Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1879 — TH[?] EXCURSIONISTS. [ARTICLE]

TH[?] EXCURSIONISTS.

Read the speech of the Battlescarred veteran Gen. Rice, on fourth Mr. C. L. Vallandlgham Is a Democratic candidate for the L ,j gis.a ute in Montgomery county, Ohio. The United States Government has in its posseesion the French' spolia tion fund, while a man who is entitled to SIOO,OOO of, it is dying in a Connecticut poor-house. How harrowing to the very soul is disappointment. The consul is but the mere wreck of a “granger,” ccm pared to what he was once. Some five years ago he was a regular stalwart. Our Turk Island diplomat puts a few queries to “some well-posted soft - money philosopher,” which he himself answered many times when lie sought to be recognized as a bully “granger,” and labored to secure the nomination for the office of Clerk of Jasper county. Refer to your tiles oT those days, Mr. Consul. The Radical State Committee of Maine are still calling for more money to use in that State. Another appeal was received by the general committee in Washington on last Friday, saying that the canvass is a desperate one, and that the Maine radicals must have more funds at once. The committee replied that notwithstanding they had already sent large sums to Maine, they would at once order another as essment on the clerks and employes in the several departments for that purpose. The clerks complain at the extortion that is beinginflicied on them for tire benefit of Maine politicians.

Our diplomatic friend down street professes to be greatly mortified over ♦air {illusion to the overflowing false sympathy of “the average radical” at ihe misfortunes of “Dixon and Lize I'iukston”, and adds, in substance, that the only authority the people have that Dixon “was n thief, a murderer, a liar and a bail man generally,” “comes through democratic sources,” then seeks to show how greatly Dixon was admired by reproducing what "comes through radical sources.” No uoubt he will next week hush up for his readers what. Inis been prepared by the radical general committee for ihe Okolona Southern States. Calkins’ postmaster pretends to think that Barksdale should have permitted Dix on to pepper him with pistol balls on ono side, and then turned to him the other also for another peppering.— Lite consul himself might, in illustration of the beautiful theory he so eloquently have turned one side, but it would have been his hack, tils peculiar diplomatic qualification reveals itself in trie fact that he can prepare over two columns in condemnation of violation of law by a man in the {South, and seek to fasten responsibility on the Democratic party, but i i unable to indite a seutencc in con detonation of his partisan friends Sprague and Conkliug, DeYoung and Kulloeh. “Oil! ye hypocrites!”

i'Aitor Democratic Sentinel'. Wo arrived in Puebla, Colorado, j Monday. August 10, and found ourselves surrounded by one continual .'iso of miniature mountains, forming a complete basin. These mountains, if they might be termed such, probably range from (iOO t.o 800 feet. Pueblo, is counted one of the in- ; tensely hot cities of Colorado, owing to the relleecdon of the white glaring s in, which possesses none of the mellow effulgent rays that tempers the ■■mi in our milder climate. This city, during the winter, is considered a very lively, wide-awake place, but is now ilulland monotonous, on account of the absence of the great number of inhabitants'that they may enjoy the pure free air during the exceedingly warm mouths of summer. Even this near home we And quite a difference in the prices of merchuu disc and grout t ies. In groceries they arc veiy much in ad vance of our eastern markets, very high prices being demanded for potatoes and fresh fruits. California fruits, such as plums, grapes.peaches and pears, being sold at the rates of twenty-live and thirty cents per pound. There are three daily and two weekly newspapers supported here, which bespeaks for a town of only 5,000 inhabitants a great deal of enterprise and vim. Yet I cannot but say that a great many of them—the papers o* the West, I mean—like papers of al- • most every port, are of but little sfg nigeance, the editorial columns being tilled chlelly with backbitings and bickerings. Among those o£ tire latter classl will place in most conspicuous prominence the Kansas City Journal , which has, so far as condensed meatiness in composing editorials regarding our Indiana excursionists is coucerned, who have “as far as heard from paid all bills,” and whieh|has, so far as regards the home c instruction in general of that paper reached the highest pinnacle of per section to which it may ever attain.— To said editor I will say, in behalf < f the party of which I am a member, “Wrap the mantle of charily about you” and lie down to the pleasant dreams that rhay ever be yours, while your very massive (_?) brain'-is distorted in concocting ’Such; enormous'lies as filled the editorial columns of jfouf edifjtingpaper during our whfortupate and unwillingly prolonged, stay in Kansa City_ Hut ,1. am • digressing, arid will return .tp Pueblo the I city of • whi,eh'.we,Jiave nope but pleasant re-4J'-Wbranees. T,

On Tuesday morning we entered the ears on the Narrow Gauge owned by the Denver and Rio Grande RR. Company, and start d to Canon City* forty miles west of Pueblo. We were perfectly enraptured with the scenery on this road, tie table lands being to us something wonderful, one succession after another of them rising many feet above us, seeming of solid rook, but through the sandy crevices busi - es, grass and even trees grow quite successfully. The projecting rocks form wild forest homes for myriads of birds, of the family we denominate barn swallows, and thousands of little nests are built along in elose proximity.

