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t:te - tt Vrattp..
"I":d,F.IYXIIdG WIFE T 0 1-IEI3. lIU Sll AND
a:-.a passing thrOugli the Cratere, but a. blessed shore up-
pears—
Race' beside me, husband dearest, let me kiss away thy
=a
Wrestle with thy grief nif.Jaeob strove from midnight un-*
til day;
It may leav6 an Angel's blessing when it vanishes away.
Lao the bibe upon- my :bosoia, 'tis not long she can be
Ihere-.
_.se hats to my heart alas nestles—lis the pearl I loco to
• •
.71:, in after years, besides.thee sits another in nay chair,
Ihmgh her voice be sweeter music, and her face than mine
. . ,
more fair ; ,
.. , :
. z ,; • , -
If a cherub : calls thee father, far more beautiful than this,
f.ov. the Bret born, oh. my husband, turn not, from the
motherless
Tea her eonletiTnes of her mother 7 you,reay call her Anna
Jane--
her 6oitt, tbo winds of sorrow—if, sho errs, oh,
gently blame;
Lead her sometimes where I'm sleeping, I will answer if
she calls,, .
And my breath will stir her ringlets, when my voice in
blee6ing
And hdr soft Blue eyes will brighten with a wonder whence
it ulnae;
In her' heart; when years pass o'er her, sfie will fuid lier
mother's
I will be her right' hand angel, sealing up the good for
.I..thwen,• , - • .
Et:lying - that thd midnight watches find no misdeed unfor-
given. •
Yon will not fe4Ot mo, clearest, when I'm sleeping, 'neath
•
the eod;
Ch; lose the babe upon my bosom a I love thee—next to
Fates ant ''',ll,eitljts.
THE PERILS OF THE PLAINS ;
Or, Incidents' in the Life of a Live Ex-
Governor
A few days since a personal friend of Gov
ernor Bigler related in our hearing. many in
te:esting facts and incidents relating. to him,
a portion of :which 3ve requested ban to re
peat while we made notes fur publication.
Oar informant was his tra,vei.ng companion
over the Plains in IS-19 to C
aii_prn.a, and as
early as 16'4> - was intimate with Ilan as the
primer, (iy . ,of Pittsburg. The sketch given
of his life is :not connected, fur the reason
twat our informant, from 1831 to 184 G, was
separated from his friend-.
Gov. Bigler was born near Carlisle, Cum
berland county; Pennsylvania, and in I.BIV
his father removed to Mercer county, where
Im_resided until his death, in .1.8:z.7.
After the expiration of his apprenticeship
in 1827, John Bigler removed' to Bellefonte,
Centre county, and took charge of the Ceara
Dem . ocrat as editor and. pub_isher. lie was
the editor. of the Democrat in 1828, 1820,
1831 aud.1832, and although but a y. uth in
1828, he supported the election of Gen. Jack
son with great zeal and efficiency; and Cen
tre county, which in 1854 cast a Know-Noth
ing majority against his brother William for
Governor, of nearly 700, then rolled up over
1,600 majority fur the hero of New Oilleans
and the Democratic ticket.
From 1827 to the present hour, G.W. Bigler
bas been a consistent supporter of Democratic
men and measures. Of him it can with. truth
be said that he never faltered in the good
cause—never fur a moment was faithless to
the principles of the Democratic party and
its nominees.
In 1846, Gov. Bigler removed to the State
of Illinois, and resided in Brown county,
until April, 1840, when he emigrated to the
new State of California.
On the 2d day of April, 1849, Gov. Bigler,
accompanied by his wife and daughter, Vir
ginia, then but seven years old, and a small
party of friends and neighbors, started for
California., They all had ox teams, Gov.
Bigler driving his own the greater part of the
road, and walking, with the exception 'of
about one hundred miles, the entire distance
from the Missouri 'river to California. The
wagons - passed over ' the State of Missouri
and arrivedat.St. Joseph's on the Missouri
river about the 28th of April, 1849, and' on
the 9th of May commenced their tedious and
perilous journey across the Plains to Califor
nia.•
Gov. Bigler: having' his family with him,
had,'of °Ours°, greater cares than those who
had only their own safety and comfort to
look - after ; but, notwithstanding all this,' he
never falledto perform his full share of guard
duty; and never, in a single instance or for a
single moment, shrank from danger or re
sponsibility.
