The Kalida venture. [volume], February 21, 1845, Image 1

About The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
T
;
71
m
f ua iawt-i-JSjuaZ JltA, and J3al Burden The C institution and it Currency.
YOL. V. NO. 1.
KALIDA, PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2l, 1815.
WHOLE NO. 209.
POETRY.
The Motherless.
The following is one of the most touehingly
beautiful things we hare ever read. The whole
I acene il ene of exquisite tenderness,- and its
beauty lit jn its entire truthfulness. There is
. no attempt, no effort to make grief what is
. .written because it was felt because the heart
was full, and was relieved by utterance. It is
- Teal, not invented. None can doubt this is the
language of a husband and a father, with a spirit
stricken, by the loss of one fondly loved as a wife,
and as the mother of his precious ones. How
full of natare is the third verBe! how like what
,sre would lookjpr and how beautiful the fourth !
You're weary, precious ones! your eyes
Are wandering far and wide;
Thinlye of fcer, who knew so well
. Tour tender thoughts to guide;
'Who could to Wisdom's sacred love
Your fixed attention claim?
- Ah! never from your hearts erase
That blessed mother's name!
'Tis time to say jour evening hymn,'
My youngest infant dove!
Come press thy velvet che jk to mine,
And learn the lay of lovt )
My skeltering arms can cla,-p you all,
My poor deserted throng! '
Cling as you used to cling to her
Who sings the angel's song.
Begin, sweet bird the accustomed strain,
Come warble loud and clear;
Alas! alas! you're weeping all,
, ' You're sobbing in my ear,
-v Good night! Go say the prayer she taught
Beside your little bed -TheKps
that used to bless yeu there
Are -silent with the dead!
A father's hand your course may guide
Amid the thorns of life ;
His care protect these shrinking plants,
That dread the storms of strife ;
But who upon your infant hearts
Shall like that mother write?
Who touch the strings that rule the soul?
Dear, smitten flock! Goodnight.
MISCELLANY.
Written for the Kollda Venture.
TUB MISERIES OF PEEPEalS.
BY SNIP.
CHAPTER I.
"Man's a strange animal; and makes
a strange use of his own nature." Such, at
least, was true of Samuel Peepers; and all
the good people of the goodly village of
Popham, will bear witness to the truth of
the assertion, that Sam Peepers was the
oddest genius that ever set cross legged on
iht steps of the Green Tree tavern in tho
aforesaid Tillage, and distributed to the pass
ers by, all tt gossip of the village, concern
ing everything, and every body.
Sam had served -an apprenticeship to the
tailoring business and at a time when bu
siness of all kinds prospered, and the labor
er was amply rewarded for his toil, had come,
and taken up his abode in the village, whore
he swung a shingle, (as those of his craft
cull the commencing of business) placed
himself upon the board, and for a time wield
ed the steel bar, and played the kirght of
the thimble so well, that ho soon began to
be looked up to as a prosperous, and of course
an important citizen. A cranium richly
stored with the learning of his craft, such
as the sprees, and adventures befalling old
journeymen in their travels, with a vocabula
ry of language, including all the droll ex
pressions, and tailorisms in use, together
with a fluency in reciting to others his won
derful knowledge, and his own wonderful
feats, and hair breadth 'scapes while
tramp, had procured for him an ascendancy
over the minds of the simple villagers, truly
gratifying to that innate love of power and
superiority, which predominates alike in the
breast of the cobbler, and the king.
Sam was the oracle of the village ! From
the first year of his abode there, he was de
facto, the justice of the peace Mayor of
the village Constable Prosecuting Attor
, ney fence viewer, and in short, the Major
i Bomoth grand mover, and artificer of
every thing, pertaining to the business of the
public, and frequently to that of the mdivi-
.duals constituting it. I would not be under
stood as saying that Sam was studiously, and
offensively inquisitive into the business of
others: far from it; ha had a different, and
most laudable object in view, in all his un
dertakings. He had discovered (strange as
as it may seem to many) his own vast impor
tance; the superioritj of his intellect. over
. .that of his . fellows, and the facility with
-which he could adjust the .business of his
'neighbors, and ameliorate their condition, by
relieving them of all their cares and troubles.
And who. Drav. is there so illiberal as to
complain of his neighbor because he as
sumes the business of the entire neighbor
hood I , Because he pries into and dis
charges the business of everjr body else
even to the neglecj of his own, and the sa
crifice of his own interests? Such was Sam's
character. Yet was he not always so po
wer and importance were 4hrust upon him
he sought neither the one nor the other,' but
being fairly within his possession his course
was plain. Pie resolved to " hold the fleet
angels fast, believing they would bless him!"
