Part 2:
Wed. night 9:30 A little better luck this afternoon. My first ride this afternoon was with two
young men from Michigan Las Vegas Essex
car that threatened to spill itself any moment. Suffice it to say that it was a 1923 Essex . After numerous punctures we finally made it
to within 10 miles of Filmore when after several convulsive sheep jumps it quit
altogether. The driver coasted it into
the borrow pit, after closing all adjustments he straightened in his seat and
fervently uttered Utah 10 p.m. By the light
of a jungle fire, and like Omar Kayam, I feel to say “A jug of wine and thow
exerit paradise e-now”. We passed
through historic Filmore, saw the old state house that served as Utah’s first
state capitol and on which the state last year spent $10000.00 for repairs to
keep it as a landmark and relic; the dwelling houses also show designing of an
early period, many of them being constructed of homemade brick. The scenes experiences and impressions during
this evening will long be remembered.
The solitude is inspiring, not a sound but the rippling
waters of the creek beside me, the dying embers of the fire as the midnight hours approach. How like life the fire dies for want
refueling, yet the creek from an endless source babbles on and like emerald
settings, the lowing of cattle in the distance, the babbling brook make me
wonder with the scientist Bock, “What is light and what is sound?” I wonder
where I’ll be tomorrow night?
Thursday morning 10:00 a.m.
I have covered five miles since high fast, my feet ache so much that I’m going
to sit here until a car comes. Out here
on the desert there aren’t many cars passing.
I’ve heard it said by hikers that one car in every hundred is a fair
average of the motorist who will pick up hikers, the arid desolation which
surrounds me almost makes me exclaim with Satan “Is this the region, the clime
that we must trade for realms sublime, Hail! Horrors, Hail! Thou profoundest
hell, receive thy new possessor!” To one who never saw anything different this
would be a beautiful country if one had only some means of transportations, one
must look at so much to see anything and with out transportat, one sees then a
lot of nothing; I imagine one would get frightfully bored if traveling with the
speed of lightening over this forsaken era.
This drizzling rain is getting to be just a triffleng
disagreeable and monotonous. I’m glad
that I can’t forsee each coming day in advance or Las
Vegas
Hitchiking could be systemized much to the advantage of the
hikers if the above average was strictly maintained. It being understood that
every 100th car must pick up all the hikers they meet. The hiker then would choose some convenient
spot and by the process of counting tell just when to arise and board his
transportation.
Thurs. 3:30 p.m.
The same two boys whom I left yesterday at Filmore pick me up about 10 miles
back. The first thing was a flat, and
now we are sitting in the car 25 miles north of Beaver with another flat, the
rain is falling in torrents, the boys have no patches, so there is no telling
when we will move again, it won’t be at least until we can hail a passing car
and mutch (mooch) some patching rubber.
Thursday night 9:00 p.m. I have just come in soaked to the skin after
a 9 mile walk thru the rain. We finally
mutched some patching rubber and got the Essex moving once more, but every mile
or so something went wrong and one of us would have to get out and crank the
car after adjustments had been made, we were 3 hours going 20 miles, during all
this time the rain fell and all of us were wet, at last the carburetor ceased
working altogether and my two young friends decided to leave to the mercy of
the pilfering public: they however intend sleeping in it tonight but will
abandon it in the morning, as there was not room for three of us to sleep there
it seems my place to vacate, which I did during a lull in the rain, however it
was soon raining as hard as ever and continued til I reached a light in the
clearing 3 hrs. later. A more
disagreeable trip I have never undertaken in my life, I had walked but a short
distance until I was wet through the water sloughed in my shoes and my wet
corduroys slaped (sic) my wet legs. The wind was in my face and was cold enough
to have been blown right from a snow bank.