Far off in the distance we cen see a blue mist—a cloud as it were—a veil between earth and heaven. As we travel on and on, the blue mists roll away and we can discover through our field glasses, shrubbery on the very tops of these seeming cleuds. These immense clouds, we are informed by our wise neighbors, will eventually prove to De high peaks of the Rocky Mountains. As we near Canon City and behold these mountains in their wild rocky grandeur, we almost entirely ignore the rockbound table lands which have surrounded us like mighty walls, and which two hours before we thought the most wonderfully attractive scenery through which we would pass. As we enter Canon City we look around with wonder. Can this little place, with hundreds of tentg stretch ed about bear the name of City? Is it worthy the name? And yet we are told it contains 4,000 human beiugs. (I think on this particular day 250 of them belong to our party and 2.000 more are imaginary). The majority of the houses are very small and insignificant, some being built of clay and covered with gravel. The minor ity, I suppose, are tents. In this city is being built a State Prison probably possessing one-tenth the capacity or our Northern Prison of Indiana. From this fact I presume wo might surmise that the inhabitants of this section of the Centennial State are peaceable, and not given to theft or mu der.

This country is watered b.v irrigation ; canals for this purpose can be seen traversing the fields in all directions. These fields are not very nu merous. In one of them, however, was growing the largest corn I ever saw. This corn was an exception. We were now informed that we < o ’ exchange our comfortable coaches for open ears, in orJer that we might en joy to the fullest extent the wild natural scenery, aiid that we would pen etrate seven miles beyond the city into the very heart of the Rocky Mountains. Now comes a panorama of beauty which I might bettor not attempt to describe, for my braiD is not imaginative enough to conceive of words to paint the beauty, grandeur and sublimity ot this Grand Canon of the Arkansas. These seven miles of road are built through one solid mass of rock, and in the construction of the same many lives have been lost in blasting away the massive formations. For long distances we feould see great iron bars supporting the telegraph wires; these burs were spired into solid rock prebnbly <SO feet above our heads. Imagine the horrible and portentious danger of hanging suspended by a rope 1400 or 1500 Teet from the top of one of the e slopes, drilling in these dangerous heights, filling with powder and apf lying the fuse; then imagine the breathless suspense of being drawn inch by inch out of danger’s way. , As we advance Into the Canon, peak after peak of this mighty mountain rises almost perpendicularly to the height of from 1500 to 2300 feet, calling forth from this impulsive multitude exclamations of wonder and admiration. The Arkansas river, which flows along the railway, and sometimes immediately under it, is deeper and narrower perhaps than a any other point since we started from Kansas City. In some places, where rocks of from two to three tons weight have rolled from the mountain side into it, an agile person could cross by bounding from rock to rock. One cannot but acknowledge that a ride over this road is fraught with much danger. At times it would seem that there could be ho possible escape from toppling over into the rivei, in t irning the curves which number hundreds as the road follows the numerous windings of the river; but no, the frightful curves were passed in safety, and we sped on till our seven miles were traversed, and we halted where a dozen men were employed ; in constructing a huge bridge over the river. The intention of the Company is that this road shall eventually reach Leadvihe, a city some miles be- | yond this poiut.

As our eyes are now weary and aching with so much sight-seeing, each signifies his aud her willingness to return to Pueblo. The whistle is sounded, and there is a grand rush as every one is anxious for a seat in one of the two coaches that, when going out into tlie Canon was occupied ly the mo e aged and timid. In ’ i me all are seated, aud with a puff and biow ihe fiery engine begins the difficult work of backing the train into the city. This done, we again enter our cars, and after a ride of two hours find ourselves again iu Pueblo. After a supper, which is voraciously devoured by our half-starved party, we wend our way to our separate cars where those who think they will be “slightly impecunious” ere they again see Indiana, conclude to sleep, and gain the night’s rest they so much need, while others who think the limited space of three feet m height, three in width and six in length—and this hemmed in on all sides by walls—rather too close quarters repair to the hotels. In the morning, at seven o’clock, all meet at the depot, at the sounding of the whistle, feeling much refreshed, and every one ready to enjoy with zest any new pleasure that the day might offer. ’Tis useless to add that we traveled through scenery varied and beautiful. That the mountains seeming but a short distance off but in reality fifteen aud thirty miles away, rose continally on either side of us. We were then at an altitude of many feet above the sea and the change in tne atmosphere was very perceptible, causing us to don warmer wraps, and some eveu to shiver with cold. At 8 o’clock p. m., we found ourselves landed on the depot in Denver, the great Eldorado of the West, while a dozen hackmen stood screaming—“.lack for the Wentworth,” “hack for the National,” “hack fortheßon-ton,” and a number of other “Houses of Refuge ” for wearv travelers. We co’d not please all b-y riding oneich hack, and for fear we would wound their exflUisir.e sensibility by showing any preference,, ;our party compromised the matter by Walking. Butlifiy letter .>s growing lengthy, find ,for fear,l will weary,your readers, I wtil.Jf desirable; write ,th,e remain-, tier .of tt|y'trip for your fiext issue., . j PjfticE. I