Whether they did or not. will J)Q3eveloped
as we pass along.
I know not if it be true that great men
are generally jealous; but one thing I do
know, that most of those whom the world
have esteemed great, have manifested unea
siness at the mention of an equal. Sam af
ter all was only mortal, and therefore, like
the rest of his kind, " could not bear a bro
!her near the throne." In fact it could not
be expected that after being looked up to as
tho ruling genius of the plage, he could
tamely submit to have his importance shared
with another. This feeling, certainly very
common to all created intclligencies; being
the same as that, which (according to Mil
ton) caused the dismemberment of the Bo
dy Angelical in the world above us, and has
ever since kept the kingdoms of the Earth
in a turmoil, proved a source of great dis
turbance to our honest Hero, and many of
his fellow Villagers. . For there5 lived in the
vicinity of Popham at the time of which our
history treats, an elderly gentleman of .the
name of Surley. He had lived on the same
farm since the close of tho late war, in
which he claimed to have achieved some
brilliant results in that most delectable of
all recreations, to animals of tho carniverous
species, to wit : the felling and hacking of
his fellow beings. Now this old gentleman
had remained, as it seemed, blind to Sam's
growing power; but when at length the con
sciousness of it burst upon him, hn came
near being suffocated by the shock; for he
had claimed and enjoyed the allegiance of
the good people of Popham, not altogether
by the " right divine ;" but by another right
which he considered equally as sacred and
binding, if not more so: for as he himself
remarked, it having been originally (as was
supposed) derived from the will of the go
verned, they could net reject it, or complain,
though they might cast off that which had
been thrust upon them by the gods without
any consent ef theirs. This position, may,
or may not, be tenable ; it is enough to
know that the old gentleman felt his prero
gative encroached upon, and resolved to
protect, preserve, and transmit it to his chil
dren unimpaired. Here then wo discover
"the direful spring of woes unnumbered."
And here ends this chapter.
CHAPTER II.
A mild evening in the mellow month of
June the deep green forest Myriads of
flowers with a bright company of rosy
girls, joining the music of their laugh and
song to that of the winged choristers of the
wood, do much, very much toward weaning
the thoughts away from the cares, and ambi
tious schemingH of this rascally world. Philo
sophers, I believe, have not determined to a
certainty, what peculiar influence there is in
the eye of beauty, to cast such a deep, and
lasting spell on the heart of the beholder.
But that such an influence does exist, all
who have arrived at the age of twenty, will
admit; for almost all have felt it, and many
in a manner never to be forgotten. If we
thought there were any old, cross, fiozen
nosed, icicle-hearted Bachelors or Maids,
who, of pure ill nature, (for such animals are
little in their cross disposition inferior to hy
enas) would question the truth ofthis, our
position, wo could and would exhibit here
the affidavit of Samuel Peepers, (taken that
very evening, and for the express purpose of
settling these cavils) in which he solemnly
deposes and says; " that on tho evening afore
said, while walking through the wood in the
company of some half dozen couple of the
youngsters of Popham, the large, deep-blue,
dewy eyes of Miss Susan Surley, (ell upon
him; and there was a sudden thrill passed
to his heart,altogethtr indescribable. That he
felt as though he were being tickled to death
by nettle-weed! The cold sweat breaking
out upon his body, and his heart fluttering
like the clapper of a windmill"! Such is
tho description of Sam Peepers' love for
Miss Susan, when it first budded given in
his own language, and placed on the records
of said town over his own sign manual.
Sam at first had not the faintest idea of
what ailed him. For being a philosopher,
he had made it (as in duty bound) a uniform
practice to laugh at, and pronounce what
others call love, an idle whim creeping oc
casionally into the brairrof girls and children
hut never obtruding itself .upon the full
grown man. Alas, poor Peepers! your fine
spun theories were all knocked into pi, by
the first glance of those mild orbs, whose
transparent blue, rivaled that of the " deep
blue sea." And such we believe must ever
be the fate of any theory, denying the ex
istence of the most happifying ingredient of
tour nature, cam telt his pride bumbled
by being thus forced ttfjrelinquish a theory
which he had so frequently, and ably advo
cated, to the great annoyance of all the
young girls of the village; and could only
console himself by running to the other ex
treme, and declaring that all men were doom
ed, at some period of their lives to fall in
love. And ho exclaimed with Goldsmith,
Is there a man who never lov'd ,
Or felt soft woman's sigh?
