I have not forgotten the locust sprouts and shall do my best to send them by the steamer. Assuredly I shall not for
get a dozen of H. S. [ ?], and I hope they will not be " swooped," as the previous have been, but will be enjoyed by yourself and friends.
St. Louis University, Sept. 27, 1852.
Reverend P. J. VERHAEGEN, S. J., St. Charles:
Reverend and Dear Father.- I will thank your Reverence for an immediate answer to the following. Captain Bridger,' an old Rocky Mountain friend of mine, has sent his two children (half-breeds) to the States to be educated. One is a girl about seven years old; the boy is a little over eight. They have never been baptized, at least I think so, and shall inquire on the subject. He has left means with Colonel Robert Campbell for their education and clothing. Inquire of Madame Hamilton whether she will admit the little girl? and at what price? Will Madame Barada admit the boy as a boarder, pay for his schooling at your school, and for how much a year? Please answer without delay. I am afraid Protestants will try to get them; the sooner they are away from here the better.
Pray for me, etc.,
7 James Bridger was one of the most widely known of the pioneers of the fur trade and emigration periods. He was born in Richmond, Va., March 17, 1804, and died 'in Westport, Mo. (now a part of Kansas City), July 17, 1881. He first went to the Indian country in 1822 as a member of the Ashley Expedition of that year. He visited Great Salt lake in the winter of 1824-1825 and, so far as now known, was the first white man to see that body of water. He was a member of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, the founder of the celebrated Fort Bridger, a trusted guide in many Government and private expeditions, and altogether one of the most quaint and romantic, yet important, characters in the early history of the West.