SOME REMINISCENCES. Salt Lake City, Dec. 7, 1878. Elitors lUrald: List week my letter started the handcart company from Florence, August 25-.ii, (1856.) in charge oi C.iptnin Eiivaid Martin, nsalc-d by Dai. id Tyler. Tho company w.ia divided di-vided into eix hunlrcdd, c.ich euper-inteedtd euper-inteedtd tiy ita rc?peclivo c ipialn. While the cui,pmy wua at Florence, F. D. Richard si, Kratus Snow, ui:d L'vtral pru;iiiut-iil nun v.'lTC nu the fiitiiping grou::d, all Liut ' rJrioius Snow mi tiir w;iy wl-c-1, rrtt:rni;-y hi in ni:.-:...i;s, rjh;i i!y t y !h( coui.tiiy i.-.v.lI on the d.iy :j.u:iul Ire -u F.OlC-ice tJ Cutlcr'i! i'.irk, two i-.ud a Li.tll v.vMi, a:;d CJinped, ttsii'j ir.ciii mxtd.iy anl aijii.t, and I.U tiu next lUDriiins. While ti.cre, A. V. BihUtt, drc-t:d in corduroy p.iut?, wooleu ovcra'.sirt, iicd fill hat, culled fa be vv.vs p.i;tlm; -.vc-et. lio a??n:ctl in hih ylee, hia i;;iri;a l"jin vi ry tl.'.-hf, ahncsl m jf-u! i:--L lie li:d !;iried wilU one oirria;n ior SliU Lik'.-, wiilj the m.iil ind a (.otijiiltrabiL ninmint of money. Wrt v- ri' cnr.fi 1,'i.L t . ,t imiiM 1)3 in c'.i.t L ike wiitnn lillct'n days, rie inleudul to pUoli through vi.ir-utislv vi.ir-utislv r.i;d fi.t p ihj tho wind, tfl'.unuii; .111 airtiilfJ m itirf i. One tin :u.d tent (A Ihc cmip.itiy -taid atiutlur niglit alone at Calitr's I'ark, a bu tii haiug ( ecu red iu l he tfut in the morninp; ul i:.c "7th, euortly aficr midnipot 01 the i'Uh, Tno next day, !aLb, tne len t'.ruL-k Ihtir ttiu iind followed tbe c nipany, coming up wnb it in camp&t L.k JLtii crowding, crowd-ing, very isle at nihl, and s tho camp had co to bed. T le tit Horn vaih.y wr.s r', n.ar k-d 113 one of 1 ti e finist pi..cea i,t rout. try on the wi.r In j urn y west id' th-? .M :s-f . !!ri. Tne ceii v;n.:-n rnnipanien under Ok pt-i'iM Li--iij;i'iiiu I !' h( lit ui.tl J jhy A. Uuui iL-l'i Fsuir-iiiT by Heplember Lt, auil Cu'.lLr'tj l';i:k liy S-plumber 2'A, and weie purpiaily kr-pt within available la! I jI i In; InmJeart company com-pany during modi ef ttie journey, fhe fetal, eticj ol the thric cotnpanict', rthcu la:r!y hmiuli'. ,1 t,u thy ureat pliin? have l. -tn civea thus Mar nil's han(h'.rt eoin p.iiiV, a built 07G persona, Ho' ininde-ir. teven w.-tons, includini; one cur.:t!:r, is nuilei and cor6e9, tilty Cviwa and bei f eattle, aie-i one cburen w,ig, - n vuu !re;l:t; Hj- deit's w.iuu futupany, 1C-0 per none, llnrty-iorce v.'Aipuj, eighty lour yoke of oxen, nine-te n cowj, and bout 27j'J tuai of heifurd and cthcr loose cattle;. Huut'a w.ii;uii company, HO ptfBODfl, tiny w.iyui.d, '.'7 t.xuu and cows, btven horaes n 'i mn lea, and four church Kunm with freight, it will beiindt-Teiood that these iiurta, however correct wiicn trikeo, wt-re uuuilaiilly tubjeut to gruat iT or lea variatiuo during the journey. On leaving Ficrence the loads on ;1ib hiinddirts wtio tirealer than ever iviore, u;i 1 car: having H'dpnuntln of iLur on, besides urd:ua:y L.itjaRO Tne U-lI "'to were carried ou H12 cariJ. I ho company w.hh provisioned !r txiy ri.iyj, a daily ratiou of ODe pound of ll ir pe: brad, with abuut half a pound tu.