After some discussion, the writer, at his request, wrote out a short
address for the Major, and on going over the next morning, we met some
four or five hundred miners at the grocery store, who had assembled to
listen to the orders sent for their removal. There being no boards or
boxes into which to improvise a stand for the speaker, a whisky-barrel
was introduced, from the head of which, after apologizing to the miners
for the disagreeable duty that had been placed upon the Major, and in
consequence of his suffering from a bad cold, we had taken the stand to
read to them his short address, and as most of them had spent the summer
in the service of the Government as soldiers in the field, and had been
honorably discharged, the Major felt satisfied that there would be no
objection manifested by any one in the large crowd before us to disobey
an order from the Government. After the close of the Major's address,
the question was put to vote by raising of hands. There was a general
upraising of hands, which was declared to be unanimous for immediate
removal. Owing to the good treatment received by the Major, he proposed
to treat the entire party, and, to facilitate the matter, buckets of
whisky with tin cups were passed around, and after all had partaken they
shook hands with the Major and commenced Crossing over in flatboats.

At three o'clock in the afternoon we crossed over on the last boat, and
took our departure for Galena. During the evening the Major's report of
how his peaceable removal of a large body of intruders from the west to
the east bank of the Mississippi had been accomplished, was made out
and mailed. But the further fact that all those miners had recrossed the
river, and were then in their mining camps, was not recorded, for the
reason that the Major had not been posted as to their intentions.

Owing to the provisions of the treaty, it was a long time before
Congress passed an act for the sale of these lands, and confirmation to
the titles of town sites, hence, many of those who had laid out the
town of Dubuque had left the county, and at the time of proving up
their claims failed to put in an appearance--the writer being one of
them--whilst those who remained, with the Messrs. Langworthy, became
sole proprietors--the latter having lived to see the town rise in
importance, and at this time become one of the most populous cities on
the west side of the Mississippi.

End of the Project Gutenberg E