The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-05-25

The Pixies Peak and Cherry Creek Gold
nanss- stampede Amongst tho Em,xraats.
We published yesterday q telegraphic des-
patch from St. Louis anHsuncing an attack
by party Of starving Pixies Peak emf
grants on the outward bound trains, near
OFallon's Bluffs, In which the conductor was
said to have been killed, and the newly
appointed Postmaster at Auraria hung by the
aseailanta We had previously received the
letters, published in another column, dated May
the 9th and 10th, stating that the emigrauts were
returning in large bodies to the States, and that
20 great was their disappointment and irritation
that they had burned down Denver City, and
had threatened to serve in . similar manner
Omaha, st. Joseph, Leavenworth, and the other
river towns which had assisted in deluding them
from their homes.
1t will be seen by letters of later date,
from Omaha and other places along the route,
that although check to the tide of emigration
had occurred, no attempts had been made to
carry out the threats attributed to the
disappointed gold seekers. It is, there
fore, not improbable that this reported
outrage at O'Fallon's Bluffs belongs to a
similar class of rumors to those noticed
by our correspondents. There are always mis-
chievousy disposed persons ready to amuse
themselves with the spprehensions of panic
stricken crowd; and it is to be hoped
that these alleged murders have no more
serious foundation. Il is known that q
large proportion Of the emigrants have
gone out upon this tramp without any pre-
vious inquiry into or adequate preparation for
its difficulties. Many of them took with them
little more than gun and game bag, expecting
to be able to provide for their daily wants along
the route. This improvidence is the usual
characteristic of the gold-hunting mania; and
during the Fraser river emigration it was near
producing fearful loss of life. But for the
fact that the miners were compelled to return to
Victoria before the frost and snow set in, from
their utter destitution of provisions and cloth
ing, they would have persisted by thousands.
From the accounts which have reached us, the
condition of large proportion of the Pixies
Peak emigrants seems to be little better. OF
course, under such circumstances, only we'll
sustained faith in the resources of the mines
could have enabled them to bear up against
the fatigue and privations which they had to en-
counter. This was wanting for whether through
interested motives or otherwise, they have been
met on the road by parties who have given such
disheartening accounts of their prospects as to
repel the tide Of emigration and concentrate
large bodies Of disappointed and exasperated
idlers in the neigkhorhood of the river
towns. The alarm inspired by their prox-
imity, and perhaps the violent language
they have used, have probably given
rise to these rumors Of outrages; but as far as we
have been able to trace their truth, we believe
| they have no other basis.
Although there has, no doubt, been good
| deal Of exaggeration and lying in the accounts
| given Of the richness of the Pixies Peak mines,
it seems to us that the panic inspired by the re-
presentation of few thriftless adventurers, who
bad neither the means nor the courage to in
vestigate the facts for themselves, is senseless
one. The parties, we are informed, who were
principally instrumental in circulating these
stories never had been at the mines at ALL and
probably took their cue from others who were
interested in preventing any addition to the
! number of persons actually at work. That gold
] is to be found there there can be no doubt from
the weight of testimony which has been adduced
in support Of the fact; that it is to be found in
sufficient quantities to fulfil the expectations of the
immense numbers who are emigrating to the
mines this spring. is not so certain. 1t will be
collected that when Captain Marcy visited Silver
creek with his troops last fall in search of cattle
| for the army of Utah, he detected evidences of
| the auriferous character of this neighborhood.
The gold, however, was found only in small
/ quantities on the surface of the soil,
and he formed the conclusion that it
| could only realize a profit to the miner by the
employment of expensive machinery, which, at
such remote distance from the frontiers of
civilization, is of course out of the question. 1t
may be that there are other portions of this re-
gion of richer character; but from the accounts
which have reached us from the Pixies Peak
mines up to the present time, it does not ap-
pear to us that the new Ell Dorado is to be found
there. The reports on this point, however, are
SO contradictory that it is impossible to say
which way the truth lies. Although we would
be the last to give any encouragement to the
movement which is djsplaciDg such numbers of
the Industrial classes from their legitimate occu-
patioDs, we cannot help expressing our convic-
ton that the encouragement which has seized
upon the gold-seekers at such an advanced stage
OF their journey is not justified by any well au-
thenticated facts.
IMPROVEMENTS Down Town - THE NASSAU
STREET JoB.-There is just now proposition
before the Corporation authorities which is one
of the most outrageous swindles ever concocted
between set of INSCRIPTIONS spectators and
corrupt officials. 1t is the projected widening of
Nassau street, between Liberty and Beekman