside great basaIt blocks chat had
fallen from the high, steep cliffs of the
canon, or under the craps-anywhe To
escape the bitter cold.
And how the Californian did desoise
the Oregonian He named him tbs
. Nebt0Ot, because his feet were large
a1a he came from tue land Of clouds and
rua. And how the Oregopian did hate
the Californian. He named hin the
Horse Thief" But as there was more
truth than poetry in it, unlike the other
appeliahOn, It did not stick. The bitter
enemy ana the bad blood Of Germany
ami France was here displayed in epi
tome and II its worst form. wonder.
indeed II there sholld not be some sort
OF tragedy played here before the storm
was over.
The OragonIan wore long hair ut that
date, 1861. LeggIngs ana blanket
with his head thrust through the center.
made his chief raiment 1 tail peaked
hat with \ band about It, something
ike tine brigand OF the stage, covered
his long, straight ana 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-
ceptlon. lie often carried two pistols
n the great leather belt, and always one.
with bowie knife. He generally wore
dark trousers tucked inside of his great.
l0ng-legged boots. 1t he was "on the
shoot, CT come from the shoulder, " a
little investigation would in many cases
disclose au extra pistol or two tucked
down deep III those boots. And even
whisky bottles have been known to
nestle there. He rarely wore a coat.
II he were cold he put on his other
shirt. The coat interfered with his
lighting, and he despised it. And how
he would howl at the long, lean and
silent OrCgoniau as he marched about in
his moccastus and leggings, and his
blanket tight him and his hands quite
hidden.
Hello webfoot; where's your hands :?
Come, show us Your hands. Are YOU
heeled ? You can't fight that way p
Try me and see ~
The blanket few back. two hands
shot forward, and the two garruious and
meidlesore Cahf0rniaus let the webf0ot
80; for he was heeled.
We had but little wood here and that
was OF the worst quality-willow, and
green end frozen. The little river gur-
gied PiaIutively for the first day or two
as it struggled on and ground through
It's icy banks. But soon its lips we're
sealed, aud the snow came down and
covered the silent and dead waters as
with q STROUD.
The dav after the little tilt between
the parties as above described, the two
GaiIforniaus walked up and down before
the quiet ami uupretenhOuS camp, only
Anew steps from their Own, for we were
ali huddled III together there, and talked
very loud and behaved in a very insult
ing manner. The canon was an on tip
toe. The men began 20 forget their
misery IN Ire all-absOrbing topic OF the
coming fight Cautious cid men held
alooI ana tired to keep peace. They
kerr most Of the men ouJ on the windy
piaIn, freezing there with the half
starved mules, horses uDd ponies, that
paWal p.u.ujv and h0pelezsly n the
snow nnial aas now almost to taaT
breasts. This, il was hoped, would give
the men something better to DC, and
keen them from battle.
But thc urgedtgi situation, the cold.
the hunger, tae possibility Of all per
lsAIng there together seemed Only TO
madden The men. That night n duel
was arranged to take place at daylight
on the plain above. Ihe Californian
and OreSoufat were to figfit with rifles
II ten PAGES. Both were center. deadly
shots. Blta had their friends and buck
ers. The whole canon seemed about TO
lie drawn into the fight. Some % the
men were now very hua cry. All were
cold, cross, desperate, 4 general battle
WIS imminent
Let Us look at these silent. lean, and
despised 0regonians in their blankets.
Gomely they we've not, nor graceful.
They were not we'll read, nor had the
eyes Of the world been upon them as on
the Calitornians. But belt remembered
that away back, before California was at
all known. these Oreg0mans had met IN
der the pines, and most emphatically, as
Well a. ungrammatically, procaimedt that
they We're a part Of the United States.
aud not OF England. They had decreed
war against the aggressive tribes, had
raised an army, maintained it III the
held, coined their own money, and pro
FIded all on their own account. Their coin /
was pure gold, not a particle Of alleg. /
The beaver on the one side OF their
crude coin showed the quiet industry OF /
Oregon's pastoral people The sheaf OF
wheat on the other side showed, that /
plenty rewarded the husbandman
Aga-nstthis record the Californian had /
little TO exhibit. He had washed down /,
hills and led rivers over the mountains. /
He had contributed much to the metallic /
currency of the world. but he had done /
little else. And [ take the response I
bIlty OF saying that, as compared with /
the desplsed OregOnian, notwithstanding
his vigilantes and great show Of valor |
and chivalry, he was braggart ana q .
bully. But these old and deadly quar- /
rels did not have the ears of the world at 4
the time, and, being now happily for /
gotten, they can concern no one. ! have /
only thrown III this last paragraph or I
two to show how dangerous and deadly I
was tins quarrel we nov had on hand. /
The horses nulps and monies were ,
freezing IN tie srow where they stood.
Two Of the guards did not come IN at