Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-06-10
dhe4free Nxxas
THE PIXIES PEAK BUBBLE.
BURLINGTONi
FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 10, 1859.

little gold oltainable at Pixies Peak and
that the many thousands who have gone
there to make their fortunes, are the victims
Of wild dclusion, or Of infamous deception.
1t is n shocking thing to believe, that there
has been system of false storytelling and
lettcr-forging carried on at the West very
largely, for the express purpose of Turing
people away from their homes to the wilder
ness, that profit might be got from the trav-
elers and the sacrifices of property which the
gold-seekers would be obliged to submit to,
in order to save their lives. Yet the evidence
that such swindling system has been in
operation on large scale, is very strong.
How it has been carried on and the frightful
cons aquences of it are seen in the extracts
below;
From a correspondent Of the n. Y. Evening Post
SUMNER, KANSAS, May 10, 1853.
The Pixies Peak bubb has burst. Inflated by
the gaseous inspiration Of knavish spectators, sub
sidized editors bankrupt merchants, greedy polti-
clans and vagabond flibustcrs till it wore the pris-
matte tints and troacherous hues OF nn Arabian
0rehu I e lThIlc ldnTlc nus ItllHN iulo euIuell
and indistinguishablc ruin.
1t lends finish to the drama to know that the
victims Of the Pixies Peak deusion assuming
the Office of the avenging Nemesis-tc learn that
they have shot and hung some of the most unscru.
pulous Of the perpetrators, and that they are in
fair way to receive their deserts
Tho postmaster at Denver City was accused
tried FOR, and convicted of tampering with the
mails of opening letters, and distributing false
reports purporting to he from the miners TO thei,
eastern friends father astonished by the
arrival Of his son, to whom he had written true
statement of the poverty Of the miners and his own
intentions of returning at the earliest opportunity
Upon inquring the cause Of his starting the ION
showed him letter purportin to be from himself,
and nstructing him to make arrangements to leave
Immediately for Denver City. Tho disguised
handwriting was proved to be the posthastcr's
and the father charging him with the deed, he
confessed its truth, and shot dead on the spot.
Husbands and wives, parents and children, friends
and acquantances, met at the mines or were con.
frontcd by the returning trains, all of whom had
been deluded by these fraudulent and crinin j
misrepresen tations.
A well-known CO. tractor, resident at st. Joseph
|. also reported have been shot by infu lated
victims of his falsehoods.
have Just c c,nversed with two members Of a
company which left here ten days since and got
out one hundred and fifty miles. On the second
day one of tho party was drowned i, crossing n
swollen creek; their wagons broke down, and the
cattle became exhausted and the reflex tide Of
emigration became so strong, all telling one tale
of deceit, want and disaster. that they became dis
heartened and turned their cattle homeward.
They met one man who had the hardihood to as.
sert that he had four hundred dollars worth Of
gold dust in his possession. He was offered SlO0
an ounce for all he would produce, and failing to
exhibit it upon this induccment, they told him il
he did not dsyorgc they would shoot him, upon
which he confessed that he had none, never saw SC
i,nb full nd np1 v m aIe thc tat
to induce the cmigrants to continue their journey
From correspondence of the Missouri Democrat
DENVER CRY, May 0.
Saturday evening last, 7th inst, the first and
long expected mail and passenger stage Of the
Leavenworth and Pixies Peak stage company ar
rived here. It was out twenty days from Leaven
worth.
We have had sickcning rumors for week past
of horrible suffering from freezing, starvation anC
robbery of emigrantS by way of the Smoky Hill
route. S.vcral intelligent gentlemen who have
arrived by that route, told me, they themselve'
were so long on the way--over sand and hills, anG
without n road at all, that they were reduced al
most starvation, lived ten to fourteen days upor
prickly pears and such few wild onions and 9TH
er edibles as they could pick up and also that
they helped bury several persons who died from
starvation.
From the Freeport Journal.
