Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-03-27
From the Gold Mines.
HELENA, MONTANA TERRITcGY,
February 22d. 1858. {

o. EDIToR CHRONICLE Our. city was some
what startled last week by the report that
a party of Indians belonging to the Blood
and Blackfect tribes, had stolen lot of
stock from the Benton road, and had also
burned several stations and ranches. and
had either killed or carried away captive
one family of whites. "Later advices"
show that the extent OF the mischief was
an attempt to steal some ofthe stage stock
About week prior. to that time hunter
was shot by an Indian on the Dearborn
river 30 miles north from Helena. inls
is the only case Of death, ana was Tue
openine of the outbreak. The object APP
pears to be for pilage rather than an ex,
termination Of the whites. The Pen d
Orelles-a friendly tribe-have suffered
the loss of nearly all their, stock, and 1T rs
reported that they pursued the thieyes,and
brought them to an engagement, which re-
suited in the killing of two Bloods. One
of the killed is supposed to be the savage
who shot the hunter a 20.
The tribes who infest the Musselshell
county, have threatened to scalp any whites
who may attempt to pass through that
way. Parties numbering respectively,
three, four, twelve and four, have been dis
patched to It. Hawlcy with the mails, and
as nothing has been heard from them; nor
anything from the Fort for two months, it
is feared that the Indians have put their
threats into execution. While speaking
ofIndians, | will state that the elaborate
report of the Commissioners concerning
the Indians Of the plains. gives much dis
satisfaction to the settlers Of Montana.
It seems, as the Montana Post asserts,
stmore like an emanation from Red Cloud
than from body of United States officials"
Snow has fallen at last, to the depth Of
two inches The valley and foot hills have
long been bare, and in the mountains the
snow may be measured by units where it
ought to be by tens. The last two weeks
have been as fine as might be expected,
even in summer but the elongated faces of
the people, and their frequent consultations
on the appearance Of the sky, betrayed that
fine weather is not the thing for us at this
season of the year. We want snow. 1t is
next to life with US. We have no copous
rains in summer, and the water required
by the farmer for irrigation, and by the
miner for slucing, is derived from the ac-
cnmulation of snow in the mountains, grad
uaIly melting away during the summer
months. We hope for much snow yetthis
season, and we may get enough of it, and
plenty of cold with it. Coldis hardly ex-
pressive enough to give correct idea of
the absence of heat which. is experienced
at times in this country. never before
experienced such cold as we have had on
two or three days this winter /. have
heard several persons say that the terrible
degree Of 46 below zero has been reached.
On that day man was frozen to death
about twenty miles from this placcssThi
is the only case have heard of ofso Sc
rious a nature resulting from freezing.
On the 18th inst. "a man named James
Gardiner was killed in a tunnel in Oregon
gulch. The timbers gave way, and hewas
undoubtedly Killed in an instant. About
eighteen hours were required to- disinter
the corpse, which was buried at Helena on
the Goth inst. Life is a precarous exist
ence, and dangers swarm around the path
of ALL Those who seem the most Secure,
often stand upon the brink of the grave
The good citizens Ct Helena are sorely
troubled at the present time about he APP
preaching dissolution Of the city. Large
assemblages have met on several occasions
and have appointed committees with I'M
limited power. The cause of all this
trouble and these proceedings is this
Certain parties have located the ground on
which the town stands, for mill sites
Certain requirements of the law relative to
town sites were neglected, and these par
ties took advantage of that omission for
the real purpose of extorting money from
those who own property in the town.
The resolutions adopted at the meetings
before mentioned, show that the people are
determined to effectually put stop to such
schemes. First they politely ask for
withdrawal of the mill rights, and if this
is refused, then there is talk Of employ
ment of such measures as were once used
by the "Vigilantsn There is no wonder
that people should rise en- masse to OPP
pose such scheme, for the town exhibits
many fine dwellings and business houses
also. To my knowledge, one house COM
mands $3.50 per month rent and there are
others as good and probably better. Among
the public buildings are those that have
cost much money, and are an ornament to
the place. The M. E. Church is a frame
building, upon a stone basement. should
suppose it to be about 60x9O feet 1t is
surmounted by a steeple, the whole attain
ing an altitude of so feet. It's estimated
cost is $4,000
The courthouse is the best building in
the territory, and is credit to public en-
terprise. The chief material of which it is
composed is granite taken from the sur
rounding hills. o"4
Other churches, school houses, and
town buildings, besides the immense
amount of private property at stake, offers
justifable incentive for the people to
arise and assume the pretensions of a mob
g. B. WHEELER
CHATTEL MoRTeAGEs.-A law passed at