Is there a heart can mark unmov'd
Doar woman's tearful eye?
No never, never, said Sam. His bed and
blanket were that night of course kicked to
pieces in the most approved and fashionable
manner; and the morning dawned upon a
face flushed with fever a head racked with
paiu ; and a heart ill at ease with itself, and
every thing around it. After much difficulty
he found his way to tho shop; but was not
fully satisfied of his own insanity, when he
had placed the colar of the coat he was
making on tlie skirt. But when soon after
he found himself clasping the hand of squire
Surley, his inveterate enemy and rival, and
enquiring in the most affectionate manner
after the health of his family, he no longer
doubted but what he was beside himself;
and accordingly proceeded immediately to
his particular friend, Dr. Pulltoggle, to have
the malady removed. The man of pills, un
willing to pronounce at once upon a person
age of such importance, and an attack so
raro and altogether out of his line of prac
tice, resolved to call a council of war, and
take the whole matter into consideration.
Pulltoggle went directly from Peepers to
Surley, and acquainted him with the nature
ef the disease, giving him a palpable hint
as to who was tho happy mortal upon whom
the Philosopher had lavished his sonses!
Surley was thunderstruck to learn that a
man of such transcendent attributes, should
thus be shattered to pieces by one glance
from eyes upon which ljp had gazed since
they first opened upon the light, without
feeling the least indisposition from the act!
He could not account for the phenomenon of
one great man being operated on differently
to another by the same cause!
Surley, notwithstanding the utter aversion
with which he regarded Sam, for running
himself into the good graces of the People
of Popham ; yet felt the honor attached to
his house, by thus having the proud spirit
of Sam Peepers, bowed into the dust of hu
mility at the feet of his daughter; and had
it not been for the deadly fued that existed,
and tho green eyed monster jealousy, that
rankled in his soul, Sam might have become
the merriest mortal out of the penitentiary!
But this could not be ; the hero of a war,
and the squire of a village could not so far
cempromit his dignity, as to admit his pre
sumptuous rival into the bosom ef his fami
ly, or allow him even once more to clap his
aching eyes upon his adorable daughter.
The Doctor having called to his aid, one
Timothy Tottlo, a 'merchant's clerk, of the
village,: and who by the way was a beau and
admirer of Miss Surley, it was agreed that
Sam should seek the cause as the only ef
fectual remedy for the disease; and that for
this purposo as squire Surley would not for
a moment consent to have him come to his
house, a stolen interview should be sought
This council was immediately acted on, and
Sam agreed to stroll that very evening by
the Heaven that held the object of his ado
ration, and if per chance the kind stars
should place his fair Mistress in the window.
or any other eligible position, he was te
sigh .deeply, lay his hand pathetically on his
heart, and scrutinize critically the eilect up
on his Dulcinea.
(Concluded next week.)
Repudiation. The Vice Chancellor of
England has recently given a decision in
which the State of Illinois was a party, which
seems to be applicable to several millions of
the Statemebt f .Indiana. The Chancellor
remarked that " if the State placed bonds in
the hands"bf fistagents with certain direc
tions how to use them, and they were improp
erly dealt with by these agents, it would be
too much to say that the State acted dishon
estly because it refuses to sanction what it
had not authorised." mat is our case ex
actly. Goshen Democrat.
Mrs. Clay makes her own butter; salts it
always with her own hands. Whig paper.
What a pity she did not think to sprinkle
a little on the Old Coon it might have
saved him. Keosauque Democrat.
'The people of the United States consume five
million pounds of tea annually.
,, . Oregon Territory.
Correspondence of the New York herald.
LrrtNTON, 1844.
Outfit for Emigrants Value of Cattle in Or
egon Wagon The proper time for Em
. igranttto start Mode of Travel Buffa
loes, Sfc. .
James G. Bennett, Esa: .
Dear Sir:
The proper outfit for emigrants is a matter
of very great importance, as upon it depend
the ease of the journey. As little as we
knew about the matter, we were well enough
prepared te get here, all safe, and without
much suffering on tho road. I would even
be most willing to travel the same road twice
overagain, had I the means to purchase cattle
in the States; and Mrs. B. (who performed
as much labor on the road as any other wo
man,) would most gladly undertake the trip
again. There is a good deal of labor to per
form on the road, but the weather is so dry
and the air so pure and pleasant, and your
appetite so good, that the labor becomes
easy. I had more pleasure in c-?1 Eia
trip than I ever did in the same time before,
which would have beon greater had it not
been for the eternal apprehension of difficul
ties ahead. Whether we were to leave our
wagons, or whether we' were to be out of
provisions, was all uncertain, and kept us in
a state of painful suspense. This state of
uncertainty cannot exist again, as (lie way is
broken and conclusively shown to be practi
cable. The sedge, which was a great impe
diment to us, we broke down completely, and
left behind us a good wngon rSad, smooth
and easy. Those who ceme after us will be
better prepared, and they will have no ap
prehension about a scarcity of provisions.