- i:ii!idr;u, b?iti the ' principal item. 1 ; On the 7th o( September, weH of 1 Loup Fork, the. company was over : taken by F. J). Uicbardu, C. H. : Wnei lock, J. Van Cult, U. D (Irani, W. Ii. Kimball. Joseph A. Voutij:, 0. G. U elm, W. C D nd ir, Jilted ,h(J.uv, hi Junta, J. D. T. McAUis-' McAUis-' tor, N. H. Felt Miid James Ferguson, 1 ah'o l'-ft Florence Sjptemb.r oJ, : pissed llunt'n wayon company on i the O'.h, r:i,to! the Loup Fo: k, and ; iiudgelts'wa-m company on the Till, ten miles west of Murlin'fl c.iaipany, - ivtjd ariivtd at tSalt L ike cityOctober . 4ih, having left D .111 Jones at Lhitfn - Bndpe Willi hia brother, September Crowing thobillaen tho way Irom tho Loup Fork valley lo the l'ialtu vrflk', the uandcart company bad a dry march of two daje. Ouu on tne '.Hb of rieplembcr, iu Iho afternoon the company cime to a round pit or pond of water. J 'arched with thirst, tho cattle iuhcd pell msll into the pond ands'.irnd up the mud ur.til il e water was thick ar.d black, befarn the people hid supplied themselves fur Ihtir own uo. lint il was all the w.iler av.ii'abl?, ar.d so it was used tor cooking purposes making culLe, lot, bio. id. and pond;e or hasty pud-tling, pud-tling, which whin nmdo w:'H quito black, but v-vk calen and drunk niver thelcf;?. At 7 p m. tho camp eiarltd (or Prairie creek, nine union, reach ing it belweeu 11 and l'J o'clock, bul very ghiti to got lo clear running water, after having I con without Iwo days. Go September 11, eight or nine milts frcm Lone Tree and Wood river, tho company piusd the graves of two men and a child belonging to A. W. llthbiU's wagon tram, who had bt-en killed on Uie2j;b of August by rir,me Cheycune Indiancf, who '.vere uo 're war path lh:t timimer. Twn ,1'lhn leauiatera escaped death, and Mrs. Wilson wuh laken prisoner. Mo-tuf tiie property plundend hum tin- wagutis ws-iib.-): quently ro . (.,,vn' i by C ipt.iui ., ieirt. n n d tliu United tita;tn troops ul F- it Kearney. A mile or two oust of the gravea of tho teamsters a paper was tack' d un a board, on which tin- cbiel j ul ibo (imaba Ii.il. u a disclaimed I part e p ilmn in the n.u nlers. 10 irly , In the joLrney from Florence the company nut two or three hundred Omahas, who passed by tLi 1 lo pea'K -ably. On Septemh-r I'd h, two or three tean.s frnni Green river, g-iing e:iht, , were met, and the men inturmed the : eintyrauts that Indiana h;;d killed A. W. Babbitt iin.1 burned his buygy tliirly Or forty miles wctt of l'awnet' cprings. Ua Sep'emhcr liJIJ, about mx miles east of L'hill creek, ki.iI ab.-Lt fcventy yar ;s to the h-U of :hr rond, a litll'j harnc-, twi win-; -'jj and - the 1 1 1 ot a burnt carriugo or bu.-j, .1 1 j: i a few other thingi were seen. Tuee Wt-re p.i-- d t'i be rehes of A. W. b'abbiu'o on nit. '1 in company brought toe springs along, but what became of them ultimately I don't know who knows. Bauhitt had left Kearney about the 2J of September, Willi Thomas ir-ulherland aud a driver. Two miles further on, '.'ipttiin Hodgetts, Mosei Clu tl, aud Nathan T. Por'.cr Wrre busy with a dead bufdalo, which ihev had run out ol a herd and killed for the handcart company, bavitg previously killed one lor their own wagon company. Some of the handcart people stayed lo skin and quarter Iho butlalo, and bring it aluug on four handcarts. At Digiil it w.ls divided among the company, com-pany, about one pound to each adult, i'uis was the firrit buftiln beef the company obtained. BufUlo beef, Ihe lean pait o( it, is good eating