• The difficulties encountered were truly
great, as was also the exposure and danger:
'At many places the wagons of the party
had to belet down into steep ravines and the
banks of streams, by means of ropes attach
ed to the hind axles. In passing places of
this kind the party Would often he detained
several hours. • Every night a guard was de
tailed to look 'afterThe 'oxen and mules, so as
to prevent' the Indians from driving their off
or killing them. An inner guard' was also
stationed to watch the wagons, and those
asleep in them and the tents. Mrs. Bigler
and her,daughter, at night, slept in the wagon
during the entire journey, which occupied
nearly - fire months, after leaving the Mis
souri river, on the 9th of May. On, many
occasions, when her husband was very weary,
Mrs: Bigler,'Who proved herself a woman of
great courage, took his gun and herself guar
ded the wagon' While he rested.
During the journey up the Platte' River
they were frequently exposed to terrific storms
of rain and hail. Al Fort Kearney they
were exposed. to a 'terrible storm of rain,
which lasted nearly the entire night, and
covered the little valley with lakes of water,
and rendered the traveling exceedingly diffi
cult for . several days.
•
At Scott's Bluff's the little . party .
encoun
tered a terrible hail 'storm, Which,lasted more
than two hours, during which two of their
emu were killed by lightning.- Immediately
WILLIAM LEWIS,
VOL. XII.
after the oxen fell, the men ran in front of
the cattle in order to prevent a stampede, and
were driven from their camping ground more
than two miles before' they succeeded in get
ting the cattle to head towards camp. The
hail which fell was of sufficient size to cut
their hands and faces severely, and they re
turned to the -camp with hands and faces
covered with blood. _
Immediately after the Governor left inpur-•
suit of the cattle, the wind swept down his
tent, and his wife and daughter were com
pelled to seek shelter
_in the wagon, which
several times ' came near beina• - capsized by
the wind.
The next morning was clear-and• beautiful.
Scott's Bluffs then'm full view presented the
appearance of the outskirts'of h great city,
covered with -immense buildings ) in which
was•displayed 'every variety - of architecture.
The .whole appearance •produced by the ac;
tion of the wind•and•rain• upon the soft 'rock,
forming the bluff's, -was 'the• same as• that in
Chimney Rock and Court 'House Rock, both
of which the parties had passed but a few
days before. • '
In crossing Horse Creek the-next day; the
party came-near losing some of their cattle,
and that night werethreatened with an at
tack by a party of hostile Indians.' The at
tack would certainly have ,been made-but for
d rumor that:the small-pox was in our camp,
and - of thiS disease the Indians have a great
horror. •
- E Between Ash Hollow and Fort Laramie,:
hundreds of emigrants died with cholera.—
Every few miles, tents were to be seen con
taining the sick and their attendants. At
the crossing Of the North Fork of_ the Platte
River, the-party encountered - great difficul
ties in effectit , a crossing. They - were com
pelled to cut down dry cotton wood trees, and
with the logs made a raft upon which they
passed the river. They had to unload their
wagons and take them apart, for the reason
that only a part could with safety be taken
on the raft at a time.. At one time the wheels
of the Wagon were taken ; the next the gear
ing ; the next, the bed of the wagon and. con
tents ; next, -the • family. Three days and .
three nights- were consumed before the Gov
ernor's party were all landed on the west
bank of the North Fork of the Platte._ Du
ring the three days and nights, six,men•were
lost, killed and drowned, within five miles of
the mouth of Deer Creek, the point at which
the Governor arid his party crossed the North
Platte. The next day after leaving Deer
Creek crossing,-the. dead body of a:murdered
emigrant was ftiund in the Platte River, and
an examination proved that - the unfortunate
man had been killed by Indians.. - . •
The party on the Fourth of July _were on
the east bank of Big Sandy Creek,.; where
they. :remained during the day, and there
commemorated " Independence Day" as well
as they could, so distant from civilization.—
The afternoon of *the sth they commenced
crossing the desert, between the Big: Sandy
and Green River, a distance exceeding thirty
miles. At a point about midway between
the streams above named, they discovered
some grass among the thick sage brush, and
there permitted their cattle to feed for more
than an -hour. .When about ready to start on
their journey, a wagon reached the spot with
one of the party a corpse.. The body was ta
ken out of the wagon, and though dead but
about twenty minutes, had to be committed
to mother earth. The burial scene was ex
ceedingly solemn, and for a time all the party
were buried in deep thought and rendered
almost unfit for the perilous journey before
them. They traveled slowly throughout the
entire night, and reached the east bank of
Green River about 9 o'clock in the morning
of July 0. They crossed Green River on the
afternoon of the 7th, and on the morning of
the Bth renewed their journey.
