Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-04-15
THE BLACK HILLS.
A. Account of the Hunbug by
an Eye Witness. N.
NRw HAvEN, ", ApFil 10.

l.. 81 New HAyEN, VT, April 10,
i: Kfl!ter HcrsM lit has been my in
antien for some time to write the BIER
/, La in relation to the Black Hills, of
7ifrsch 80 much has of late been said, and
stlch has caused so much excitement
s1irougho,t the. western world Having
! :.lss arrived from Sioux City, the. head
'g3aser Of excitement, where l have
a.tehed il IN all its growth. / may. be /
- s.s's',s..AHSfs = - fsw facts which those
'ss2 !. .ss.ae faces are turned iongingly to-
willis his last :hGInbEg will do we'll to
!. sssttasieier eet9se slfGy fIi4eo their venture
.tsfa;e. sEA sNI {gs..s.sl ,ar.J......
= i = :. = seraar te. .fuiiy updeFstaRh the sub
sofnethin Jr sias .afsss .s1 ss.,2 Sag, :,
"A 'de-zeh or fifteer years since, tlle place
was nothing more than an Indian trad
Ing post, from .'which.it advanced Il, 8.
>s;:ss' &c 'sA3xernmeft snppljes- fa, ,t,a
lndians and up rlyeT ps2st. Sries. a., ,t st'e
in which respect it became s place Of
considerable Importance. This attracted
the attention of traders, who, with a
small beginning, developed into whole
sale houses as the place grew up. It's
growth was quite rapid, Streets were
laid out, fine, substantial buildings were
erected for stores and hotels, and in due
time il became city with many modern
improvements, and almost before the
outside world became aware that such q
place existed, it had a population of five
thousand inhabitants, Everything was
gCing on swimmingly when hard times
and grasshoppers spread over the coun-
try, giving a serious check to the growth
and prosperity of the place, as well as
the expectation of men whose interests
| were identical with the city.
So seriously was it affected, in retarded
growth and failing business that some
thing must be done to give it a new inn
petus, something that would draw not
only the attention but the capital OF the
| outside world to the interest OF the city.
How this was to be done became ques-
| ton. Clusters expedition and report of
gold in the Black Hills was just the
thing at Just the right time, and the lead
ing citizens of Sioux City grasped 1t as a
drowning man would straw. John
! Gordon, man of some experience in
| mining in California, together with one
Eph. Witcher. organized, or rather be-
came the leaders of a party of twenty
! eight men and one woman, which started
for the Hills, five hundred miles away,
ia October They reached their destina-
| ton after the ground was covered with
snow and frozen so deep that operations
to any extent were impossible. A com
| pany of troops were sent out after them,
| but though at one time only twelve miles
away, they succeeded in eluding them.
Late in February a telegram from Yank-
| ton, d. tt, announced the return of
Gordon and Witcher to that place on
! Saturday, too late for the inward bound
train, ..T...... E..
The telegram producei the greatest
excitement. in Sioux City, as it contained
the following: ''Good doings in the
Black Hills, $25 per day no object.
/ An extra train was seriously talked OF
but abandoned. The train on the fol
/ lowing Monday brought the heroes to
town, where they were received in state
by huge crowd which had collected al
4 the depot, all eager for the report whieE
carried Joy to the heart of every adven
tnrer hoping for chance to try theli
fortunes in the golden mines. Sioux
City now began to look for the harvest
Its situation with reference to the Hills
made it the starting point and outfittin9
post. 1t was to be the artery through
which the eastern world would pour
, leaving their thousands of dollars TO
tools and supplies. So sure were thel
of this that the head of one of the heayl
est wholesale houses in the city told M
that in thirty days he would sell thre
8 thousand complete outfits, and in sixt,
! days have store in the Hills. Urge
4 forward in this way the excltemen
|, grew and an imaginary City OF Gordo
e was laid out and lots offered for sale. 1
: the Sioux City market, which wer
taken by many whose faith was stron
: in the golden harvest, and doubles
K many in Imagination saw city pave
: with gold. It is well understood ths
b Gordon for his part in the business r
e eeiVed 81 600 He was sent out Tor
n purpose and well executed the spart a
g signed to him. -A