The Empire County argus., 1855-10-20
Coloma, Saturday Morning, October 20, 1866
The Times.

Now that the summer business is being brought
to close, and every thing shaping itself for the
coming winter, one naturally remarks the very de-
cided improvement in the times, as compared with
the corresponding season of last year. An excel
lent summers work has been done by the miners
and they have been enabled to pay their scores
with the merchants and they in turn are in good
standing with the wholesale dealers below, thus
being able to conduct a lively fall trade with good
and complete stocks at low figures. The traders
and moneyed companies in the more remote portions
of the mines, anticipating early rains and bad
roads, have already begun to fill in with their win
ter stocks. Traders here are generally doing a
lively business between the cities and the mines
and at the same time steadily accumulating their
winter supplies, though evidently in no special
haste about it-probably looking for still lower
figures below. Lumber has been abundant and
cheap throughout the summer, and has been very
readily sold, both for fuming and building. The
miners have, many of them taken fancy for
comfortable cabins, and have accordingly been to
the necessary expense Of time and money, and are
very snugly rugged for the rains The river dig
gings continue to yield richly and will probably be
worked for some weeks to come, There has no
doubt been more gold taken from the river beds
this summer, than during any previous one. The
lightness of last winters rains, and the heavy
draughts made on the rivers for the supply of new
ditches together with the unusual length and dry
ness of the summer season, have combined to give
the miners unprecedentedy good show at the
river beds Then, river fuming is better under
stood than formerly, and lumber is cheaper, and
the river beds have suffered. The mines in this
vicinity are so abundanty supplied by the bitches,
as to afford miners hereabouts certainty for
something more than wages, in the dryest times
and we know of several men who are making from
seven dollars to an ounce per day Now and then
you may hear man complain that times are hard,
but we've heard it frequently remarked, and there's
no mistaking the signs Of the times-that this has
been the best and most prosperous year since 81
The reports of steamship companies and hired
newspapers have begun to be understood in the
Atlantic States, and consequently fail to affect the
passenger lists and shipments of merchandise, and
hence in the natural course of events California
attracts to her placers and her markets what o.
labor and of wares the time requires. If these
are hard times, them in the poetic language ol
Jerry Bryant, Hurra for hard tmesi"
HOMICIDE The Calayeras CbJoa1cie gives an
account Of an afray at Upper Calaveritas, on Sat
urday week. In the morning man named Jesse
Miller accompanied by two OR three others, parad-
ed town, declaring that some body was to be killed.
A young man named Bright, who had been a wit
ness against Brown and Owens, was shortly after
wards met by this party, who used very abusive
and insulting epithets, and pulled him table
or bench. Paul Bright, hearing of this, went to
town to protect his brother, and on coming up
heard Miller call him a son Of a. Paul told
Miller that he could not allow such language to be
used towards his brother, whereupon Miller, bow
ing to Paul. replied, that he (P.) "was also one,"
and attempted to draw his pistol Paul also drew
his, and being little quicker than the other, shot
Miller through the body Miller then fred the
ball passing through the raised arm Of Bright and
entering the neck, causing him to turn completely
around Miller meanwhile fred a second time
and wounded him in the back part Of the head
Bright then staggered back and fell to the ground
Miller again cooked his pistol, but did not fire
when he receded few PAGES and fell, and immedi-
ately expired Prominent citizens of Calaveritas
exonerate the Brights and say that Paul acted only
in sef-defence.
MURDER AND LYNcHING. On Wednesday, 10th
inst, murder was committed in Columbia, Tuo-
Nv JoIo po, l. oaI.aL