At Independence Rock they encountered a
storm of rain, which - continued until they
reached Devil's Gate, where they remained
during the night. -Dovil's • Gate is a -pass
through which flows the Sweet Water River.
From the top of the chasm to the surface of
the river is over two hundred and - eighty feet.
Before leaving this interesting spot; Gov.
Bigler, his lady - and several others ascended
to the totrof the mountain, andlooked down
into the stream' below.' The chasm is not
more than twenty feet wide, through which
the whole -plume, of the Sweet Water rushes
with, great .velocity. . Between this point and
the South
_Pass the scenery is truly interest
ing and beautiful. The mountains in view
on the north were ceveredwith. snow, and in
fact, within half a mile of the trail, snow was
abundant in the ravines. , At one point above
the Sweet Water, where the party remained
a day in July, resting their, cattle and wash
ing, they found great banksof snow, and in
their - neighborhood beautiful flowers of vari
ous colors. At another point, beneath grass
covering a swamp, they found, ice near a foot
in thickness. The, ice - had evidently been
formed. years before, and after formed been
_covered by a slide of earth from the hill side.
A few days later they passed through the
South Pass of the. Rocky Mountains and en
joyed a drink-of -refreshing water from the fa
mous " Pacific Spring," so called from the
fact that it is generally believed that-its wa
ters find their way to the Pacific Ocean, and
rise at a more elevated spot on the mountains
than any other yet discovered.-
Between the South Pass 'and the valley of
Bear River the little' party had many difficul
ties with the Indians, but being all the time
vigilant saved their own lives and preserved
their animals. A few miles west of what is
balled the'steamboat and soda springs, 'the
party left the old Fort Hall trail and struck
in a direct course for Raft River, a tributary
of the Columbia. At the point where they
left the old Fort Hall road, . the volcanic moun
tain spoken of by Col. Fremont is in full
view. Gov. Bigler - and 'others of hi's party
visitcd'the mountain and looked down into
'the crater. Many years have doubtless elaps
ed since it contained fire, but that it at some
I period was in full blast, shaking the country
for many miles around, is evident upon the
face of the country. In crossing the valley
of Bear river, in which the volcanic moun
tain is sittuttad, the rocks which werellat-on
, .
„
the surface were cracked several inches in
width, so wide in fact that they had to be
covered before - the cattle could pass over in
safety.
The .next day after leaving .the valley .of
Bear River, the party entered another valley,
at the head of which was a large spring of
delightful water, and near its source a beaver
darn, on which the animals were busily era
ployed. • After leasing the Beaver Dam
Spring,. the 'party traveled • for some days
among, tribe of Indians who called them
selves Panacks, but who are- evidently of the
Snake race of Indians. The fourth' day af
ter entering the country of the Panels, the
old chief. of the tribe approached the party,'
having with him a number of mules and pa,
vies, which he proposed giving to the GovcN
nor
-in exchange for his daughter Virginia—
.
Virginia to be the wife of his son.
The proposition amused the Governor's:
party very much ; but in order not to incense
the Indians, was declined in a respectful,
manner, alleging that they had no use for
the .mules and ponies. In this way they
kept - the old chief in good temper until they
overtook a 4arge -company under - Mr. Ind
speth of Missouri,- and then ' they alarmed
him so that he returned to his people -without
further annoyance to. them. -
- The third' night, after' reaching the Hum
boldt River, Indians were discovered hover
ing around the hill
_tops immediately above
them. The Governor ,was that night one of
the outer guard" and did Thot return to camp
until near daylight. After reaching camp
and when in the act of spreading downhis
blankets for repose, he heard the cracking of
brush on the other side of the river. He
looked out of the front of the tent in the di
rection of the noise, but saw nothing. He
then laid down, but in a few moments was'
aroused again by the, same noise—he looked
out of the tent, first examining as well as be
could the opposite bank of the rivei,- - and then
the hill side. The day was just dawning
when he. turned to take a last look oVer the
river before retiring,, and was iii the act of
closing the tent, when an Indian's head be
came visible over the bank of the river, - which
was very steep at that point. The'sc.tvage
had a bow and arrow in one band, and with
the other was making his way up the bank.