There is not the slightest danger of starva
tion, and not the least danger of suffering,
if even ordinary care is taken. Emigrants
may now come, knowing that the property
they start with they can bring clear through;
and when they reach hero it will be worth
about twice, and some of it (all their cattle)
four times as much as it was when they left
the States. There is no danger of suffering
for water, as you will find it every evening,
and always good, except perhaps at one or
two places not more ; and by filling a four
gallon keg every morning, you have it con
venient all day. Fuel on the way is scarce
at some points, but we never suffered for
want of fuel. You travel up or down streams
nearly all the way, upon which you will find
dry willows, which make on excellent fire,
and where vou find no willows the sedge an
swers all purposes. Nothing burns iiiuiw bril
liantly than the sedge ; even the green seems
to burn almost as readily as the dry, it catch
es as quick as dry shavings, but it does not
make as good coals to cook as the willows.
The wagons for this trip should be two horse
wagons, plain yankee beds, the running gear
made of good materials, and fine workman
ship, with falling tongues; and all in a state
of good repair. A few extra iron bolts,
linch-pms, skanes, paint bands for the axle,
one cold chisel, a few pounds of wrought
nails, several papers of cut tacks, and some
hoop iron, and a punch for making holes in
the hoop iron, a tew chisels, handsaw, draw
ing knife, axes, and tools generally, it would
De well to bring, especially augers, as they
may be needed on tho way for repairing.-
All light tools that a man has, that do not
weigh too much, he ought to bring. Falling
tongues are greatly superior to others,
though both will do. iou frequently pass
across hollews, that have very steep, but
short banks, where failing tongues are pre
ferable, and there are no trees on the way
to break them. The wagon sheets should
be double, and not painted, as that makes
them break. The wagon bows should be
well made and strong, and it is best to have
sido boards, and have the "upper edge of the
wagon bed bevelled outwards, so that the
water running down the wagon sheet, when
it strikes the body, may run down on the
outside. And it is well to have the bottom
of the bed bevelled in the same way, that
the wator may not run inside the wagons
Having your wagons well prepared, they are
as secure, almost, as a house. Tents and
wagon sheets are best made of heavy brown
cotton drilling, and will fast well all the way.
They should be well fastened down. When
you reach the mountains, if your wagons are
not well made of seasoned timber, the tires
become loose. This is very easily repaired
by taking hoop iron, taking the nails out the
tire, and driving the hoop iron under the
tiro and between it and the' felloes ; the tire
you punch, and make holes through the hoop
iron and drive in vour nails, and all will be
tight. Another mode of tightning the tire
which answers very well, is to drive pine
wedges crosswise under it, which holds it
tight. If your wagons are even ordinarily
good the tire will never become loose, and
you will not perhaps have to repair any on
the whole trip. Any wagon that will per
form a journey from Kentucky to Missouri
will stand the trip well. There are many wa
gons in Oregon, brought through last year,
that are both old and very ordinary. It is
much easier to repair a wagon on the way
than vou would suppose. Beware of heavy
wagons, as they break down your teams for
no purpose, and you will not need mem.
Light wagons will carry all you want, as
there is" nothing to break them down, no
stumps, no rock, until you get more than half
wav, when your load is so mucn reduced
that there is no danger. You see no slumps
on the road until you get to Burnt river and
very few thore, and no rock until you get
into the Black Hills, and only there tor
short distance, and noj had, and then you
will see none until you reach the Great So
da Spring, on Bear river at least none of
any consoquouce. If an- individual should ,
have several wagons, some good and some
ordinary, he might start with all of them ;
and his ordinary wagons will go to the mount
ains, where his load will hr so reduced that
his other wagons will do. It is not necessa
ry to bring along an extra axle-tree, as you
will rarely break one. A few pieces of well
seasoned hickory, for the wedges and the
like, you ought te bring.
. Teams. The best teams for this trip are
ox teams'. Let the oxen be from three to
five years old, well set, and compactly built;
just such oxen as are best for use at home.
