Transcription of Katharine D. Osbourne's letter:

When Robert Louis Stevenson was rooming with Mrs. Mary Carson at 608 Bush St. in San Francisco, in the years 1879 and 1880 he was writing up his notes on his Continental Journey-- Stevenson was interested to find that Mrs. Carson had early emigrant experiences of her own.

She showed Stevenson a letter she had concerning the death of a little brother on the Plains in 1860.

When Stevenson had read it he asked her to leave it with him for a few days. Later he returned it.

After Stevenson had returned to Europe "Across the Plains" was published. He sent Mrs. Carson a copy-- and in it, behold she found her brother's letter printed-- and her three brave young brothers immortalized.

Katharine D. Osbourne.

S. F.
4-21-23

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According to Robert Louis Stevenson, the following letter was written by Martin Mahoney, when he was but eleven years of age.

As printed in "Across the Plains," the letter has been punctuated and several lines omitted. This is an actual transcript. To facilitate reading, spaces are used to designate paragraphs or periods.

18 1860

11

Marysville California Dec

My Dear Sister Mary

I am afraid you will go nearly crazy when you read my letter. If Jerry has not written to you before now you will be surprised to hear that we are in California and that poor Thomas is dead. We started from Pike's Peak in July with plenty of provisions and too yoke of oxen. Jerry did not want to go but Tom was going alone and so we all got redy and started. I was going back to Ill. but when we got redy to go to California I thought I would go. We went along very well till we got within six or seven hundred miles of California when the Indians attacked us. We found places where they had killed the emigrants. We had one passenger with us too, guns and one revolver so we run all the lead. We had into bullets hung the guns up in the wagon so that we could get at them in a minit. It was about two o'clock in the after noon. Droave the cattel a little way when a prairie chicken alited a little way from the wagon. Jerry took out one of the guns to shoot it and let Tom drive the oxen. Tom and I drove the oxen and Jerry and the passenger went on, then after a little I left Tom and Cought up with Jerry and the other man. Jerry stopt for tom to come up. me and the man went on and sit down by a little stream. In a few minutes we heard some noise then three shots. They all struck poor Tom. I suppose, then they gave the war hoop and as many as twenty of the red skins came down on us. The three that shot Tom was hid by the side of the road in the bushes. As quick as the Indians I thought that Tom and Jerry were shot so I told the other men that Tom and Jerry were dead and that we had better try to escape if possible. I had no shoes on having a sore foot. I thought I would not put them on the man and me then run down the road but we was soon stopt by an Indian on a pony. We then turned the other way and run up the side of the Mountain and hid behind some

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cedar trees and stayed there till dark the Indians
hunted all over after us and verry Close to us so Close
that We Could hear there tomyhawks jingle at dark the
man and me started on I stubing my toes against sticks
and stones We traveld on all night and next morning Just
as it was getting gray We saw something in the shape of a
man it layed Down in the grass We went up to it and it
was Jerry he thought We were Indians you Can imagine
how glad he was to see me he thought we was all dead but
him and We thought that him and Tom was dead He had the
gun that he took out of the wagon to shoot the prairie
Chicken all he had was the load that was in it. We traveld
on till about eight oclock We Cought up with one wagon
with too men with it We had traveld With them before one
day we stoped and they Drove on We knew that they was
ahead of us unless they had been killed to my feet was so
sore when we Cought up with then that I had to ride I
Could not step we traveld on for too days when the men
that owned the cattle said they would not drive them
another inch we unyoked the oxen we had about seventy
pounds of flour We took it out and divided in to flour
packs each of the men took about 18 pounds apiece & a
blanket I carried a little bacon dried meat and little
quilt I had in all about twleve pounds We had one pint
of flour a day for our alloyance some times We made soup
out of if some times We pancakes and some times mixed it
up with cold water and eat it that way we traveld twelve
or fourteen days the time came at last when we should
have to reach some place or starve We saw fresh horse
and cettle tracks the morning came we scraped all the
flour out of the sack mixed it up and baked it in to bread
made some soup and eat everything We had We travled on
all day without anything to eat and that evening We Cought
up with A sheep train of eight wagons We traveld with
them till we arrived at the settlements and know that I
am safe in California and got A good home and going to
school I am not going to leave it Jerry is working in
Marysville

I would to have you and tom and Catherine would try
to come out in the spring it is A good Country you can get
from 50 to 60 and 75 Dollars for cooking tell me all