The whole - appearance of the savage indica
ted hostile intentions, and the Governor was
left no time for thought ; his gun, which was
in the wagon, could 'not be reached in time,
and he•moreover feared that if he turned his
back to get it the Indian would shoot him be
fore he - could reach it. 'lt was a moment of
great poril,- but the Governor was equal7to
the position. He sprung upon the Indian
like a tiger, and before be could prepare him
self for the shock, hurled him over the bank
into the river, a distance of more than thirty
feet. • .
The Governor's party folio - seed the old Fort
Hall trail until within seventy miles of what
is known as the sink of the -Humboldt, or St.
Mary's River; at which point the whole vol
ume of water disappears in the sand. At a
point within twenty miles of the brink of the
river they found 'a new trail leading across
the Sierra Nevadainto California ' and after
consultation they determined to take it, hop
ing to save distance and avoid . in part the
great desert between the Humboldt river and
Carson Valley. Before leaving the river each
wagon was supplied with a keg of water, and
as much,grass .as could be placed inside of
the wagon bed." Thus prepared for the des
ert, the little party commenced their journey
on the new route.
They had proceeded but about twelve miles
when the Governor's daughter Virginia, then
in the seventh year of her age, was thrown
out of the front part of the wagon while
.go
ing down a steep hill, the hind wheel passing
over her left leg above the knee and breaking
it. She was immediately picked up by one
of the party and her mother, who exclaimed,
"Thank God she is not dead:----I hear her cry."
It was a moment of great trial, and for some
time even the stoutest hearted of the men
stood paralyzed; not-so with the mother, she
was found equal to the necessity of the case,
and promptly adopted'the measures necessa
ry to have the broken limb attended to.
Fertanately the'firSt man behind' the, Gov
ernor's wag,On proved to be a physician who
promptly offered his services,, and in as short
time as possible, under the circumstances,
the limb was set and carefully bound up.—
After a delay of about two hours the child
was carefully lifted into the wagon and placed
upon a bed. After the pain resulting from
lifting her into the wagon had abated, the
Governor said: •"Daughter we are here in a
great desert—we have but little water and
feed for the cattle, and we cannot delay lon
aer at this place, and it is better to - go for
wardl. than back. We have desert for snore
than thirty miles --no grass of any kind, and
the only water is 'boiling hot." She threw
her little 'arms around her father's neck, and
with great energy said: "Father, I was care
less. lam to . blame. Drive 'on, and I will
bear the pain like a Soldier:" "
The Governor's party pressed forward un
til after midnight, when they stopped for
about three hours, fed their cattle, and enjoy
ed sweet repose in the, lap of mother earth,
-which, at that place, was a bed of deep sand.
About an hour before day, they 'took up the
line of march, and about' 10 o'clock, A. NI.,
reached a• point known. as Rabbit Hole, where
they remained until after 3 o'clock, P. M.,
when they commenced their
. journey across
a terrible desert twenty miles in extent, with
out grass or water. After travelling about
twelve miles, finding their cattle rapidly fail
ing, they concluded to leave two of their wacr
ons and use all their cattle in taking the oth
er two' through the desert. After passing
the desert they arrived at a spring which they
named Black Rock Spring, the water of which
was so hot that they _boiled their coffee and
tea by setting camp kettles in it.
Within three miles of this hot spring, there
was not less than twenty others, the water
in all of them being about the same temper
ature. At this place, the Governor and his
party remained two days before the wagons,
left behind on the desert, could behrought
f6rivard. Before leaving, Dr. John S. Dar
cy, of New Jersey, and 'his eonipany.arrii'ed.
HUNTINGDON, PA., DECEMBER 24, 1856.
