The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-10-04
Timid Sims-A California
Sketch.

1AhSCHAA
"Timid Sims" as he was called, wa
held in very inferior rcpute among tn
boys at Texas Bar, because ne had back
ed down before a six shooter. a ma
on Texas Bar might be lacking in man
qualities but il he had "the sond' it GOV
cred a multitude Of sins. Sand" wa
the iocular translation for "grit Sand
in locality possessing but little law anc
less order, was an absolute essential to
good standing in Texas Bar.
Timid Sims was pale, slender, inof
fensive, dreamy character, whose genera
aspect and manner gavc you tho impres
sion tho' he didn't know exactly what h,
had come into the mines for; indeed
that he didn't know exactly what he camc
into existence for He had body tC
cloihc, shelter and feed. and it was im.
pcrativ that he ahnnld work 10 cloihc
shelter ind feed il. He wa not st ong
enough to 10 an able bodied mans work
No one would employ him, even when
hands were needed in the river claims
during the busiest season a circnms tance
which seemed to puzzle Sins exceedingly
until at las, ho was plainly told by one
of the roughcr and more outspoken min.
ers that he couldn't keep ~ his lick with
other nen anyway. and the beat thing he
could do was to 60 into grocery store,
tend bar or keep school"
Sims, however, would mine He Tor
rowed rocker, procured very limited
supply Of -four, pork aud potatoes on
credit at the store, took possession Of a
deserted log sabin at the farther end Of
the bar, patched up the roof with old
boards which came floating down the riv-
er' and tried at night to sleep ccnforta
oily on the floor in his scanty blankets
lie worked here aud there along th bank &,
sometimes washing over cold toiliugs,' -
sometimes working some lit Of q bar or
rifle exposed during low stage of the
river; which since "'49" had been dug
over score Of times. He made "six
bits sometimes q dollar and half per
day. often nothing. His waro reckoned
"Chinomau's wages" Taken altogether,
fNt' 'iihn ill'liN tdSNt1 lUT NiftlJ uiHu.
IL was 10; 40 nuc,i tnst ne was feeble IN
body either, for there were others resi-.
dent near him, able to lift no more
pounds Or swing pick hour after hour
with no more vigor than he ; but there
was about Sims an air of weakness and
selfdepreciation. He was always shrink.
ing into holes and corners. He had no
bluff" no sclf.nsscrtion. If he went
into room full of strangers. he seemed
frightened at some imaginary thing
With few, he became intimate and
they called him n clever little fellow. To
these he clung, and desired no more ac-
quantances. Every stranger be seemed
to regard as an enemy. He was fond of
and, during tho summer, would
neglect work altogether wandering about
the surrounding mountains.
Sims had oae merit He was an inde-
fafigable prospector, and at last struck
gravel diggings on BiEel's Flat. Had
be been smart he might have monopol.
olized the entire lead He contented
himself with modest slice at one end
' 'N'"S N'Wh 'ne hnlt DNditt ch'''bR
and shooting men Of Texas Bar. Jim
Freemnntlc hnd worked bank claim IA
cling the Flat two years previously, with.
out suspecting the diggings which exist.
ed an eighth Of mile back No matter.
On the plea of possessing a prior claim
on Bixel's. he and his compeers argued
that they had the right of running the
first boundary lines" Sims had already
run his own, which included, so far as be
could judge oy external indications a fair
share of the lead supposed to exist under
meath. This Freemantle & Co. coveted
So they ran their lines, which clsshed
with those of Sims Sims found Free
mantle's notice posted in the heart Of
his claim. He exposiuloted with him.
He renewed bis own notices which had
been torn down. These were again
snatched of, and his boundary stakes
kicked over This was accompanied by
a threat from the proprietors of the
"Conquer we must" claim. that "anv
more of that sort of thing would lead to
bullats." So Sims "took to water" and
was obliged to take up with a fragment
of the ground he had discovered.
Wang Chu kent "cbiua store" little
above Bixel's Flat. Wang Chu dealt
principally in gin salt fish. tea and OPT.
um. 10 his leisure hours he had con.
s.ructed boat for Transporting parties
of his countrymeD, who from time to time
in their migration about the country in
search Of diggiDgs, might desire to cross
the river. 1t was built after the Chinese
style of marine architecture. 1t was
cumbrous, heavy, lop sided aud unman.
agcable in the most quiet waters. One
aim IN its construction had been to use as
much old lumber as possible When
Wang Chu had finished "the Ark" as the
miners termed it, he had painted two
great eyes in the bows. Thereby he
deemed he had made it rational. living,
seeing creature. When it was first set
aaoat, there was dedicatory burning of
crackers, joss sticks, other pow.wowipg,
and an increased consumption by Wang
CLl and his contemporaries of gin an j
opium. After this the ill-.tarred and
uugainly craft hoated 10 its crippled and
lop sided fashion 10 little blight Of the
river. Its passage over the Stanislaus
at the lowest stage Of water was accom-.
panied by vast amount of loud outcries
and gabbing on the part of Wang Chn
and his crew. who mingled their frantic
padding, when 10 the heaviest current
midetraam uith N tnnassaok ;fa,a 4; An