the passing of the frontier-第12章

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d　between　him　and　eternity。　Boone　Helm　was　as　hardened　as　any　of　them。　This　man　was　a　cannibal　and　murderer。　He　seems　to　have　had　no　better　nature　whatever。　His　last　words　as　he　sprang　off　were　〃Hurrah　for　Jeff　Davis！　Let　her　rip！〃　Another　man　remarked　calmly　that　he　cared　no　more　for　hanging　than　for　drinking　a　glass　of　water。　But　each　after　his　own　fashion　met　the　end　foreordained　for　him　by　his　own　lack　of　compassion；　and　of　compassion　he　received　none　at　the　hands　of　the　men　who　had　resolved　that　the　law　should　be　established　and　should　remain　forever。

There　was　an　instant　improvement　in　the　social　life　of　Virginia　City；　Bannack；　and　the　adjoining　camps　as　soon　as　it　was　understood　that　the　Vigilantes　were　afoot。　Langford；　who　undoubtedly　knew　intimately　of　the　activities　of　this　organization；　makes　no　apology　for　the　acts　of　the　Vigilantes；　although　they　did　not　have　back　of　them　the　color　of　the　actual　law。　He　says：

〃The　retribution　dispensed　to　these　daring　freebooters　in　no　respect　exceeded　the　demands　of　absolute　justice。。。。　There　was　no　other　remedy。　Practically　the　citizens　had　no　law；　but　if　law　had　existed　it　could　not　have　afforded　adequate　redress。　This　was　proven　by　the　feeling　of　security　consequent　upon　the　destruction　of　the　band。　When　the　robbers　were　dead　the　people　felt　safe；　not　for　themselves　alone　but　for　their　pursuits　and　their　property。　They　could　travel　without　fear。　They　had　reasonable　assurance　of　safety　in　the　transmission　of　money　to　the　States　and　in　the　arrival　of　property　over　the　unguarded　route　from　Salt　Lake。　The　crack　of　pistols　had　ceased；　and　they　could　walk　the　streets　without　constant　exposure　to　danger。　There　was　an　omnipresent　spirit　of　protection；　akin　to　that　omnipresent　spirit　of　law　which　pervaded　older　and　more　civilized　communities。。。。Young　men　who　had　learned　to　believe　that　the　roughs　were　destined　to　rule　and　who；　under　the　influence　of　that　faith；　were　fast　drifting　into　crime　shrunk　appalled　before　the　thorough　work　of　the　Vigilantes。　Fear；　more　potent　than　conscience；　forced　even　the　worst　of　men　to　observe　the　requirements　of　society；　and　a　feeling　of　comparative　security　among　all　classes　was　the　result。〃

Naturally　it　was　not　the　case　that　all　the　bad　men　were　thus　exterminated。　From　time　to　time　there　appeared　vividly　in　the　midst　of　these　surroundings　additional　figures　of　solitary　desperadoes；　each　to　have　his　list　of　victims；　and　each　himself　to　fall　before　the　weapons　of　his　enemies　or　to　meet　the　justice　of　the　law　or　the　sterner　meed　of　the　Vigilantes。　It　would　not　be　wholly　pleasant　to　read　even　the　names　of　a　long　list　of　these；　perhaps　it　will　be　sufficient　to　select　one；　the　notorious　Joseph　Slade；　one　of　the　〃picturesque〃　characters　of　whom　a　great　deal　of　inaccurate　and　puerile　history　has　been　written。　The　truth　about　Slade　is　that　he　was　a　good　man　at　first；　faithful　in　the　discharge　of　his　duties　as　an　agent　of　the　stage　company。　Needing　at　times　to　use　violence　lawfully；　he　then　began　to　use　it　unlawfully。　He　drank　and　soon　went　from　bad　to　worse。　At　length　his　outrages　became　so　numerous　that　the　men　of　the　community　took　him　out　and　hanged　him。　His　fate　taught　many　others　the　risk　of　going　too　far　in　defiance　of　law　and　decency。

What　has　been　true　regarding　the　camps　of　Florence；　Bannack；　and　Virginia　City；　had　been　true　in　part　in　earlier　camps　and　was　to　be　repeated　perhaps　a　trifle　less　vividly　in　other　camps　yet　to　come。　The　Black　Hills　gold　rush；　for　instance；　which　came　after　the　railroad　but　before　the　Indians　were　entirely　cleared　away；　made　a　certain　wild　history　of　its　own。　We　had　our　Deadwood　stage　line　then；　and　our　Deadwood　City　with　all　its　wild　life　of　drinking；　gambling；　and　shootingthe　place　where　more　than　one　notorious　bad　man　lost　his　life；　and　some　capable　officers　of　the　peace　shared　their　fate。　To　describe　in　detail　the　life　of　this　stampede　and　the　wild　scenes　ensuing　upon　it　is　perhaps　not　needful　here。　The　main　thing　is　that　the　great　quartz　lodes　of　the　Black　Hills　support　in　the　end　a　steady；　thrifty；　and　law…abiding　population。