--PERSr.VERE.-
'Dr. Darcy here examined and rebound the
broken limb of the Governor's daughter.—
Two men in the doctor's train; who had been
ill for several days, with fever, died; and were
buried at this place, the doctor performing
the funeral services. While at this place;
an ox belonging to one of the, Nevi Jersey
wagons, fell into one of the hot springs:
Several men who saw the ox fail into the
spring, ran as fast as they could, the distance
being more than three hundred yards, but
the poor creature was dead before extri
cated, which occupied not more than ten min-,
utes from the time thaLhe first touched the
boiling water.. 'When dragged, out the hair
and*Skin came of-the greater part of his
body.
• Three days after, the party reached a beau
tiful valley, near what is called-High Rock
Cannon, or `.`Ca,nyon," where they met a body
of troops on their ,march, from. Oregon, to
meet and escort another command under Maj.
Sanderson. On the morning that : the Gov
ernor's party arrived in the valley, the Indi
ans killed the' to the military train,
and he was buried in the evening after their
arrival. This valley had many springs in it,
and was covered With a great growth of grass
es of various kinds. ' In this valley, the par
ty found springS'Of very eOld; as well as very
hut water—the. hot and the cold at one place,
being not to exceed one hundred yards apart.
Near this - valley the party discovered mark
' ed lines dividing the possessions of one Indi
an chief from another. The line in some
places was marked by dried brush, laid length
wise ; at others, by stones, laid side by side,
forming a connected row.
. The first night after leaving the _valley
above referred to, the party encamped in High
Rock Cannon. About the middle of the
night; a stranger, a German, called at the
Governor's wagon, and said to Mrs. Bigler
that her services were required at his tent,
WhiCh Was about a quarter of a mile off.—
' Mrs. Bigler, after learning the condition' of
affairs, left in company with the stranger, and
a little after sunrise in the morning, the
stranger's wife gave birth to twins. After
the return of th Governor's lady, the party,
with all due 'ceremony named their camping
ground "Twin Valley." In the afternoon of
the next day, . the
,party again commenced
their journey,
,but the little ones . lived only a
few days.
After seven days travel in an almost north
erly direction, they reached the crossing of
the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They doubled
teams, and crossed the mountain in a single
day, and the day following, late in the even
ing, reached Goose Luke, where they encamp
ed.- From Goose, Lake the party moved in a
southerly, direction on a trail known as Lan
son's Route, over a terrible hilly and rocky
country. The third night after leaving the
lake,
,the Governor and the men belonging to
one of the teams, in consequence of an ox
getting fast between two rows lying in a stream
of water, fell behind the other teams.and
that night failed to reach camp. The Gover
nor, wife, daughter, and two men, were that
night left to take care of themselves, and al
though uninterrupted by Indians, were threat
ened by a horde of hungry wolVes, who at
different times during the night, approached
within fifty yards of the wagon, making night
hideous with terrible howlings. The threat
ening of the wolves kept the Governor and
his little -party on the watch the entire night,
to prevent the destruction of their cattle and
themselves. Early the next morning they
left their uncomfortable quarters, and over
took their friends about ten o'clock in-the
day.
The day following they reached the head
waters of Pitt River, down which stream they
travelled several days, surrounded by the
most fierce and warlike tribes of Indians on
the Pacific coast, but by great vigilance es
caped in safety. The day after they left the
valley of the Pitt River, they met Capt. War
ner with a company of ! men on his way to
Goose Lake, to explore a pass through the
Sierra Nevada Mountains. They warned
the Captain against the. Indians, telling him
that he must keep' a sharp look out for them.
The Captain, no doubt, ' heeded the caution ;
but notwithstanding the care taken by him
and. his men, he was killed by an Indian be
fore he reached the summit of the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains, and his party were compel
led to return. On the third day after leav
ing Pitt River Valley, one of the party died
of scurvy, and was buried without coffin or
clothing, save'those Worn by him at the time
of his death. The body was let into the grave
and covered with brush and grass, so as to
keep the earth off it as much as possible.—
After burial, all the wagons were driven over
the spot, so as to deceive the Indians, who
frequently dug up bodies for the sake of the
clothing. After performing this solemn and
painful duty, the little party again moved
forward, and on the night of the third day
after, reached the head waters of the Rio
Pluini,s, or Feather River.
