June 24th. Monday.
It rained yesterday evening and made the streets muddy and slippery. This morning after breakfast cars arrived from Leavenworth City and had aboard some negro soldiers with white officers. These white negro officers all have a downcast sheepish or anguish look - are respected

75. by no body, not even the negroes. One of them seemed to be a lowland vulgar man and the other seemed to be walking all the time on stilts and under an effort to make a respectable, soldierly expression. The negroes, of course were all stolen property the train is under way and flying up the northern bank of the Kansas or Kaw River. Our flight is too rapid to learn much about the country. It is plain to be seen however that the river bottom is of the best of land but in rather a rude state of cultivation. The grasshoppers for a long way up the river have in many places destroyed the wheat and young corn. We pass many ephemeral, mushroom towns too tedious and unimportant to mention. We arrive about the middle of the day at Lawrence

76. City, made famous by many events and particularly by Quantrell’s celebrated raid. The buildings now seem to be almost entirely of wood and of the Cabin order - Hon. Judge Hughes left me and on we go for Fort Riley and Junction City. Arrive in the evening at Fort Riley where the negroes disembarked and three more miles more bring us to the depot at Junction 139 miles from Wyandotte. We have passed on the way several prongs of the Kansas River but all their names I now cannot call to mind. On the cars nothing worthy of note transpired - The boys as usual ran up and down and cried their "peanuts," "figs,” "oranges" and newspaper and yellow backed literature. Pilities on boats, and cars and in hotels one not disciplined as in former years. The Radicals seem ashamed to

77. avow their principals and the Democrats say they (the Rads) are too d-m-d fools to talk to and I believe this to be so: for I have never heard one attempt to give a sober man’s reason for any of their diabolical proceedings. They always set out by opening a set of base falsehoods to be facts and no amount of evidence is sufficient to convince them that they are falsehoods and forever they are perfectly incapable by any ordinary channel of reasoning. They all however whenever I have met them have treated me with marked courtesy and are evidently proud of being on familiar terms with any gentleman known to be Southern. At Wyandotte I learned that General Wright in command of

77. (sic) the railroad surveying party on the Smoky-hill and New Mexico route was a few days ahead of me and I had some hope of overtaking him and traveling with him, but on arriving at Junction City found that he was out of my reach. On landing at the depot at Junction City as I stepped upon the platform with my baggage on my own I was accosted by a young man in his shirt-sleeves, his clothes being reasonably clean and his countenance and address pleasant. He asked me if I would like to go to a private boarding house. I replied in the affirmative but that I must see the house first. He then insisted on taking my baggage and conducted me to Mrs. Burroughs. On arriving I was at once unfavorably impressed with the outside appearance of things

78. but requested the young man to show me the room designed for me. Whereupon he opened a door into a back room - there were some four or five tumbled beds in it and from all appearance the sheets and bedding generally had not been washed since the year A.D. It was evidently an Irish establishment and the gem of all the unwashed democracy and ripoff of the railroad employees. It surpassed in filthiness the Franklin Hotel of Kansas City kept by the Dutchman when Judge Hughes and I ate two coils of the great anaconda sausage and for our time the Irish took the premium over the Dutch - that is in filthiness and this adventure led me to the reflection that
perhaps filthiness is confined to no one nation and in these cases were certainly

79. common to both Irish and Dutch - the Irish winning. I curtly remarked to the abashed young man (who seemed to understand me fully) as I grasped my baggage that the situation would not suite me and I struck out up main street in search of better quarters. As I passed the store door of a Jewish gentleman by the name of - --- with whom I afterwards became acquainted. I made inquiry for the best hotel in the city. He directed me to the Hole House remarking that it was the only decent Hotel in the place which I found to be the case and felt gratified to Mr. - ----for telling me so plain a truth. I arrived at the Hole House and registered my name and my destination with the expression of my desire (also registered) to see anybody from New Mexico.