The feeling among the army of returning emf
grants now at kcarney and on the road, is intense
against the border towns that have encouraged
this swindlc and no ono need wonder to hear tha
Omaha, avenworth, Kansas City St. Joscp ant
other places are destroyed, their presses throw
into the river tho editors who have sold themselv
| to the getters up Of the humbug, thrown in witt
! them, and general "muss" created When che.
| were at Omaha, two weeks ago, AMI while ther
were scores Of emigrants in town, direct from tn
| mines, who know the whole thin; to he n wicke'
| humhug the omaha Editor issucl an extra, fam
Ing in character stating that he had reliable new
| Of miners making SIS n dav, and that $4,000 il
| gold dust had been received by certain banking
| firm in Leavenworth. These extras were con
coctcd between the publishers and the no oriou
Jack Henderson, (of border ruifan notoriety), an
| were a lie in every particular. Not cent G
| gold dust has ever been seen in Leavenworth fror
the Peak, and there is no such firm there That
the way all these stories of large profits have 60
| aaoat. They were the creation of the brains ot
set Of unprinciplod rascals, and were sent GU
through either bribed or deceived press, and b
forgeres of letters to friends in the East, sur
preston of all real letters giving the true account
The manner in which this was managed, is illu
trnted by single instance in point related by vi
Laird
A person who had gone to Cherry Creek an
had no means to pay his waJ home, satisfied
the vileness Of the swindle, wrote to his wife, d.
tailed the facts exposed the humbug, and told h
he should beg his way home, starting at one
This letter was placed in charge of Baxter, ALE
Co.'s Express, which conveyed all letters betwee
Fort Laramie and the mines. His wife never r
ceived the letter, but received one in place ot
, forgery, giving glowing accounts of the mine
and telling her TO sell out all he had and come
there at onco I! The man meantime started f
home, begging food to keep him alive, OF tear
he met. At or near Fort Kearney, going up TO
, wagon to ask for food no met his own wife, wi
L.. L,,t Al, tatt bad oil n
, rections, and was on her way to her husband,
share in his supposed good fortune
At Fort kearney it is an every day occurren
for brother to meet brother and father the SO
the one returning, and the other on his way
tho mines on account Of letters received urgi
. him to come. These letters were all forged, no
such having been written. On the contrary, tho
at the mines have all winter long been writi
home Of the destitution there, and the want
, gold.
: From the Chicago journal, May 81.
? Our reporter held a conversation with one
D. II. Hastings Of Menion, Monroe Co., n. Y,
4 old California miner and from him CLEANED I
- following interesting particulars: Mr.. II. left
Joseph by Parkers Express, for Denver City.
4, strongly denounces the proprietors OF this EXPIRE
Il and states that il is their custom, the day beft
d they start to parade Gne-ooking horses throu
. the streets. After getting about 100 miles fr
n the city, they would be ovcrtakon by man "
would claim the horses us being borrowed on
and then the emi grants would he obliged tu bu
; team or foot it, Fortunately their manner OF p
d cedure was well known to his party, and thoy
:. fused to deliver up the horses, and compelled
e driver to go on, They made quick journey,
"A irving at Denver City in ~ days. They imme
ately prospected the Spanish, Cherry Creek
Platte River digginss and found gold in v
&c small quantities, He says man cannot aver
g over twenty five cents per day, md cannot M
m enough to provide himself with -four. The e
il grants were already preparing to leave Den
ar City being terrified by the prospects Of starvat
:; There was not sack Of meal or -four OF POI
y of bacon to be bought in tho city.
" Mr.. Hastings confirms the story of the horI
re suffering of emigrants by the Smoky Hill
an route, and says that no words ca tell the horr
lg .ufferings of returning emisrants upon that II
10 of death The route never travelled bef
a. except upon a map. He snys that the maps
:. resent Cherry Creek as being about so miles
~ the head Of the Fork, when in fact, it Is over
| - fn,p "a big