St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-04-21
FROM THE GOLD MINES.
Capt. Fisk's Big ststAea.-People ad~is-
ed to 'ts s}.t s. = hG sss; ;5i2slfsht'al


= ~
esa to SAY ss s1''-
" stite'of society.
AS every body is more or less inter-
ested in reliable information from the
Idaho gold mines, We publish several
extracts tiomsa private letter received
from Mr. Mark D. Tisd6Satet, FORMERLY
Of this place. Mr.. l.. has been in the
mines fo' almost three years, and per-
fect'condlencc can be placed in what,
ever he writes on the subject. The,
letter is dated Virginia City, ,larca. lst,
Il cannot avoid speaking Of letter
written by Capt. Fisk, aaa published
in the st. Paul !f>'ess. lie is grossly
mistaken when he saiys that the men
average thirty dollars per day. 1t is
my firm belief that the average does
not exceed ten dollars. Again, it is
next to impossible to find dGt the
amount If gold that has been taken out
Of these mines since discovered. I
would say to those coming to this coun-
try, do not place any reliance on the
statements Of that article BY Capt Fisk
in reference to the amount Of gold taken
out and the yield per man, for he was
wrongly informed. \ word to those
who are making little more than a
good living, stay where you arc, is my
advice. A person who has nothing to
lose, who never had anything and new
er expects to, may profit by trip to
this gaming information, if
nothing moro.
1.-THE miners are preparing to sluice
again. Quite a large number who
have driftcd claims; those that have
to be tunnelcd to get out the pay
dirt;;' have big piles Of this dirt ready
to sluice when the weather Will permit.
Some claims in the Summit district, drs
now paying from s25 to $500 per day,
being worked by from three to FIVE
hands. 1t has cost the owners from
$500 to $500 to open them. Perhaps
Capt. Fisk did not count this cost when
he made the average estimate A large
proportion of the claims do not pay
more than from IS to SIS per day, and
the expense of>working makes heavy
draw on this yield. Timber is very
scarce. This winter I have paid as
high as 81 per stick, six inches at top
and eighteen feet long.
'>provisions are selling as follows:
Flour, $34 pc. sack; beef, zoe o:3Oc
per 10; sugar, 85c; butter, 1925 to
81 so tea, So so; bacon, Soc: coffee,
SOC; syrup, IS to's9 per gal; whisky,
50 to $40, and tire other articles in pro-
portion"
Mr.. Ledbeater gives detailed ac-
count Of the operations of the Vigilance
Committee which has hung between
twenty and thirty men belonging to a
band of highwaymen. Among these
was the Sheriff: Of Baunock City and
the Deputy Sheriff of Virginia City.
One of the 'desperadoes, :Spanish
Frank, shot two men as he was about
to be arrested, and then shut himself
up in house. The,citizens brought a
cannon left by Capt. Fisk to bear Oh
this, and fred ball which Wounded
the solitary inmate. He was then hung
up by the leg and lis body riddlsd
with balls. The crowd then pulled
down the house, and piled up the logs,
on which was placed the body ard all
burned together. Another Of the gang
hurrahcd for jeff. Davis before he was
swung of. A young man named Geo
Collins shot another at Virginia City,
and he was tried and hung the same
day. The Indians promise to be troub.
leso+ne, and troops are expected.