on ttis plains, but it is coarser loan ox or cow beef. Ihe next day, S plember 24th, tho company passed the placo whero it was fuppused Thomas Margetts and olners were killed by Indians, In-dians, there being a quantity vi feathers etrewn about, a b:ood-;tained shirt, ar.d a child's skull, i he com pany camped at Duckweed creek that night, ad after dark ad the men were called cut to form a li;.e around the camp, as il was enpDose i t'.rit Juii.an; v.tre Lirkjug around. Ab.jui 11 o'cei.k tne nieu rtero caiiLd in, a .lout -i guird was ad fur the uLh', and the i:c'. bl the men were biri-cuiiy biri-cuiiy t ilked (o f.r h.ti! an hour or ?o. by t n2 of tho C' i, p. my v. ho was f;i..J uf preaci-ing, 0.1 ti.e nec-Uv (' vigilance in an Indian cjuntry. 'inen the n-,vii Kir" d;;m:sd to Ineir t tr.s, i-.tevjt lue duun? guard. In ihe aii.-n,:,:;n e.f the 2j:h, live In-j In-j ui.it.'f, e-.-::: 3 of them Eq'.iiw-, on . pLiiicc, r, .' : pct the c Liipany an 1 nu.ir :, carifuily facruLnnz' : it, but h..d i,o;!:inir lu ty, tind iccn they ri'de ell low.irds the Fmitu. were the d:6t Cmyt-ue li.dui.s tne company had teen. Ou the '6A vi Outuber, Lear Uuim-ney Uuim-ney Kock, a comp.my d' Uniwd rilaUs dr.-.y J-.i;?, under Mnj-jr Hu titer, Willi ten or I w civ it r;iiiiu te.-irn-, trrin Furl Kearney (-r Fu:t Li i n m : pas - cd tae com-u-u:v, and n LiV. nanud A.irun Gdes, ie:t tm; i.-i-jile-ir: company "lid went v.ilii Hit: .-: jluicr.1. On the ith ot (.LOjij.-r Liiu -rompany p-Saed So.utiri B:uil-i. l'arley I'. 1'. all's company com-pany of nns-iionari' a, going e-it 'ror;i rfai. Lake, p.wed ihe BiufL b.u:t tne same time, b.,. ma t w . c,;;upa;.;f . did not tee eaL-h olcLr. 'ihe company urrived at Fori Lna-nv.: Lna-nv.: UjI- bur b:n, tied cam pud ta t ct Laramit F rk, ab iu'. a m:- Irum the lurl, ii-.fro r;Jiiimz Liramic tne ' company nu'. a li:,e looiog nLd line.-jri;s..d IrieL.iiy I :;di.m cmet on a fine Amen '..n hnr, and e: on after , two dr.iv.uhs en iivf Im It, v. ho, lha: , is, tint drugo-.,-- e ifn mj bweol-1 m- a s '0 tin; ct.: n ol lu-- cum 1 -any j f.:d i-.ppe!: i-iri, :.s ly p!c is' d to 1 '. t the ;;i 1 p .c. Lar. in : '.s I'lii;. in tne distance-, gave ll.i li :tt adLfm-iLe j ldi.-a 01 tho Rocky Muonuins gratiti, 1 gloomy and mytt.riuu. On llr 9 h, j manyu. the ccn-pany went tothclult! L ui 11 v,;tt-:li.-s or i,:iier tlmigs tluy j co'jlJ L-jure and buy pruViniutu. T..i CUUiiii UiUaiit ki:.d;y !.uwtd lhe.:i lo buy fi;im the ii- l l.tiy njies ai ua .-;;-na;.ie price- b:-euit at Ij c-jnt, bacuU at 1.5 cents, rice ai 17 cents per polled, and so 00. b nm bought a ; few lun.gs at ti.e eutier'c, but nuieh ' higncr pne-s ruid a; his '.ore. i 1 believe the c.mp.ny Lit Fort! Lar.tmie tuo ntit d :y. '1 heuccl.rtLi, I uuiil tie clise of iho journey? a.-I tii.u-li notert.r;iiy events were on the! mcrea e, aud funn- ot them were iu-dtiieiy iu-dtiieiy imp:er?'.l im tuu minds 0 1 the emicrame, yet they were l-o lully cc-cupied cc-cupied iu taking care of laemsilves that mey bad little lime to spare to nolo details wilh erctne-s, and many noli s that were nudu at the linio were lust bub.-equeully and cannot can-not now ha fuiii-d. Up Ij this time ll,;.