The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-09
Across the Plains in 1R52,

HNtOSS uohuS IoD1s
The April Bulletin Of the Ner York
Public Library publishes for the first
time. from the manuscript given by
the late J. =. MORGAN. the journal"
written at Canon creek In the Cali.
fornia Sierra Nevadas in December.
1862. by Mrs. LoDIsA FRIzzrIL. 4 num-
Der of singular watercolors by Mrs.
f'RIzztLL are reproduced. In April
with her husband and four sons
she left her home In Ettingham county.
Illinois. OH the upper Little Wabash.
for California. Her journal leaves
them ~ a point in Wyoming. hardly
half way" She gives the impression
of kind. pious. observant woman.
keenly interested in the Indians. prai.
rie dogs and everything else on her
way. \ glimpse or two of Americans
on their travels sixty.odd years ago
may not he too tedious. On the road
from 81. Joseph To Fort Kearney I'VE
came 10 another Indian toll bridge.
charged hut - cts" unexpected thrift
Of the aborigines. A little further on:
saw a fine sheet iron stove sitting
beside the road. took 1t along. cooked
In II that ight. & then left II &: for they
are OF very little account. unless YOU
could have dry wood We met man driv-
ing several cows, the men in the other
wagon recognized OF them. belonging
to man from their country. with whom
they had intended to travel. They asked
the man where was the owner OF the
COWS? & why he was driving them back?
he sard first that he was the owner. &
that he had bought them; but as he
could not tell where the man was. nor
describe him, they concluded he had no
right to them: a. finally he said them
four he had found. & they took them
away from him. & as one Of them gave
milk, we were enabletdl t. live quite
well & I would advise all to take cows
on this trip. II YOU used to milk only
to make bread for YOU can do very lit
tie with yeast, & the soda & cream tar
ter I do not like"
Cow stealing has been pretty thor
oughly obscured by the more brilliant
and dangerous profession Of horse
stealing. 4 little further on a board
commentaries a murder with buck.
shot and knife. Soon - of our men
bring in what they said was an
telope." but which turned out To he
old sheep. They had tried to play
Il joke on Mrs. FRIz2ELI, hut she was
too wise to bite. In moment we SOC
the ancestors of the Native Sons and
Daughters encamped under two great
elms ana preparing square" meal
I'VE soon had the hest OF a Are.
cooked some meat & beans, stewed some
apples peaches, boiled some rice, 4
baked biscuit. & fried some crulls, a. as
] had a glass pickle Jar full of sour
milk. plenty of salarstus. ! had as
fine cakes as II had been at home"
Buffalo marrow bone soup with
boiled rice helps ont the bin Of fare.
Wagon trains pass or are passed as
they halt Ia bury their dead of chol-
era. A large prairie dog town sug.
gests the reelection that IF there were
any of these little animals in Ireland,
we might easily account for theii
legends Of FAIRIES, Elfs. &C." Here 4
runaway boy is making his painful
way back. There they were dglng
grave for girl IL years old: how
hard it must he to leave ones children
on these desolate plains" Death
logged the steps ~ those pioneers.
Volcanic rocks elicit from Mrs. FRIz-
zrIL the remark that "sn has caused
them to be upheaved that they may
he eternal monuments of the curse &
fall Of man" Whiskcy was SIC
gallon or - cents II drink. They pass
the north fork Of the Platte by "A ferry
kept by French and Indians: 81 a
wagon, 20 cents an animal and per.
son, n heavy tax on emigration"
Government ought to take charge of
or build ferries. Buffalo heads along
the route make good seats and are
much used for writing upon.
20, the luxury Of a house. a house."
cries this traveller, half way to her
journeys end. Let us return to Its
beginning:
"Thc first night We put up at widow
woman's. We did not camp out, al