St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-04-09
Correspondence.
i FROM THE GOLD MINES:

Indian 1rou6les.-Dspredatio of the Saroges
-Condition Of the Mines.-Law in Bdnnock
Git.-Shootag B9a1.-P7ce Of Provisions,
Stock, &c.
BASsock CITY, D. T. Feb. 9Th, 1868.
FRlEND VILLAS the mail will leave
Tomorrow morning, I thought a few lines
from me would net come amiss. I want
you to understand that I am going it blind,
for 1 am under the impression that you will
never, receive this, as two of the mail car
riers have been killed between here and
Salt Lake and I think this one will have a
small chance to get through. The Indi-
ans have become very troublesomes to the
travellers on the Salt Lake route, and in
this vicinity. They have stolen quite a
large number of cattle and horses from the
people: of this gulch. They have killed
two white men, and threaten to kill more.
The other day they drove off between thir-
ty and forty head of cattle. To-day some
twenty men have gone in search of the
cattle. and Indians. expect mine are
stolen with the rest. The Indians on the
Salt Lake route have fortified themselves
and dare the soldiers who are stationed at
Salt Lake to come out and fight them, but
these do not feel disposed to do so. An
other report is, that the head chief has
sent word to Brigham Young to have him
call bis men from this place, as he does
not want to kill any of Brig hams men :;
but this may only be rumor to get up an
excitement to keep the men upon their
guard The Indians dare not attack this
places at least l. think they had better let
the job out, for We muster between eight
Fhundfcd and a thousand men, and they
will find some hard nuts to crack. l re-
fer to the old miners of California and
Pixies Peak-not but what our Minneso-
ia boys would jump in and play small
hand. But that is the least of my fears
They know too much to attack us here.
The miners are doing pretty we'll, at
least those who are working. The best pay
ing claim in the gulch is owned by Staple
ton & Co. A few days ago they paid some
six hundred dollars for the claim, and in
two days four men rocked out $3.50. The
next best claim is on quartz lode; out Of
eighty pounds Of quartz they got s75. A
mau offered the owners of the claim $4,000
for the privilege Of taking out one cord of
dirt, but they would not take it. The same
men made an estimate, and said it would
90 from nine to twelve thousand dollars to
the cord. There are several good claims
opened on the same lode, but have not
been SO thoroughly tested. The claims in
the gulch (good with the bad, average, as
near as I eau learn, about eight dollars to
the man per day, but in the summer sea-
son would pay better. Not two thirds
Of the men in the gulch have claims
The miners do not feel disposed to prospect
for claims, so they Intend waiting until
spring.
The weather this winter has been very
mild; the coolest day was sixteen degrees
below zero. We have had but little snow
on the ground, and in some of the valleys
there is no sign of any whatever.
The cattle that were put on the ranch
in the fall that were nothing but skin and
bone, are now in good working order.
We have miners meeting every few
days, on some dispute among the miners; !;
we have tried again and again to have civ
il law, but the miners vote it down. The
gamblers want civil law. They think if
they get this they can handle the officers
as they choose, and this is the reason the
miners don't want it. They want Mob
Law and Judge Lynch to be the supreme
rulers in q mining community. As it is
now, We have no law nor order. Two weeks
ago we had sad shooting affair at this
place. Two gamblers by the name of
Reaves and Moore got on a drunk, and
went over to some Indian wigwams and
killed two Indians and wounded two 9th.
ers. They then returned to their house
and got their shot guns to kill more
While they were gone after their weapons,
some five men and a squaw went to the
Indian vigvams and explained the matter.
At this time Moore and Reaves, returned
; and fred into the wigNams, hitting one
man in the abdomen, hip and shoulder
Che died the same night; another was hit