- daily pound uf Hour ra'ioii hud been regularly eervid out, but it W:'.h never cuoliii to et.iy the ctomaciiS of too cmigraii'.s, and tho longer tit y were on tne plains and iu the mountains moun-tains t:-e hungrier they grew. Most penua who ! ave ero.-.-.i d the plains with 01 learns or h-i i.dc.'irl;? k n-v ed enough the vr. r.u. us appetite which thai km i ' '.f- Jiives. It is an appe-n:-- t'''' larro'- be Siiti-tied. At lei I eulIi w.13 the experience oi ilm liu'J. tit people. You feel as if joi c ,u.d a i most eat a ru-'y li.i.l '.r gnaw a file. You are leu tirus as hungry as a hunter, yea, as t n huctt-rs, ad tho diy long and t'vt rv time ou v.'.ikein the iii::h. and no yen continue 1 1 your j urney's 1 end, nuel for simo timo nf-er. F, ititig is Iho er.md p ;ion of a pedestnan on lu;i pi-iin-?1, an insatiah'u p-.si; n, fur hu niver gels enough to cut. Wii. n th euii'M'anti woukl arrive nt 1 iS.ui Luke and bo invi'.id inlu the bouses of tn.ir hit nis, the newcomers new-comers would cat and cat itnd c.i'. unhl they were literally and pcrlectly ashamed of themsulvcs, and iheii re-tiro re-tiro from tiie table hungiy. I h.rxA huw long il w;,u'd t;di-j 1.1 1 etuLmuL in th, sc d -ys iu iill up and rtdtice his iifputit'; ".o a-j lui'mal condiliou, but il Wi.s a long lime, a number ol weeks, aud it was an osprn.-ivo process. iSu h.ucli oi.lr.ig' ens rippetito comes to yuu in crfi5-i: g the continent by rail, and very thankful ym m sy be that it docs net, ft. r 1' is a eerious infliction upun lhe..-:e vho havo it, as well as upon their ho;pit.ih!e friends. Well, ul ihe Imio when lira gr a', njipeliif v.iis f liriy roused un and bail put on ilstCDg h and wu still further Htrcngthentd and sharpened by Ihe iuerea-ing coldness of ihe weather, the extra pinching timo commenced. S 011 flftcr Fort L;truniie was paseeil, il waeeLemed adviaable to curtail ihe r.itioca 'u order to muke them bold out ns long t.e possible. The pound of flour lull to three-.'ouriha ol a I pound, then to hdf a pound, aud eub ! frequently yet lnwr. Still tho eon:-! eon:-! pany toiled 0:1 thr- ugh the Blai k iiil's, whero th. Li d g,.w scarcer i r 1 the calilc a S". As the necessities ol jir.anai.d le ;-I increased, ihcir daily ' fotd dir.tinii'e 1, at Iho limo when il ' wa-, n 'he emigrants miht have auid. w lb r Waller Sio't, "like a fiiiiimer - drii d fountain wneu ti:: wants were the :iorest." I In tiie Black Hills tho roada woro harder, nifire rocky and more hilly, aud this told up n the handcarts, causing them lo fail more rapidly, become riekelty, nd netd more frequent fre-quent repa ring. One man's handcart broke down on afternoon after-noon in the bills, and by home mischanro tho com puny id I went on. leaving him bc-hini, bc-hini, alone with hia broken carl and his and hie family's hllle etock of worldly goctU thereon, including his raiions, which he could not afford to leave, though he lost bii knives sr.d forks, nlsn some bi-cuiis and butler 1 and Fiigar which he bt.d bought as ' extras at Laramie, and a few oih- r tilings, lie was drawing his lillle child in his cart, as he had drawn her :r. ?t ( Iho jrairnc-y. snd hestibe-qm hestibe-qm ' '. '!n vr her 'v tiie !r-:t crOi?ing ,fi! l-.,f ! I vp, but when i:is cart bruki-dov.o bruki-dov.o m; b. id m transfer her to aome-bu aome-bu ly ebe's c.rt at d send her en wilh the c. m pany. So he remained behind be-hind witu bis carl, anxiously expecting