The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-03-24
FROM CALIFORNIA,
CALIFORNIA IN THE WOODS A PIECE,
January 9, 1S49.

Editors Picavune--Every newspaper
l see from the States, land they are
mighty few] contains one or more letters
from out here, somewhere. giving the
most awful descriptio OF things here
imag charlottesville murders, outra-
geous thefts, hanging people by scores
on the trees, Lynch's law, &C SC. Now
as one of our company has made as much
as he thinks will do him, and is going
home they have all agreed and request
ed that l should give you by his hand a
little history of how we do things in our
"disglns" In the first place, we assem-
BILE every Sunday morning, numbering
generally from 100 10 1870, our whole
number who have signed the bylaws
being 1873 Our place of rendezvous is
large oak tree, on beautiful hill, ont
Of which gushes as pure a stream of wa.
ter as was ever drunk bv man. You
ought to see tina. tree IT looks as though
II was topped about 200 years ago and
had never stopped spreading
At 10 O'Clock the secretary reads the
bylaws, after which the president rises
and says: Does any member know of
any violation of the laws Just read!, to
which, three times out of five there is no
response, and since | have been MEM
Der, which is about eight months, there
has been no offence committed with one
exception) that received a higher pun
ishment than small fine, or reprimand
from the president.
The exception alluded TO was a poor
devil who was detected in hiding Dor
ton OF the days labor OF his company,
The members thereof, consisting of nine,
Immediately helI a meeting among them
selves, gave him his part of their Joint
earnings (Which was about $4,000 and
told him to 60, as he knew what would
be his fate next Sabbath. He according
ly went, and has not been heard Of
since.
The penalty for theft is expatriatlon.
What we mean by that is, to leave our
borders, and if found in them, the first
time, nine and thirty; the second, he
pulls hemp. One ofour laws is, "There
is 10 be no gambling OF any description"
Another IS, "No profane or obscene Ian
guage shall be used in the assembIage on
the Sabbath neither of which has been
violated in The first instance since l have
been member.
Now where would You 60 to find 1853
more orderly men! and all this, too,
without any law except common con-
sent to do right.
Now, | would advise all, any where,
who are doing well, to stay where they
are; though fortunes can and will be
made here, not by picking gold out with
a jack knife in four or five pound Jumps
but with much toll and hard labor From
the best information can get, the aver
age Of our whole number per day, for
the last eight months, has been $40 so.
So you see fortunes amt to be made in a
day, nor season. II you ever saw men
at work on canal or mill race, or dlgg
ing foundation for large house in
your city, you have very good idea of
the labor in getting gold here. I would
not have troubled you with this ill-dlges
ted epistle had it not been for the &C
counts I have read about this country.
How it may be in other portions, know
aot; but what have told you about our
'diggins'' is rue. I feel much more safe
here from every kind of harm than I
would in your we'll organized city, or
any other city.
Yours, &c., JNo. Fl. WALTON
The AMERICAN REGIMENT IN YrcArAN
is badly cared for by the government,
through inability, we suppose. They