Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-01-15
TIE LAST MAN In MEXICAN
CAMP,
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

Msxioan Camp was . nest Of snov-white
miners tents hpddlSd down IN . dinpls OF
the SisrrAs. IL you hsd stood near the
flag pole in the center OF the camp, on
which the stars and Stripes were raised or
lowered on the arrival or departure of the
Mustang express tho only regular thread !
connecting the camp with the outer world
and looked intently west, you might have
seen on day Of Singular clesrness, beyond
some newborn cities, ths dash ofthe Pacific
in the sun. At your back, mountains black !
with pine and cedar, then bald and grey
with granite, bsssAlt, aud eioder, then white
with everlasting suoWs, had made you feel
strong and secure Of intrusion ia the rear.
Close beside you, on the bill sides and 10
the gulch, you had seen trees liftlng their
"ubs above the heads OF the bands Of men
who knew for the time no other shelter
while At your feet ia the gueh, and as far
down as the eye could follow il, the little
muddy stream struggled on through little
fleets Of tio aud iron pans, gre4t Mexican
wooden bowls, aud through cradles, toms,
aud slaices. You had ssen long grey lines
OF Mexican mules strilying around the
mountain, winding toto camp with their
heavy burdens; you had heard tbs shouts,
spicsd thick with osths, Of the tawny pack.
srs. You had heard the sound Of the ham
mer aud axe on every hAad, for a new city
had been born, rs 10 were. the night before,
and this was it's fret ssrugRls-ery and reach
ing Of uncertGin hands. All day, on either
side the stream, sat = wall Of meu washing
for gold. The MsxioSn aud the American
were side BY side lhAs bad been breast to
breast 81 Monterey; The lawyer wrought be-
side his client; the porter found his strong
arms made hun the superior here TO the
dainty gentleman to whose wants he had
once mInistered.
That was democracy pure aud simple.
Life, energy, eArnestaess. That was be
ginning OF a race ia life in which oil had
an even start. What an Impulse il wa,
Il inspired the most sluggish. Il thrilled
the most lndiffsrent--digni6ed aud emo
bsd the bAssst soul that was there. MeXi-
oAn Camp has persisted, but il has left its
lessons verdict clear and unqualified 10
favor OF the absolute equality of men.
without any recon nendAIion OF mercy 20
masters.
Each man, peer or peon, had six feet oil
ground. That Was made = law ct = miners
msedug held around the flagstaff the day
10 was raised, At which kaugaroo Brown
presided with uncommon dignity consider.
ing his long term Of service at Sidney, not
90 mention the many indi.oretious laid to
his charge before leaving his native country
81 bis eountry's expense, for his country.
good. IL was a. hrs. passed that a miner
should hold Eve fee, only, but Yanke-
who had an uncommonly rich claim moved
reconsideration, aud, without waiting "a
got second, made speech aud put hi.
own motion. This was bis speech and mo.
ton, delivered at the top Of his voice
Boys, 20 you foot better. BlasI it
let's give fellow enough to be- buried in
anyhow. All those that say sir teet max
Il manifest BY saying aye
There was chorus "The ares have it,
and ak feet il the Law; aud now declare
this meeting adjourned sign de and the
convict Chairman descended from the pine
stump where he had stood in his shirt.
sleeves, took up his PICK aud pan, Invested
OF his authority Of an hour entered his claim
aud bent his back to the toll, as did the
thousands OF men sro1nd him.
Mexican Camp flourshed like . palm for
many years; then, like eli placer-mining
camps, il began to decline. The gold wa.
washed from the best parts Of the Rnlch, aud
the best men Of the camp, one by one, re-
turned to their homes 10 other lands, OF
retired to camps deeper in the mountains
as their fortunes directed. As the Saxon
went out the Celestial came in, but gave nc
new blood to the camp. Vacant cabins and
adobe ehiuuevs stool all up and down the
Ruloh, and lizards summed themselves upot
them undisturbsd. Tne butcher. the greA
autocrat Of the mining camp, began to come
around with his laden mules twice week
instead Of twice day. A bad sign for the
camp.
But there was one camp that was never
vacant; u stood apart from town, on thI
brown hillside, aud AS 1t was one OF the fret
so IL promised to b. the last OF the camp 4
always had an ugly bulldog tied 20 the
door, and it was itself lo~, suspicious
looking structure. that year by year sanl
lower as the grass grew taller around it, Ill
II seemed trying TO hide 10 the chapArral
IL had but one occupant, silent, selfst
man, who never came out by dAy except 1,
bury himself alone 10 his claim 81 work
Nothing vas knOEn OF him A. al save Ih'
story that he had killed his partner In ,
gambling house away back som where IL
40 he was Stunned and feared By all
aud be approached and spoke TO no one
except the butcher, the grocer, and express
man, aud ~ these only briefly on business
l believe, however, that the old onIcast
known as "FOrty-nine jimmy sat on IN,
bank aud talked TO the murderer at work IL
his claim il was even said that Forty
nine was on fair terms with the dog at The
door; bat as this was doubted by the mat
who kept tho onY saloon nos rem liuing 10
Mexican Camp, and who was consequently
40 authority, tho report was not believed.
TINS solitary man of the savage dog was
known as Tine Gopher" That vas moi
not the name given him by his parents, bu
Il was the name MsXican Camp had given
him, generation before, aud 70 was nov
the only name by which be was known. The
amount Of gold which he had boarded and
hidden away in That dismal old cabin
through years and years OF incessAnt toll
was competed to DO enormous.
Year after year the grass stole farther
down from the hilltops, to which IL had been
driven, a. It ~ers Ia the early settlement o
the camp; AZ last u envlroned the f,N re-.
naming cabins, as If they we're be,ieged
and It stood up tall aud undisturbed m the
oaly remaining sireet. Sail regularly three
times day, the smoke ourlsd up from the
Gophsr's cabIn, aud the BULLDOG kept uu.
broken seatry al the door.
A quartz lead had bean struck a little
further mp the guica and rival town estAb-
lished. The proprieIors named the old
camp "0rodelphi.' but the man Of the ga
loon Of MexioAa Camp, w1o alaays insist
cd he va, born q genius. called 1t H1gem.
II stuck like wax, and "H1gem' is the only
nams oy which tbs litIle town is known to
this day.
Ono evening there was CONSERVATION
among the oilers of Mexican Camp. 1t
was announced that the las, saloon was to
be removed TO HoRem remOnstranoe
was talked OF; bat when q mal known As
the Judge from his calm demesnor in
the face Of the graVest trouble, urged that
the oaiSmiiy was not so greA. after al,
since each man could cavity transport his
blankets and FIRING pan to the vacant cab.
ms OF Hogsm, no more was said
The next winter The Gopher vas left
utterly alone, aud, in January that follow