Car after car went by me not withstanding my signaling, I
think my conscience would suffer were I to honk for a man to get out of the
road in a desert country 15 miles from the nearest town, and in a down pour of
rain. Never did up in shelter and the
prospect of dry clothes seem so good as tonight and now that it is all a matter
of history I look upon it as the outstanding experience from the stand of
misery, hunger and cold. This house is
occupied by 4 or 5 cow men and thank God they were here. I wonder where I will be tomorrow night?
Fri 3:30 Well
here I am at Anderson Cedar City
Sat 7:30 a.m.
Another full stomach of bacon, fried potatoes, bread and coffee, we also have
shaved, the air is warm and optimism prevails.
The country around here is quite different to any that I have been
in. The little hamlets are built along
the creeks and then there will be rocky desert between there and the next
creek. Well I must be goin, I wonder
what time I will be in St. G.
(That statement comes from the point that MOST Mormon wives
had several children, one right after the other and apparently Grandfather had
heard that request as well).
Many of the buildings here are of adobe and earlier design
rather than most of the younger cities with their new buildings. All the old timers are typical of frontier
people who have not been much in the cities.
Mon. Morn 11 a.m. The two jungle stiffs with whom I have
been cooking up the last three days have each just returned from an expedition
among the house wives in this end of St. G., laden with vitals of all kinds,
these two men are here for the winter and will so live until their exodus north
in the spring. At night a big fellow
“Blackie Welsh” or “Oklahoma Blackie” came into the jungles for a muligan,
under one arm he carried a soup bone, from a nearby field potatoes, onions,
carrots and corn were selected and all hands some 6 or 7 began preparations for
a muligan. After the wrinkles were fairly
welled smoothed out, Blackie entertained with some of his experiences which
included a crap shooting of several times with Monte Blue, whom he eulogized as
a good scout, drinking gambling and all, always good for a feed, a movie acting
experience with Anita Stewart, also a liberal spender, Blackie it seems is
known from Denver to L.A. as a dealer and is on his way to Vegas to deal
Farobank.
Tues. Oct. 8-6:30 a.m. Yesterday I went out to the dumping ground in
search of a “jungle” stove and while there came across several gallon cans of
fruit which I boiled over and after sugaring put it in bottles all so found on
the dump. Murphy the Jungle chief
entertained by relating his history or part of it, from his talk he has been a
brave man; among other things, I learned what guts in salesmanship had it’s
origin among just such men as inhabit Jungles because of pure laziness, (sale
of Glasses) such salesmen as much in evidence today in the sale of magazines,
brushes, etc.
Wed. 8 7:00 a.m. Breakfast is over which
calls for the greatest effort and meal making takes the most time and work as
the work is practically over as soon as the meal is over, dusting, sweeping,
righting furniture ect. is eliminated by this more simple means of living;
imagine being thru with all household duties as soon as the meal is over. Murphy has just left on a foraging expedition
which he figured will take him an hour and from which he will derive a weeks
worth of living if necessary but as Murphy craved a few extra delicacies the
expedition was made a few days in advance of actual needs.
The required extras today were poultry products, rice,
flavoring and raisins, of course, anything that can be eaten will be excepted,
but delicacies he must have and if not included in the housewifes varied giving
those commodities most desired will be procured in this manner “Good morning
Sister, Mother or Grandma (according to appearance of age) I have a sick friend
over in the grove who is just getting over pneumonia, his stomach is still
weak, we were on our way west when he was taken sick, I would like to get a
chicken for him if you have one, for myself I can eat almost anything that will
give me but he must have more delicate things like chicken, rice pudding, so
just include some sugar and flavoring yes times are tough, there is little or
no work for a man my age (55) no one wants to hire men that age. “Chop some wood? Well lady, I’d be only too
glad to chop up everything in the yard if it weren’t for my friend waiting for
me to hurry back. I really hate to bum
like this but having a sick man on my hands takes all my spare time but I’ll
come back tomorrow and chop some for you.
Yes I hope he soon gets better it’s hard on me to have to take care of
him and rustle nice things for him”.
Back in “jungles” again.
