The Montana post., 1868-03-14
FROM FLINT CREEK


: ED. PosT: Through the houlinr.
winter little is to be gathered outsida ;,
the anticipations OF the expectant min.
to interest or amuse many hundres. :,
your readers. The whine of one l.aS
"pinching" and another "wid.nissY'
out is of course classed as "hum-d,nrs
talk and based upon rumor in a ops,,.
camp. This topic. however, forms ~.
subject of nearly all conversation and
confidential interviews The arrival -
two or three attaches of the Survsvo.
Generals office has created little inon;.
~ in the minds of "honest miners :.
to whether they were to be .gobblas
up" by this new arrangement or not
Some three or four lodes have bes,
staked off, learn, and are to be paten,a1
providing no opposition is made within
the prescribed time as fixed by the act
Not more than one so far surveyed q,
posted in this district but will meet with
opposition. As far as your correspond.
ent has been able to judge, many who
were inclined to doubt their own right
suppose their claim fully and finally
established under the operations of the
said Congressional enactment, and are
therefore, anxious to get within the fold
before the hand of justice reaches them
or her scales are adjusted. This is what
might properly be termed surface fuan.
ciering. Just here, and before .edges
have been perfectly defined or but little
is known of them in the camp exceot
from surface indications, (or we will say
so feet below actual surface) instead of
avoiding their great terror, the law, they
rash madly, l may say frantically, into
its ever open arms. A year hence would
be soon enough so far as this camp is
concerned for a government patent to
issue. BY and during that time, with
the enterprise and energy exhibited, the
outline of bona fide lodes or lodges would
be defined, or at least better defined,
than at present. The law itself is crude
and unsatisfactory, no precedents hav-
ing been established or decisions of note
been as yet given by the U. S. courts
1t is calculated, in the humble opinion
OF your correspondent, when admins
tered or executed by unscrupulous Off
GERS, TO cause more litigation than any
law ever enacted in relation to mines
and mining. If (as it appears) any party
having a gopher hole and making an
affidavit that 1000 worth of labor has
been expended on said lode, by comply
ing with the balance of the law, is enti-
tied TO a patent from government on
paying these gcntlemen's fees, and that,
too, without even being able to tell in
what direction No. 2 lies from the pur-
ported discovery. We think there is
more humbug than anything else in it.
True, the law is all we'll enough, provi-
ding the world was composed of honest
men only; but it is plain to see that we
could do without it in that case entirely.
Helena has got dose of these specula-
ting attaches over which she fuses and
fumes terribly. learn that the WITH
drawal of the SO called capitalists at their
back and the removal of the offending
parties from Office, however, will settle
her nerves again. .
Mails, expresses, etc, now run through
long neglected Deer Lodge county with
regularity. A postmaster
has recently been appointed at Phillips
burg, and all are anxiously awaiting the
arrival of the u. s. mail, or as sometimes
termed in mining camps, "Three Cent
Express" By way of "good and suffi-
cient reason for not sooner being estab-
lished, am informed our worthy post
is waiting for mail bag to be
sent from Washington with patent
lock and key attached. The grand ,mostin.
geniously woven romance of Helen swim
gate" is attracting the universal atten-
ton of critics in this locality. Scarcely
an assembly of gentlemen are found
around festive board, enjoying feast
Of reason and flow of SOUL" but this
highly entertaining subject comes up
Her hair-breadth escapes and luckless
career enlists the strongest sympathy of
Ill romantic halfbreeds that can read.
A strife of no mean magnitude has re-
;ently sprung up between Barnum and
Bonner to obtain the copyright from the
author. We think it better adapted 10
3onner's taste as per finis, "To be con-
inued." All novel readers In the COM
nunity at present are wondering what
he =" Crows" will do with her. Our
'wn opinion is, she will skedaddle to
Cheyenne with a rabbit hunter.
Stages between Phillipsburp and
Jable City run with great regularity six
lines per week and strange to say they
ire well supported. We SO far have
never seen one go out empty, clear or
tormy, and this travel is increasing.
The Gold Mill has stopped to arrange
he building of the boiler, which was
erected but temporarily Gt seems) to
ny the machinery. 1t will probably
start again on Monday next. We are
upon what would usually be
deemed the best kind of authority that
,he clean up was about nine thousand
dollars from 187 tons of rock; but pre-
'ume the whole truth will come out be-
ore this reaches you.
The James Stuart Mill has been III OPP
Grafton for nearly one week on Comanche
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