Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-04-07
A MONSTER GOLD BOULDER.

The California Chronicle, of the 7th of
March, publishes letter from a man
signing himself A. Seymour Smythe. 1t
was written to merchant in San Fran
cisco, who, On the strength of the state.
ments-after the manner of the Arabian
Tales, in our opinion-sold out his stock
of goods at very low price, with the
express intention Of going, like Mahom-
med, to the mountain. Only think-a
gold boulder, worth from two to ten mil
lions of dollars!
The writer says in the course of his
statement
" | had picked way for some minutes,
hardly looking at the rock, when all at
once l observed little gold in it. 1
jumped up, and, by Jupiter the whole
boulder-about ten feet high and wide,
and twice as long-was lousy with gold
In one side there was place about two
feet square where the quartz was richer
than any ever saw in the San Francisco
assay office. 1 picked out $40 with my
knife in half an hour. l danced like a
crazy man, and if l had not been afraid
L would have yelled worse than thou
sand Indians at q war dance. l can't
ilken my feelings to anything 1 ever felt
on earth. At first 7 felt scared at the
thought Of how rich | would be, and nv
heart rose in my throat; then | felt as
though had been chased bY the Devil,
and had managed to get inside of Heav-
ems gate just as Satan was about to
catch me by the coat-tail. 1t was not
long before got over my happy spell.
had no money-no tools; provisions
were high ! had no friends and no ac-
quaintances 1 ate my hare, and stayed
at the rock thinking until it was too late
to go home. 1t got - cold | laid
down and tried to sleep. but could not !;
l got up, and walked back and forth,
thinking, all night. 1t was a terrible,
miserable night.
"ln the morning, when the Sun shone
upon the rock, was happy again. les.
timated its value at not less than two,
possibly eight, or eighteen millions of
dollars it might even be! Now, Bob,
don't laugh at me. I was desperately
wild with Joy. I, who had been a
dreamer and poor devil SO long, was to
be rich to be king! to be able to CAL
ry into execution all the darling schemes
which have so often brought the ridicule
Of the stick-in. the-muds upon me
was at last to be able to 20 home and
claim Rosetta under the hard conditions
made by your father"
The postscript is follows;
"P. S.-Don't let the secret get out, for
all the world, for if people find it out
we'l be all killed, as sure as you live.
Bring six or seven kegs of first quality
blasting powder, not rifle powder. Come
which ever way you can come soonest.
Ii steamer leaves for San Pedro soon
after you get this. that will be your best
course. Buy four or five first-rate pack
animals, with Mexican saddles, at Los
Angeles, and get good Mexican boy of
eleven or thirteen years to look after them.
Bring lot of sardines and can oysters !;
we can get other provisions here, though
at high price. John and Bill and your
self must each have two Of Colts reyol-
vers, one navy size, and the other smaller.
If you come by the Tularc Valley, strike
the river twenty miles below Greenhorn,
and at Jones's Camp you'll find letter
from me. l don't know but that we
could break off the ID rock better
with iron wedges than with powder. Go
to some stone mason and ask the best
plan to break a boulder in pieces. Bring
some little wedges along, anyhow; 1
think you will find wedges for splitting
rocks for sale at Southworth's iro1f' store,
on the corner of Battery and California
Streets"