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.
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