In. the valley of the river, the party en
camped for a day, and cut grass to supply
their Cattle with food while passing over the
terribly rough country between the river and
the Sacramento valley. The second evening
after leaving"the river, they reached one of
the steepest hills on the route, in order to de
scend which it was necessary to chain large
pine logs to the hind axles of the wagons, so
as to prevent them from running over and kill
ing their . cattle. . This hill was so steep that
Virginia, 'the Governor's daughter—her bro
ken limhbeing still tender—could not -with
safety remain in the wagon, and was carried
down the hill, more than half a mile, by her
father, upon his back. After the foot of the
hill was reached, another difficulty had to be
encountered,: there being no water nearer
than two miles. The oxen were unyoked,
and the Governor and three of the men un
dertook the perilous task of driving them
through an Indian country more than two
miles in the night to Antelope creek.
On the way to the creek one of the oxen
fell over a pree.pice of rocks, and was so
much injured that he had to be left behind.
The rest of the cattle reached the stream and
returned to camp in safety. On their return
from the creek the Governor and his compan
ions descended the precipice ancl, endeavored
. „
to get.the crippled ox, into camp; but failed.
After leaVing him they made a mistake as tc
the ravine and direction of the camp—got
fairly lost in the mountains and did not reach
their friends until near morning ,and then in
a deplorably exhausted state.
The' next day they double-teamed and
reached the summit of the ridge between.
Antelope and Deer Creeks, where they, re
mained until the next afternoon. The cattle
were driven.to Antelope Creek for drink and
pastured on the hill sides.—While guarding
the cattle the Governor discovered vines well
filled with, ripe, grapes, which were indeed a
luxury.. I-1.0 made his way to the :top of a
rock on the - bank "of the creek near a tree
which was covered • with' vines.. : , After he
had been on the. zdek a short time he got
hold of a large . vine with a view of pulling
within' his renal some fine bunches of grapes
which he intendedlOr his . wife and daughter.
Ile pulled vigorously for a time, but soon
discovered that there was a great resistance,
and he slackened his grip when the vine was
taken , from his hand' with - •great
Greatly: surprised, he called for his compan
ions, but receiving na answer,, he carefully
separated the vines, which Were very dense,
so 'that he &mild have a view of the stream
and opposite bank. The first_ object that
met his eye was a grizzly bear of immense
size, quietly feeding upon the grapes. The
Governor having only a boWie knife with
him, Concluded that he and the bear would
separate in peace, and he accordingly got
down ,off the rock and made his way as rapid
ly as possible to camp, leaving bruin. in
quiet possession of the grapes, and for him
self concluding that they were toosour forhis
use in the neighborhood of so formidable a
competitor.
Three days later, and at the expiration of
nearly five months from the date of their de
parture-from the Missouri river, the Govern
or and his little party arrived in the Talley
of the Sacramento near Lawson's Fort, and
about 1.80 . miles above the City of Sacramen
to. The sightof a human habitation created
great joy, and the whole party gave three
cheers for the garden fence, and three more
for the house. it was indeed to them a pleas:-
ant view, and looked more beautiful at that
moment than ever after. •
After resting a few days, the Governor
proceeded to Sacramento City, and a portion
of his-party to what was then known as
Reading's Biggins, now as Shasta City.
The Governor arrived at Sacramento early
in September, 1849. lle arrived almost with
out money, and for a time supported his
family by daily labor. lle first was in the
employ of an auctioneer named Stevens, now
residing iu the City of New York ; afterwards
he was employed in unloading the steamer
Senator at two dollars an hour; at a later
period in cutting and hauling wood to the
city fur sale. This hard labor soon broke
him down, and for weeks he suffered severe
ly with inflammatory rheumatism, but his
family had.to be provided for, and he could
not be idle. As soon as he was able to walk
he visited several of his friends, one of whom
employed him in making bed spreads, for
each of which he paid him two dollars:
For more than three months after his arl
rival in Sacramento, Gov. Bigler and family
resided in a cloth tent. The tent was lined
and covered with common Russia sheeting,
which, during the heavy November rains,
proved too thin to prevent the water 'from
coming through. Many nights, the Govern
or, wife and daughter, slept with their heads
under an umbrella, which was opened and
hung over them to keep the rain out of their
faces. Every. morning, the floor of the tent,
which was the naked - ground, was -covered
with water which had to be ejected from
their habitation, before they could comfort
ably move around it. Their trials and ex
posures during the months of November and
December, were truly:great, but were all en
dured with a cheerfulness which indicated a
belief that the future has ample reward in
store for them.