All　over　that　West；　once　so　unspeakably　wild　and　reckless；　there　now　rise　great　cities　where　recently　were　scattered　only　mining…camps　scarce　fit　to　be　called　units　of　any　social　compact。　It　was　but　yesterday　that　these　men　fought　and　drank　and　dug　their　own　graves　in　their　own　sluices。　At　the　city　of　Helena；　on　the　site　of　Last　Chance　Gulch；　one　recalls　that　not　so　long　ago　citizens　could　show　with　a　certain　contemporary　pride　the　old　dead　tree　once　known　as　〃Hangman's　Tree。〃　It　marked　a　spot　which　might　be　called　a　focus　of　the　old　frontier。　Around　it；　and　in　the　country　immediately　adjoining；　was　fought　out　the　great　battle　whose　issue　could　not　be　doubtedthat　between　the　new　and　the　old　days；　between　law　and　order　and　individual　lawlessness；　between　the　school　and　the　saloon；　between　the　home　and　the　dance…hall；　between　society　united　and　resolved　and　the　individual　reverted　to　worse　than　savagery。



Chapter　VI。　The　Pathways　Of　The　West

Since　we　have　declared　ourselves　to　be　less　interested　in　bald　chronology　than　in　the　naturally　connected　causes　of　events　which　make　chronology　worth　while；　we　may　now；　perhaps；　double　back　upon　the　path　of　chronology；　and　take　up　the　great　early　highways　of　the　Westwhat　we　might　call　the　points　of　attack　against　the　frontier。

The　story　of　the　Santa　Fe　Trail；　now　passing　into　oblivion；　once　was　on　the　tongue　of　every　man。　This　old　highroad　in　its　heyday　presented　the　most　romantic　and　appealing　features　of　the　earlier　frontier　life。　The　Santa　Fe　Trail　was　the　great　path　of　commerce　between　our　frontier　and　the　Spanish　towns　trading　through　Santa　Fe。　This　commerce　began　in　1822；　when　about　threescore　men　shipped　certain　goods　across　the　lower　Plains　by　pack…animals。　By　1826　it　was　employing　a　hundred　men　and　was　using　wagons　and　mules。　In　1830；　when　oxen　first　were　used　on　the　trail；　the　trade　amounted　to　120；000　annually；　and　by　1843；　when　the　Spanish　ports　were　closed；　it　had　reached　the　value　of　450；000；　involving　the　use　of　230　wagons　and　350　men。　It　was　this　great　wagon　trail　which　first　brought　us　into　touch　with　the　Spanish　civilization　of　the　Southwest。　Its　commercial　totals　do　not　bulk　large　today；　but　the　old　trail　itself　was　a　thing　titanic　in　its　historic　value。

This　was　the　day　not　of　water　but　of　land　transport；　yet　the　wheeled　vehicles　which　passed　out　into　the　West　as　common　carriers　of　civilization　clung　to　the　river　valleysnatural　highways　and　natural　resting　places　of　homebuilding　man。　This　has　been　the　story　of　the　advance　of　civilization　from　the　first　movements　of　the　world's　peoples。　The　valleys　are　the　cleats　of　civilization's　golden　sluices。

There　lay　the　great　valley　of　the　Arkansas；　offering　food　and　water；　an　easy　grade　and　a　direct　course　reaching　out　into　the　West；　even　to　the　edge　of　the　lands　of　Spain；　and　here　stood　wheeled　vehicles　able　to　traverse　it　and　to　carry　drygoods　and　hardware；　and　especially　domestic　cotton　fabrics；　which　formed　the　great　staple　of　a　〃Santa　Fe　assortment。〃　The　people　of　the　Middle　West　were　now；　in　short；　able　to　feed　and　clothe　themselves　and　to　offer　a　little　of　their　surplus　merchandise　to　some　one　else　in　sale。　They　had　begun　to　export！　Out　yonder；　in　a　strange　and　unknown　land；　lay　one　of　the　original　markets　of　America！

On　the　heels　of　Lewis　and　Clark；　who　had　just　explored　the　Missouri　River　route　to　the　Northwest；　Captain　Zebulon　Pike　of　the　Army；　long　before　the　first　wheeled　traffic　started　West；　had　employed　this　valley　of　the　Arkansas　in　his　search　for　the　southwestern　delimitations　of　the　United　States。　Pike　thought　he　had　found　the　head　of　the　Red　River　when　after　a　toilsome　and　dangerous　march　he　reached　the　headwaters　of　the　Rio　Grande。　But　it　was　not　our　river。　It　belonged　to　Spain；　as　he　learned　to　his　sorrow；　when　he　marched　all　the　way　to　Chihuahua　in　old　Mexico　and　lay　there　during　certain　weary　months。

It　was　Pike's　story　of　the　far　Southwest　that　first　started　the　idea　of　the　commerce　of　the　Santa　Fe　Trail。　In　that　day　geography　was　a　human　thing；　a　thing　of　vital　importance　to　all　men。　Men　did　not　read　the　stock　markets；　they　read　stories　of　adve