80. It was not long before I met quite a number of acquaintances both Mexican and Americans. Among them Mr. Kitchen of Las Vegas, Lalos formerly of Mexilla, Musie of Chihuahua and many others. I found the Hole House to be a pleasant and well ordered place and the chief clerk a young Kentuckian by the name of Lyon and a clever fellow. I also became acquainted at this town with a Col. Hasen of Richmond, Roy County, Mo. He had been a Confederate colonel and appeared to be every way a gentleman. I learned that Giorg Al Giddings of San Antonio, Texas had left here a few days before, having been interested in freighting contract that from some source had failed and we seem to be let which was in a few days

81. secured by the Messr. Kitchens of Las Vegas. Mr Kitchen ordered me every accommodation for my trip to across the plains wherever his train should go. I stayed at Junction City until Friday evening in consequence of the road thence to Salina being out of order from having been submerged. I availed myself of the interval to prepare my outfit for the plains. I purchased me an elegant pair of high topped cavalry boots, soldier's overcoat and pants, and pair of blankets, butcher knife, trunk, etc. While here I found that a valuable negro which the Government had stolen from me was camped near town with a train but did not see him. Then also met Bishop Laimey of Santa Fe on his return from Rome with

82. a number of attaches and some good hearted sisters of Charity a Religious sisterhood made ever memory noble and worthy of all praise and all gratitude for their disinterested charities during the war - They are practical Christians and not of the Pharisaical order so characteristic of the real Yankees. They, the sisters, fully illustrate St. James definition of religion. He says, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the father is this: to visit the widow and the orphans in their afflictions - and keep thyself unspotted from the world" The Yankees and even some people not Yankees, I am sorry to say, hold that religion is to pray hard, sing loud, get all you can, let everyone paddle his own canoe and like the

83. pious old lady, who, when the horses ran away down the mountain road said she, "trusted in God till the breeching broke and there she gave up all hope". I have known many persons who could not for any consideration be induced to commit a sin knowingly for less than five dollars; others not less than ten and so on - And to sum up the whole matter after long experience & much observation I have deliberately come to the conclusion that mo man has about two hundred and seventy thousand sincere heart feeling worshipers, where God has one (more or less) - The Bishop met me very cordially and pleasantly alluded to the good dinner and pleasant times he had enjoyed in our house in New Mexico. June 26. I was deprived of the pleasure of

84. traveling with him by his intending at that time to travel the Cimmaron route. My business calling me by the Bents Fort route. The little priest (formerly of Albuquerque) tendered me a seat in his carriage - and they all seemed very kind and obliging. The Bishop is a most excellent man and practically a good Christian. At junction a train of movers passed from Johnson County, Texas in-route for Oregon. This evening the train on its being announced that the road was repaired and in running order started through to Salina; but about fourteen miles from town a bridge gave way and some of the freight cars tumbled down, the locomotive and passenger cars escaping on the very brink of the breach in rather a miraculous manner. I was prevented from going on this train by my clothes being out at wash.

85. they danced away the lazing hours of the latter night. The theatrical, good humoredly both men and women leading off in every dance. With the theater and the ball I here close volume first of my diary and narrative, it being the most suitable point for such case as on the next morning I go into camp with parker and remain in camp until my arrival at Trinidad. The balance I will complete as soon as I can, leaving for your devout meditation in the meantime the following, upon which your minds and hearts can safely rest in every trying time and under every trying circumstance until we are again reunited.

86. The Lords Prayer
Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come - Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Psalm XXV
Unto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2. 0 my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed; let them be ashamed that transgress without cause.
4. Shew me thy ways, 0 Lord, teach me thy paths.
5. Lead me in thy truth and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; On thee do I wait all the day.
6. Remember, 0 Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindness: for they have been ever of old.
7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake, 0 Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord! Therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9. The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way.
l0. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11. For thy name's sake, 0 Lord, pardon mine iniquity for it is great.
12. What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his covenant.
15. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord! For he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16. Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me! For I am desolate and afflicted.
17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; oh bring thou me out of my distress.
18. Look upon my affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20. Oh keep my soul and deliver me; let me not be ashamed for I put my trust in thee.
21. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22. Redeem Israel, 0 God, out of all his troubles.