About the middle of October, he was nomi
nated for the Legislature, and on the 14th
day of November was elected. On the 16th
day of December, 1849, be took his seat as a
member, and within the first five weeks of
the session, was, by au almost unanimous
vote, elected Speaker of the Assembly. He
was re-elected to the Assembly in the fall of
1849, and in January 1851, was again elec
ted Speaker. In June, 1851, he was nomina
ted, by the Democracy, for Governor, and
was elected in September. June, 1853, be
\i" a s again nominated for Governor, and in
September was again elected. In July, 1855,
in opposition to his own wishes on the sub
ject, he was nominated third time, but, al
though he received nearly ten thousand more
votes than ever before, was defeated by the
Know-Nothing candidate, J. N. Johnson.
It will thus be seen that John Bigler was an
os-driver, laborer, twice member of the Legis
lature, twice Speaker of the Assembly, twice
Governor, and nominated a.third time by his
party, in the short space of seven years.
Compliment to Printers.
John C. Rives, of Washington City, official
publisher of debates and speeches in both
Houses of Congress, in a receitt, published
letter on the subject of public printing, had
a, word of suggestion to writers for Cie press,
and of compliment to the compositor, whose
duty it not unfrequently is to make sense out
of very senseless chirography. None but a
writer fur the press can comprehend how
much truth there is in veteran printer's re
marks. 111 any members of Congress—and,
eke, not a few greater men—must have been
surprised at the respectable figure they cut
in print, without thinking of the toilsome la
bor and the exercise of the better talent than
their own which had been Atended by the
journeyman printer in putting into good
shape the message or report of a speech fur
nished by them. Mr. Rives says :—"I have
seen the manuscript writing of must great
men of the country during the past twenty
years, and I think 1 may say that not twenty
of them could stand the test of the scrutiny
of one half of the journeymen printers em
ployed in my office." This fact will be
Editor and Proprietor.
NO. 27.
vouched by every editor in the Union. To a
poor "journeyman" printer many a "great
man" owes his reputation for scholarship;
and were the humble compositors to resolve;
by concert, to set up manuscript in their'
hands—even for one little week—precisely
as it is written by the authors, there would
be more reputations slaughtered than their'
devils " could shake a stick at" in twenty
four hours. Statesmen would become "small
by degrees and beantiftilly less." Many an
ass would have the lion's hide torn from his
limbs. Men, whona the. World call writers,
would wake up of mornings and find them
selves—famous as mere pretenders—hum
bugs and cheats
The Poor Eirer and His
"Persuasive kindness . 4111 do more
Than bitterness or scorn."
A petition is in circulation in Igassachu
sett's, m favor of an Asylum for Inebriates.
The, object - is to supply them with .a home;
wherein they shall receive such treatment as
will restore them -to soundness of health and
sanity of mind, and also afford them such
eilities as will render the Institution a self-.
supporting one for .the now miserable victims,
of intemperance. This subject has been tigz,
itated again and again in various sections of
the Union; and we believe that the time will
come when eery leading City and State will
regard it as essential to have at least one .
