The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-05


week the Hotel Lincoln has had as
guest one who took a most active par
in upholding the law in California dur
ing the stirring days beginning Will
1S49. He is ]. NJ. Mcdonald of Sar
Francisco. a Kentucky-bred boy, who
in the early SOS served as deputy sher
if under the famous Ben Mccullough
of Texas, then sheriff of Sacramento
county, Cal The Sheriff later gained
notoriety during the rebellion as leader
of the Texas rangers, who worried the
i Union forces not a little until McCul
| Tough was killed in Missouri.
| Mr.. Mcdonald IS now a wealthy resi-
| dent of San Francisco. He has laiC
aside his gun and miners pick to en-
joy in his declining years the money
amassed in almost so years hard work
on the coast. He was one of the orig
inal '49ers" who drove across the
great plains in a wagon to seek his
fortune. The visitor to Pittsburg is as
fine man physically as one would
care to meet. Seventy-three years have
passed over his head, yet he is straight
| as an arrow and weighs not less than
$50 pounds. The grip he gives a man
leaves an impression that the hand has
| been run into wise. For two hours
last night Mr.. Mcdonald talked with
me most entertainingly of his long
overland wagon trip TO California in
1880, and of his life there since. Said
| he:
A START FOR THE GOLD FIELDS.
II was % years old and working on
my fathers farm in Washington coun-
ty, Kentucky, when the gold fever
swept over the country. I caught the
infection early, and, after taking coun-
sci with my bosom companion, Jesse
Peters, it was agreed that we both set
out There was a great fuss when we
told our intentions at home, but that
didn't matter. Our people We're SEN
sible, and, seeing that we wanted to
go, and evidently would go in spite of
opposition, they gave in and decided
to give US a good sendoff. My father
gave me the pick of his horses for my
team and also fitted up the wagon,
while Peters furnished provisions to
stock the wagon for the trip.
There were some heavy hearts left
behind on the morning of Oct. 10, 1S49,
when Jesse and 1 drove away from
home into the west to seek our for
tunes. We haven't seen the old place
since. My early partner is now living
near Santa Rosa, Cal, about 100 miles
from me. We have both prospered very
well in 4S years spent in the extreme
west.
TT was just II months from the time
we left home until we landed in Sacra-
mento, with our original horses and
wagon, having picked up a yoke of
oxen on the way to do the heavy work.
OF course, we were not on the go all
the time. Winter overlook us in Mis-
souri,, and we camped until spring, TAX
ing up our line of march in May.
When we made the second start our
party was increased to four. John s.
Owens and Amos Strouck messed in
with US and made the journey.
OWENS A FAMOUS TRAVELLER.
I'VE are glad to have Owens with us,
because he was famous as a traveller
in the west. In 1S43 he had gone from
the east into Oregon in the same en-
igrant train with Peter H. Burnett,
later the first governor of California.
Both were young and fearless men. In
1916 there was trouble with the Indians
in Oregon. 1t was necessary TO send
message of Importance to Washing
ton, but the winter had set in and it
seemed suicide to think of trying to
cross the trackless plains then. Spring
would be too late, however and when
the famous guide and Indian scout,
Joe Meek, offered to try the trip if some
one would accompany him, Owens
stepped out, and away the couple
started on a 2,OO0-mi1e trip to the Dor
der of civilization. They traversed the
great western plains, which We're bur-
led deep in snow; scaled the Rocky
and in six months time
brought their message into st. Joe.
From there it was easy going to the
nations capital. How daring was this
feat of crossing the plains in midwin-
ter can be appreciated only by those
who know the west.
Owens was a good type of the young
fellows who took life in the march
overland to California. Poor John is
the only one of the original four not
now living. He was crushed to death
in a mine in Sacramento county within
q couple of years after we reached Cal
Ifornia.
About 100 miles out of ST. Joseph, |
Mo-, we fell in with a wagon train of |
illinois people. They had six wagons. |
and when we joined forces we made /
quite formidable crowd. We were all |
we'll armed, because we didn't know
when the Indians might get ugly. We !
had only the most pleasant of exper-
ences with the Indians however. They |
lidn't modest uS-in fact, when we came I
IN a camp of them we were treated |
With the greatest kindness and consid- !
grafton. Game was at this time album (
liant, and the Indians life seemed an /
.nviable one.
CHOLERA ON THE TRAIL. /
Immigrants who had gone before had /
catered germs of cholera along the
rail. AS we got into the far west we
ound many CHASTITY reminders of the
Tread disease. Here and there we
would find a little board standing up
light over a fresh mound, and on it
acked a piece of paper, giving the
nd ol1 r,f h.
lept beneath. At last the dread dis
ase attacked our train and carried off
ne of our party, DR.. Goodman of
illinois. We We're then on the South
Platte, and we were deeply grieved
vhen DIR. Goodman died, after "a hours
f awful agony. He was the only ply
ician in our party, and it was mainly
through his untiring ministering that
he rest of our party was kept so
ealthy. He had grown careless him.
elf, however, and the disease caught
i'm.
There was no time for tears or SEN
iment, however, and we scOoped out a
rave in the sand, put up a stone to
mark the spot, and went on, wondering
Tho would be the next victim. None of
s were sick thereafter, though. After
re got to Sacramento we found the
holera. Later it broke out. in a most
iolent form and almost depopulated
he place. n
1.-The cholera was but one of the
many dangers we had to encounter on
he journey. Fording streams was one
f our great dangers, but we got
trough all right. The South Platte
ras a most treacherous quicksand
tream that Rad claimed many VIC
ms. 1t was Il shallow stream, taking
S to about the waist; but if we
tonned hut a moment the sand would