expect-ing aoniel ody to turn hick and help Inm, but no one came. Nighl drew on up ice, and btill he wag all alone, save and excepting tho presence pres-ence of a prowling woll, which cculd be teen in the streak of light on the western horizon, a little outside of ordinary rifl-3 range. Happily, just nu the darkness was settling down Captain IL dgctt'a wagon company was observed coming down Ihe op-p--ite hil), froru the eaal, at the base of which it eiiCfl.nped, a quaiter or half a mile distant from the benighted and lonely handcart, who eagerly Went and lolJ bis tale of misfortune lo the wagon people, and they took him in tor the night. Toward midnight mid-night two men with another cut from the handcart camp, seven miles off, arrived in search of their mUaii.g companion. They also slaved wiih tuo Wiion company thai ni.-ht, and next morning early the thr'o lisn-dcailers o'.arttd alter their own company, coming up with tbe camp just as it wjs breaking up and the emig-an's were gelticg ready to strt for the day's march. At D.er creek, on the 17ih of October, owinc, 10 Ihe growing weakness weak-ness of emig'auid and teams, Ihe baggage, bag-gage, including bedding and coe k-1 k-1 rii' utt'iisds, ':;s redu.'e d Ij ten ii.uiids per head, children, tinder S ytais live pounds. Good blankets and otter bedding and clothing w-.Tf burned, as they could nt hi carrnd i;-.rther, inouli c-rL-d more lh in ever. f.;-r thuio y:t -iO) mil- s rd wir,:cr to ,o t'.rc .-i-r. miiit ihe tii.ifr.ers ii.ivt- ald, with u,e; S.--teii poet, ''Like a 6ti:nmer- ,'r!..l t.r;.-' IV 1 . - -) --i:r ".Vai'Tj tvClf te or-.ti " A :'. i-iimeru oi soldiera were sta lion" i at iuc bridge over the North l'iat te, '0 r"m,in there until the crii.gr .'ton had pn-sul, aud then bi w:ttii!raw t.i F..rt Liramie to winter. O. the L' Jui ol Octehr the company cr..;.-ej low lVue-, fur tho l.i-l lime, at L- d But us. i.b nil live n -ilfs iL.ovc 'he bridge. It may hitve been ibe 1'Jih, but- I am inclined in-clined tu t ii; u k il wui ihe 0ih. lhat wjd ix bi.ter cold day. Winter cfe on nil at uucp, and tea', was ihe nrsl I d:.y ui il. The river was wide, the cu:r ui .-:rong, ihe water eicee-dingly cull .md up to the wugon beds in the deept-t parts, and the bed of the river whs cove-red with cobble stones. Sum; of tbe men carried eome of tbe women over on their hacks or in their arms, but ethers of the women tied up 1 ,eir pkirls and waued tnrough, hke heroini"s n? they were, and as thiy h -d u.u e r L j rou l; h many ulin i rivirs ,w;d i-'i ,.-s. The-ct The-ct m ;-.;: y w.;- i i. j y uvi r when snow. ha:l, i:.,il ble-1 beg iu lo (.ill, ncv. ii1. . l.ied ; ;i piu.'iing n'r'h wind, ;v... ci'r.p v.-.s made on L:.. : '.' u! r.ci. C :p,.iiu illlLj'.V ivnn, t'o.ii p nv c. nipu i oil the ether Km .-I i i riva, and Otpum Hud-i.;. Hud-i.;. n"- i -. ,-n ihis side. J'n.it was a i ii- -i-:.. ; Lh .uid it t.ld its talc on i:,-. i. will on ihe people. 1 ;, .;, , btorm appears to have been a u:.;. Lrt ms.ve iu tv.-.'l a; severe one, i ' .' iu- .i.-t7.-.ird lit !e-i-t to the .'u.i.,h r.u ge. I', t-nowid bev.ly .t I t-n i, river at that lime, and tbe j t'li'rmomit- r lell to z;ro there. 1 i i re we are, only at Ihe last e.-nr.-ii'g of tho Platte, and yEt 1 have o ;cnp:ed all the space that ycu will hj wnlmg lo ppro to day. J. J.