Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-01-09
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FROM DAN DE QUILL.
VIRGINIA CRY, N. 7. Dec, 18th,

Eds. oAZETTE :-HaVlnS Few minutes o
spare time on my hands this evening-ou
paper being up-I have taken it into m,
a head to send you few hastily written lines
that you may know that am still abov
3 this argentiferous sod. "a man does no
"hanker" after the grave, even though it
walls may prospect big in silver.) Speaking
; of graves, reminds me of the fact that severa
men have gone down to mother earth il
. blood, during the past week. Within fou
days we have had one woman kicked
: to death by brute ola man living with her
, another woman shot in the shoulder and Sc
verely wounded by her husband man &C
cidentally shot in the leg, another beaten tc
death by slung shot or stone, another as
F sassinated in a saloon, and still another-the
next morning-both cut and shot in the
principal street in the town Bloody times,
truly but we now hope to have calm for
a time. The approach of winter has driven
tlocks Of rufiians from Cariboo, Salmon riv.
ers and other Of the northern gold fields to
this territory, where times are good and the
weather during the winter months compar-
atively mild. Our Legislature is at present
in session. Thus far they have done little
but grant toll roads, ferries and other pri-
vate franchise-little or nothing for the good
ofthe Territory or benefit Of the people at
large has been thought Of or attempted by
them. Though we have many red-hot reb-
els amongst us, we may yet be set down as
good and loyal people. You have doubt.
less heard Of the twenty thousand in silver
bars sentby US for the relief of our brethren
in the east; we are not vet wearied Of we'll
doing. We now have on hand several thou
sand dollars and this month we will send at
least ten thousand dollars to the Western
Office of the Sanitary Commissary at St. Lou
is. Many here have agreed to give sums
ranging from ten to one hundred dollars per
month during the war; Our mills are all
running and the majority of them are doing
well. Some dozen new and rich mines have
been opened, and are now being profitaby
worked, during the season. More real mi
ming is now being done than at any time in
the history of our Territory, and infinitely
more confidence is felt in the permanence of
our mines. Over four hundred new build
ings were erected in this place during the
past summer, many Of them large, first
class, brick and stone fire proof buildings.
Other towns in the territory have progressed
at this like giant pace: among these we may
mention Gold Hill, Dayton, Carson City,
Washoe City, Aurora, (Esmerolda district),
and Humboldt City, Humboldt mines. PEG.
pie in the States have but very faint con-
ception of eur progress, our wealth or our
present and prospective Importance Rich
Developments arc constantly being made in
the Humboldt country and lately some most
promising discoveries in silver in the vicinity
of Reese river. There will be big rush to
these new mines and to all parts Of this ter.
rtory next season. 1t is the opinion of many
that good gold and silver bearing veins exist
throughout the mountain ranges between the
Scrira Ncva lasmountains and the Missouri
river. l expectE to pass over this country
soon and shall keep an eye open for indi-
cations, There is now move on foot for
petitioning Uncle Sam to allow US to become
a State; but it will not succeed. Most of
those now holding Offices in the territory and
nearly all those who would like Offices are in
favor of it, but we, the people, will de-
feat them. We are ready to send our silver
bars to the aid of true men fighting for the
Union, but not to give them to support shoals
of hungry State officers, We are but TWEEN
ty thousand, what we can send as our mite
to the aid Of those fighting in our cause
shows our generosity and loyalty, and really
may be respectable sum but ground to the
dust and squeezed to the last cent, we are
unable to make respectable appearance as
Stakeholder stand before our sisters in the
Union as one of the most glorious Of Terri
tories than lie at their feet, the mcanest and
most insignificant of States.
| should like to give your readers de-
scrption of some of our mines and the vari-
Gus modes Of working them, as we'll as the
ores taken from them, but could scarce do
credit to the subject in dozen letters-in
fact in nothing short ola pretty thick vol
umc. l have scarce time to write you a
tenth part of the news on this coast which
would be of interest to your readers. -
Iexpect to leave here for Iowa within ten
or fifteen days. l will stop a few days in
Salt Lake City, week or ten days in the |
Pixies Peak country, and day or two at
ST. Louis. But shall got back to the old
Hawkeye State as soon as business on the
road will let me. The weather here is splen-
did at present. hope it will continue so
week or two longer. don't wish to have
the country hidden by snow while passing
through it. You see it will hide all the CROP
pings and indications of the roads wish to
look for. hear our Iowa boys have acquit-
ed themselves nobly wherever they have met
the enemy. God bless them From the
stray numbers Of the GAZETTE I have re-
ceived l learn that many of my old friends