Asylum of the kind referred to. Some of
our most distinguished medical men have de-:
dared that intemperance: is a disease, and;
that in order to eradicate it wholly, it should
be'subjected to a peculiar . treatment exactly
as-any other malady. In New York, we be;
lieve, an -Asylum of
. this character is now in
Successful operatien: We, 'have nothing Of
the kind, however, in Pennsylvania. - Several
efforts have been Made by kind hearted phil
anthropists, but thns . far without success.—
Individuals who have been in. the habit of
pitying ranch attention to the inmates of our
almshouses - and our prisons, - state that both
are peopled to a very considerable extent s
through the agency of:intemperapee—intem
perance, too, which might he -cured, if the
proper means were applied to it, Many of
the poor wretches who have become its vice
tims, are not afforded an opportunity of re
form, They are surrounded with all sorts of
temptations, while they lack the moral cour
age to resist. When, too, they feel that they
are degraded beings, that they have lost caste
arid character, and that the future of this life
is comparatively hopeless to them, they are
apt to despond and despair, and indulge in
still more frightful excesses. They hear no
voice of sympathy and persuasion, there is
no home or asylum fur them, they are de
nounced as outcasts and criminals, and they
are often treated accordingly. The infirmity
is'one that destroys both body and mind.—
It deadens the sensibilities, it brutalises the
nature, and it renders beings who otherwise
are calm,- moderate and gentle, little better
than fiends. This is the case with persons in
the higher conditions of life, and where char
acter is involved, and education should exer
cise a moral influence. But, how much more
deplorable must be the condition of the friend
less, the indigent, the ignorant and the . weak I
The results in a great many cases are, as we
have described—despondency, despair, indul
gence, crime, disgrace and shame! And yet,
as already intimated, intemperance is cura
ble... Not perhaps- in every instance, but in
many. If this be the fact,, and such is the
opinion of some of the most distinguished
medical men of the day, asylums such as
have been suggested in the Bay State should
be regarded as among the essentials of .our
social system. They could not but be.atten
ded with good. There are, moreover, many
natures that yield before the first blow of ad
versity. They feel that the world is a blank
to them, they cannot rally their energies, but
sink into hopeless lethargy. It is such, more
over, that are peculiarly calculated to be won
away by the vice of intemperance. They can
not resist its fascinations. They become
bloomy and depressed in spirits, and they
seek any excitement,,scarcely knowing what
.
they do, And when they awake to all the
horrors of their situation, the result is, that
they are condemned and despised, and thus
driven, perhaps, to a repetition of the same
error. To all such, an appropriate asylum
would afford at once a means of escape and
of restoration. They could fly from the de
mon of inebriety, place themselves beyond
the reach of his influence, and in the course .
of a few days or a .few weeks, regain their
moral tone or nerve, and bo able once more
to enter among their fellow-creatures, strength
ened, fortified and masters of themselves.—
This mastery is, moreover, much more diffi
cult to acquire than the thoughtless are apt
to imagine. It is especially so with the weak,
the irritable, the impulsive and the despond
ing. It is a rare thing for a victim of intern- -
perance to be turned from the error of his
way, by violence and abuse. He must be
.dealt.with kindly, gently, and even generous
ly. But this course is se.dom pursued. The
vilest epithets are employed, and in many ea
ses the bitterest imprecations are lavished
upon him. , The effect is, to irritate, madden,
to rouse the spirit of resistance, and thus to
confirm rather than to cure. These are truths
which are almost universally conceded. And
yet they are not sufficiently acted upon.-- e
The father who sees his son led away by the
temptations of gay society, and 'gradually
imbibing a taste for strong drink, has a duty
of more than ordinary delicacy and responsi
bility to discharge. He should not denounce
in a fit of passion, and leave the erring youth
to pursue the downward course as fatally as
ever ; but lie should endeavor to win by some
counter-fascination----to inspire confidence and
Secure respect; not by tyranny and violence,'
but by kindness and affection, mingled with
a gentle, yet a significant reproof. And so
with almost every phase in the life of a drunk-'
ard. The infirmity is a fearful one, but it is
curable by the proper means, and these means,
should be applied with the utmost care and
assiduity. Asylums for the Inebriate are yet
new institutions, comparatively speaking;but
in a country like ours, so full of excitemeni,-
and with su ninny chances and ehanges. in
the business world, calculated to induce to'
despondency and to lead to error, they seem'
to us entitled in an especial manner, to the
attention of the sympathetic and the philan
thropic.---Pcnitsyl ban i a Inquirer.
ta"'We have often heard a la.ughdble cir
cumstance which once took place upon a trial
iu Lancashire, England, during which k the
head of the celebrated Wood family, of that
locality, was examined as a witness. Upon
giving his name, OTTIWELL Woon, the judge,
-addressing the reverend person, said: "Pray,
Mr. Wood, how do you spell your name?"--- , -
The old gentleman replied double
double U—E double 34—double Cr—double
O'D. Upon which .the astonished lawgiver
laid down his pen, saying it was the most ex-.
traordinary name he had ever met with in his
life, and after two or three attempts, declar
ed he-was unable to record it.. The'oinu.t
was convulsed with laughter.
Cure