John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, Page 28

[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 28. Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]

[continued] choose to yield the point. Here he abandoned all prospect of success in forcing me, and returned the check money, on which I gave him the check. That ended an incident which may save many unprotected women, green men, and timid people from imposition.

Benwood. This is the last station, on the river Bank. Here we take a boat, and cross over the river to Belleaire [Bellaire] in Ohio.

Here we are in Ohio. This is the poorest part of the state, in all respects probably. Information that this is in the territory of Ohio is all that indicates that I am in the state.

Belleaire [Bellaire] is an inconsiderable village, built however, but in a day.  

Here in the cars once more, for Newark, where it is our purpose to spend a day.

In the cars still are our drunken fellow, his wife & baby. I don't know where he gets his liquor, to keep drunk exactly, up to the standard of his wife's mortification & the baby's danger.

As we move off the bank of the river, observe countrymen, looking like our old Ohio farmers.  About fifteen miles off the river, observe coal being mined in a [to be continued.]    

[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).]