They should not be too heavy, as their feet
will not bear the trip so well. But oxen six,
seven and eight years old, some of them
very large, stood the trip last year very woll,
but not so well irt general as the younget
and lighter ones. Young cows make just as
good a team as any. It is the travel and
not the pulling that tires your team, Until
after you reach Fort Hall. If yeu have
cows for a team it requires more of them in
bad roads, but they stand the trip equally
well, if not better, than oxen. We fully , test
ed the ox and mule teams; and we found
the ox teams greatly superior. One ot will
pull as much as two mules, and, in mud, as
much as four. They are more easily mana
ged, are not so subject to be lost or broken
down on the way, cost less at the start, and .
are worth about four times as much here.
The ox is a most noble animal, patient, thrif
ty, durable, gentle, and easily driven, and
does not run off. Those who come to this
country will be in love with oxen by the "
time they reach here. The ox will plunge
through mud, swim over streams, dive into
thickets, and climb mountains to get at the
grass, and he will eat almost any thing. .
Willows they eat with great greediness on
the way; and it is next to impossible to
drown an ox.
I would advise all emigrants to bring all
tho cattle they can procure, to this country
and all their horses, as they will with proper
care, stand the trip well. We found a good
horse to stand the trip as well as a mule.
Horses need shoeing) but oxen do not. I
had ox shoes made, and so did many others,
but it was money thrown away. If a man
had five hundred dollars, and would invest
it in young heifers in the States and drive
them here, they would be worth five thou-1
sand dollars; and by engaging in stock rai
sing, lie could make mi iuUepeiideiu-rommeT"
Milch cows on the road arc exceedingly use-
ful, as they give an abundance of milk all the
way, though less towards the close of it.
By making what is called thickened milk oil
the way, a great saving of flour is effected .
and it is a most rich and delicious food, espe
cially for children. We found that yearling
calves, and even sucking calves, stood the
trip very well; but the sucking calves had
all the milk.
Provisions. 150 pounds flour and 40
pounds bacon to each person. Besides this,
as much dried fruit, rice, corn meal, prached
corn meal, and raw corn, peas, sugar, tea,
coffee, and such like articles as you, can well
bring. Hour will keep sweet the, whole
trip, corn meal to the mountains, and parch
ed corn meal an the way. The flour and
meal ought to be put in sacks or light bar
rels; and what they call shorts are just as
good as the finest flour, and will perhaps
keep better; but I do not remember of any
flour being spoiled on the way. The parch
ed corn meal is most excellent to make soup. '
Dried fruit is most excellent. A tew beef
cattle to kill on the way, or fat calves, are
very useful, as you need fresh meat. Peas
are most excellent. The loading should cen-.
sist mostly of provisions. Emigrants should
not burthen themselves with furniture, or
any beds; and a few light trunks, or very
light boxes might bo brought to pack clothes
in. Trunks are best, but they should be light.
All heavy articles should be left, except a
few cooking vessels, one shovel, and a pair
of pot hooks. Clothes enough te last a
year, and several pair of strong heavy shoos
to each person, it wUl be well to bring. If
you are heavily loaded, let the quantity of
sugar and coffee be small, as milk is prefera
ble, and does not have to be hauled. You
should have a water keg, and a tin canister,
made like a powder canister to hold your
milk in; a few tin cups, tin plates, tin sau
cers, and butcher knives; and there should ...
be a small grindstone in company, as the
tools become dull on the way. Many other
articles may be useful. Rifles and shot
guns, pistols, and powder, lead, and shot, I
need hardly say, are useful, and some of
them necessary on the road, and sell well
here. A rifle that cost twenty dollars in' the
States, is worth fifty dollars here, and shot
guns in proportion. The road will be found
upon the whole, the best road in me wonu,
considering its length. On the Platte, the
only inconvenience arising from the 1 road is
the propensity to sleep in the day time.
The air is so pleasent, and the road so smooth
that I have known many a teamster to go
fast asleep in his wagon, and his team stop
still in the road". Tho usual plan was for
the wagons behind tofdrive around him, and
leave him until he waked up, wrjeruie wouia
come driving up, looking rather sheepish,' -
Emigrants should start ffsvajujVjaSposj
in ordinary sr-asonsj.jW first of May at far
thest; 0ven as early as first of April would
do. For thpse erjnigrants coming from the
Platte country, it Is thought that tney had
bettercross The Missouri river at McPherson's
I
-ft
y7