Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-01-09

Into 10 pfcbBubou UplOW Jubt - W "hOso -
Il Will DO found very Interesting Us person
al story Of frontier days. -EDIroR.l
l was born in Laudonbach, Baden
Germany, August 5, 1880. My father
died when I was two years old.
received my education in the village
school and at the age Of fourteen wai
confirmed in the Evangelical Pro
testant church and dismissed from
school. Having two brothers and q
sister in the United States Of Amer
lea, my mother, and a brother three
years older than I, emigrated to the
United States in March, 1S46, our
voyage from Antwerp to New York
taking So days.
| We came to Illinois, where my
brothers and sisters lived, on the 9th
Of July, in harvest time, where !
learned my trade as bricklayer and
plasterer. / lived with my brother
| in-law. From there we moved to
Central Illinois. My sister lived in
Mount Pulaski, Logan county. l
was then twenty-one years Of age and
| I worked at my trade in partnership
with my brother-in-law that summer,
and in January, 1852, eight young
men got the California fever and
started in a wagon to Alton, ILL.,, in
January, and we're on the road five
days. From Alton we went to st.
Louis and from there on steamboat
to New Orleans. =
As the emigration to California that
year was SO great, we had to take
sailing vessel across the Gulf Of
Mexico and landed after trip Of
twenty-one days, at Chagres, 18th
mus Of Panama, where they had just
begun work on the Isthmus railroad.
We went up the Chagres river in a
little boat that held about forty per-
sons. Four natives rowed the boat
where the water was deep enough, but
half the time they had to push the
boat over the sand. 1t took two days
to get to Garigona, about half way
between the oceans. From there we
went on foot and reached Panama
the next day after travelling half the
night. We had to stay in Panama
two weeks, until ship was fitted out
to take us, $50 passengers to San
Francisco.
The water used in Panama was
carried by naked natives, in big
earthen vessels. 1t looked very dram
attic to American people to see even
old, gray-haired women walk through
the denseIy populated part Of the
city in Mother Ewes dress, and the
American, women were so disguised
with them that they did not go out
on the streets except when necessary
and when they did, would shade
their eyes. The population Of Pana-
ma consisted Of mixture Of negro
and Indian. There were some old
Castilian families, who were a proud,
good-looking, decent sort of people.
Business was done principally by the
white people, nearly all nationalities
being represented.
We camped out for two weeks
north Of the city on a level piece of
ground, where the water seeped
through the rocks on the slope Of the
hills, not regular springs, and was al
most warm mot fresh), but soft.
There were in Panama and the sur
rounding country, about 10000 peo-
pie enroute to California. A steam
er was finally brought around Cape
Horn, but it would not take more
than one-fourth the people who were
waiting to go, and they took 300 more
passengers than its lawful number.
Some people had to stay there
month. There was great deal of
there at that time. The day
we were taken to our ship (which
was an cold whaler'0 l was taken
sick, was sick about sixty days, and
was so weak part Of the time that I
could not stand, but / would not stay
down between decks-if | had given
up once would be "goner."
We had to stay on that old whaler
142 days, during which time we land
ed twice. The first landing was at
San Blazo, Mexico. Our captain
took a course against the advice of
sur first mate, to the south and got
so far sonth that va ont In a eai,,