100. ELLIOTT, Richard Smith. Notes Taken in
Sixty Years. St. Louis: R. P. Studley & Co., 1883.
[4] 336 pp., frontispiece portrait (photogravure). 8vo,
original tan cloth, gilt lettered and decorated spine.
Binding rubbed, upper hinge weak, title partially detached.
Author’s signed presentation copy dated in 1884.
First
edition, first issue (with the portrait present).
Bradford 1634. Eberstadt 114:291: "Chapters on old-time
mining, railroads of long ago, the first locomotive in
Illinois, Indians, early California, etc."; Eberstadt,
Modern Overlands 156. Garrett, The Mexican-American
War, p. 210. Graff 1236. Howes E111: "Port[rait] not in
later issues." Rittenhouse 186: "Elliott spent many years
in Saint Louis and also went up the Missouri. He describes
his trip over the Santa Fe Trail with Doniphan’s
column during the Mexican War and his return east over the
Trail in 1847." Tutorow 3642. Elliott includes a very
humorous account of his aborted attempt to emigrate from
Pittsburgh to Texas in 1837 when he encountered the fine
and large steamer Constellation with a lone star
flag with a German captain recruiting emigrants (or
more probably, soldiers). This lively little episode should
be reprinted. Pingenot: Scarce in the first edition.
Elliott was an Indian agent in Council Bluffs in the 1830s
and was a member of Doniphan’s expedition. Three
chapters are devoted to the expedition and newspaper editor
in St. Louis, friend of the Indian and promoter of Western
railroads. There are accounts of visits to Presidents
Harrison and Tyler and the presentation of a delegation of
Pottowatime chiefs to President Polk. Very scarce.
($100-300)