Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1849-03-17
LANCASTER, WISCONSIN, SATURDAY, MARCH II, 1910.

small potatoes most OF 'em; all sorts ana
colors, and everlasiin ragged-Bay-states
men, Backwoodmen, Buckeyes from Ohio,
Hoses from kentuck, Cape Cod Whalers,
ST. francisco Indians, Leperos from Santa
Cruz, Texan Volunteers, Philadelphia Qua
kers, Latterday Saint, six Irish Sympa-
thisers, twelve Yankees, as many Britishers
a squad of Deserters, Blackfoot Guide, a
Methodist Parson, and Mormon Elder. A
'tarnal niger tried to join US, but got cow
hded.
Struck diggins, and sot to serious washin';
parson began to ask blessin', hut SEEM
Silas L. Forks, of Orangeburg, N. Ca,
helpin' himself parson cut il short off. and
we went to work like niggers al cane holm
agreein' TO dig in company, and share prof
its. Cofched the Quaker sunnin' himself,
and takin' kink out OF his back with Ha-
vannah. Convened meetin', cow-hided
Quaker, and at it again. Gold lynn about
like earth-nuts, and riddln' through the
water like hail-storm in a sherrycobbler.
Sounded the conch for grub, and found
nobody got anything, hut that 'cute old coon
Zerubbabel w. Peabody, of Staten Island,
who had brought bag of biscuit, and some
meat fixins. The varnnt wouldn't sell a
notion under an ounce Of dust, and sacked
the whole bilin.
To work again totted up at sun down,
and found we'd averaged 2S dollars per
man. Got back to shanty but before that
darned Hiram X. Doughboy would let me
inside the door forced to pay down so dol
lars for days board and lodgin'. So wound
up 2 dollar worse than in the mornn'. CAL
cilated to camp out in future, cut Hiram,
and werk on my own hook, havin' realised
that Socialism amt no gold diggin'. Asked
Hiram why he didn't go out with his bowie
knife and washing pail. Hiram sniggered,
and said he warn't greedy, and preferred
helpin' folk in the shanty. Hiram usen't
TO be such concerned fool.
Started alone-having sworped the gold
| got from Down Easter yesterday, for one
blanket, half-quartcr cask of pork, and half
demijohn brandy. Must convene that I'VE
lost 30 per cent by bargains but n cargo
of new diggers having just come in from
Panama, great demand for such tixins, and
forced to give what that old ilint of Ii Down
Easter chose to ask. He's made consider
able some by his trade, that's fact, and
doubt if he could have done better at the
diggins.
Made great day-havin' sacked 40 dol.
lars AT least. Got sorter lost, and found
when tracked back to the tree where I'D
cached my plumber, that those 'tarnal In
gines had absquatulated with blanket, pork,
and brandy. Luckily I've got my tools.
Spent in the night under a cotton tree
mighty sharp set in the mornin', havin' eat
nothn' since yesterday at twelve. Struck
on the trail of Xerubbabel w. Peabody,
and traded with him for some bread aud
pork doin's for which the everlastin' old
skin-fint made me come down cruel, clean
i'm me out of all I'D made yesterday.
Zerubbabel says he amt diggin' hut goin'
about with provision and liquor store
It's anasin' how long-headed men like Ter
ubbabcl can be such darned idiots.
I'VE got out of the track Of the settlement
and into prime diggin'--all TO myself
where the Jumps of gold run as big rs pig
cons eggs, and lie rs thick as hailstones in
Broadway, after come-down in the fall
But Pm tarned weak for want of grub, and
SO rheumatic with campin' out that its quite
a caution.
Two days without seein food-gold gets
more abundant than ever.
Extract from the IS San Francisco Star"
"Yesierday some Indians from the up
diggins came TO the settlement with man
whom they found lying insensible farther
UP the ST. Sacramento than any of our Dig
gers have yet penetrated. He had bag
by his side, which contained fIS,000, IN
dust and Jumps of the precious metal but
the Indians exacted most Of it for bringing
him back to the settlement. He was fear
fully emancipated and in another twelve
hours the adventurous treasure-seeker must
have persisted of hunger"