Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-06-01
WHEE
THE INTELLIGENCE.

PIKE's PEAKE.-John Smith went to Pixies
Peak and wrote letter to his brother George,
telling of his wonderful success. Hear him:
"PIEE's PEAKE, March /, 1S59.-My Dear
Brother:-"We had all the hardSllips in the
world before we got here. We lost our horses
at Dubuquc-they were stolen from us. We
got some extra oxen, and lost them one hundred
miles from Omaha. We then tried wheel bar
rows, my wife and wheeling by turns, till the
Indians stole our harrows. Then we walked
till the Indians stole provisions, and my
family got sick; so had to carry them all on
my back. Our money gave out long before,
and for two weeks we Travelled through will
derneSs where the foot of human being had
never trod. In this condition, seeing no living
being, and without money to purchase even
cracker at any of the groceries along the line
VIC lived on roots till my children all looked
like pigs, from roofing SO long.
''l have carried my family on my hack till l
am so round shouldered that can only see the
blue sky and the bright sun by looking between
my legs, up TO heavens canopy that way.
lost two hundred pounds OF ilesh-horsc meat
when Started from Dubuque, or we should
have got along better.
''There is gold here-lots oft. The gophors
dig it out of the ground by the bnshcl, and i'll
the moonlight the whole earth for miles round
looks like heaven with its myriad of stars, or
like pretty girl with yellow frcckles. Tho
and the snakes in this country look like solid
gold ones, from crawling among gold chunks-
1t is found in all sized pieces, from the size of
hens egg up TO the OigneSS of 4 large stone,
and of the finest quality.
''Wc have raked together what lay loose on
an acre of ground, and have twenty two plies
about as big as q large sized hay stack y!
''Last night two hundred Indians came to
rob us of set of silver spoons and fine comb
that my wife had to use on the children, and
we barricaded our house with rocks of gold
until they could not gain admittance and were
forced to beg to make friends with us. The
chief laid down his weapons and came into our
camp, when my wife used the fine comb on his
head till his gratitude lively rs his head
was, and he was so ticiled that he offered TO
marry my wife, and show me where gold WAS
in plenty. | love my wife-yOu know that
George, but thinking that | might die before l
got iich, and feeling that must make some
property to leave my children, | consented TO
the match, and she has gone off with the Indian,
who is a great Chief and taken the fine comb
with her! Come out with your wife, and bring
a fine comb, brother George.
Il am going to leave these dggings for bet
ter one. 1t is too much trouble to tug and pry
up the great big chunks of gold that weigh half
a ton or so and arc so thick you cannot getthem
out without danger of breaking your legs, and
am going up to Tavine, where all have to do
is to go up to the top Of high mountain and
roll il down to the river.
THE country here is fine, hut the winds are
awful. Ny boys got SO light with eating roots,
that can only keep them by inc, or together,
by piling humps of gold, about big as mallets,
on their shirt tails, as the little innocents sit
down ON the grass to play Every thing grows
here. can :aise twenty bushels OF wheat TO
the acre. Oranges, lemons, and all such colOred
fruits grow wild here, while melons, pears, APP
pies, peaches and apple dumpIings are 50 plenty
ti.at they find no market;
''Sel oil what stuff you have il Wisconsin,
and come here. You get rich in little
while, and so back in such style as will astonish
the natives.
Give my love TO all the folks around the
corners, aud put notice on tie school honse,
that they can get an onttit in Chicago ror $500.
Come ont here dear brother, by all means.
Yours, aitectiouatcly,