“Good hell, I had more dam trouble getting a dam little bit of grub than
any day I’ve been out yet, hell you’d think some of these grease balls (housewifes)
was hard up the way they hang on to what little they give you. I wish I was down in San Pete, them women
there can’t give you enough, yesir old man you jist sit right down while I fix
you something, eggs, ham, bacon.
Wed. Oct. 9. My
galley supplies are at low ebb and I am confronted by the necessity of foraging
or start for Salt Lake
Later---well, that wasn’t so bad, mostly the housewives here
seem to be human and so sympathetic as any other part of the world. I selected a street and walked nearly to the
end of it before I could muster enough courage to face a door and make my
errand known, seeing three women in earnest conversation I started toward them,
half turned in retreat but finally made for them in a forceful stride asking
which of them would like to have me chop some wood for something to eat, in
well chosen tones they all informed me that had men folks around, not knowing
what next (to) do as I had not rehearsed any parts in case of rejection I
assumed much astonishment and congratulated them on the feat and slunk towards
the nearest exit: three blocks further on I was successful and the wood pile
groaned under my onslaught. Back in camp
taking stock of my handout I found a loaf of well made home spun bread, about
an ounce of tea, 2 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, a two ounce jar of pomegranate
jelly, a pound of sugar, an ounce of salt, and 8 or ten pomegranates.
St. George Sat. 9 or 10th. The last 2 days have
been rainy and unsettled. Yesterday
morning we stood around in the jungles waiting for the rain to stop but by the
time it did stop we were wet thru. Water
was in our jungles the wood was wet and depression generally prevailed. About noon
it stopped and we all preceded to jungle up and dry out. Last night Shorty and I walked a mile to an
empty shack back in the hills, it was dry and it contained among other things
several pieces of dry clothing and a camp cot.
Considering the clothing I had I should have slept warmly but I awoke
often with a chill and was glad when morning came even tho it rained until
nearly ten oclock. The roads were mudy
and when we readied the jungles our feet were soaking wet, but this was
forgotten when we had eaten. My grub was
getting low this morning that is some things I was short of. I went out in town and offered to work for
something to eat; the three days that I have been out since coming here have
been very profitable, each house gave me enough for several days; today I went
out (after supplication) and it is striking how I wound around and finally was led to the house
of Bp. (Bishop) Worthe when I was given
nearly a qt of honey, a dozen nice tomatoes, 7 potatoes, 6
eggs, about 3 lbs of beans, part of a loaf of bread- 2 pomegranate besides
being invited in to sit down at the table which I did. What am I going to do with this blessing of
food. I don’t know, I have no need of
begging any more food; my success today has been impressive and a great
manifestation, I wonder when I shall be impressed to leave? I would like to hear from home before I go. I’m also wondering where I will eventually
stop.
Sun. Oct. 12.
Breakfast is over and with the chores all done I can settle down to
enjoy the Sabbath. The jungle stiffs now
in number are boiling up in preparation of traveling for “traveling” tomorrow
or Tuesday by which time most of us now will be miles apart in various
directions, Murphy however will be here to keep the home fires burning for us,
and ventures the prophecy that we will all be back again inside a year which is
undoubtedly true, Murphy is exhorting the men to remember this is the Sabbath
himself emphasizing it with an oath. He
has just finished telling in very detail the principals of the mormon religion
which is characteristic of most jungle birds.
Murphy has traveled widely and is not to be disputed on any question. He is a busy man, when not eating he is
making preparations to do so or else up in town rustling food of which he
usually has his pack sack full. It is a
peculiar fact even tho in a jest the religious instincts of many men assert themselves
even among such as these and much reverence and respect is seen and heard. Among the 5 here assembled are two professed
catholics, 1 baptist, (himi-tarian; something Grandfather Leon
Wed. Oct. 15—made a $1.55 yesterday soliciting scisors and
knives, have made $1.00 up until noon today in this manor I get first hand
information concerning this country, which because of its isolation from
railroads is quite different from those nearer the R.R.
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