Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-08-17
BLACK HILLS SUFFERER.
From the Eureka Sentinel

After the fashion of grasshopper
sufferers, fellows who have been out
and injured by going to the Black
Hills country are beginning to put in
an appearance. We run across one
of these yesterday strapping hon.
bre, who related story of frontier
adventures worth more than the dol
lar we were induced to give him. He
told us about starting from Lawrence
(thc place sacked by Quantrell during
the war; in April last, and how he, in
company with five others, invaded
the Black Hills from the eastward;
how they found rich placers and were
just about ready to start operations;
how the country showed up rich
with plenty of game and grass, and
bright skies and salubrious weather;
how the Indians made raids on them
and stole their holses and killed one
of the party, and finally how body
of United States troops, with an un-
feeling officer in command, pounced
down on them and marched them
back to the white settlements on the
Platte, where they were kept in close
unhealthy quarters, until at last an
order came from Gen. Phil Sheridan
or some other Muldoon in the service
of Uncle Sam, for their release. This
ended the first chapter in our hero's
romance, when he Strengthened up,
drew. a fresh breath and began to re-
late the experience of another expe-
dition, of which he was prominent
member, to the forbidden territory
from this side of the gold fields. He
started the last time from Cheyenne,
penniless, of course, but well backed
up with provisions and tools by other
enthusiastic gold seekers, who were
anxious to avail themselves of his ex-
tensive knowledge of the country to
be explored. The party got in all
right and had been prospecting and
cavorting about Custar's Gulch and
Harney's Peak for some time, looking
for the richest place to pitch their
tents and locate their long toms, when
the ruthless hand Of the Federal mil
itary again reached for them. He
says his party had already succeeded
in panning out $3.50 go from the
"very grass roots" when disturbed by
the boys in blue, and had not the
Sigh test doubt that had they been
permitted to prosecute operations on
the contemplated grander scale of
rockers and long-toms for only brief
period, they would have had gold
dust enough to pay the national debt
for the next generation; but he was
not born for any such good luck, you
see, and when the military escort on
the following day took up Its line of
march for the great trans-continental
railway, he was required to fall into
line, and march too. They struck the
railroad little east of Cheyenne, and
from thence he beat his way to Pail
sadie, thence by narrow-gauge and
Foot s. Walker to Eureka. He next
beat US out of dollar, coin of the
realm, and although he told a smooth
story in pathetic strain, and gave
names and other particulars with re-
markable precision, he failed utterly
to convince US that he had ever seen
the Black Hills. We wefe,- in fact,
satisfied from the start that he was
''romancing," but he enjoyed the be-
lief all through that he had us,- and
we were either too charitable or lack
ed the necessary backbone to spoil
the pleasant delusion. The study Of
human nature from the bedrock up
supplies food for reflection, and it is
seldom that better subject can be
found tbor 10 praSonted in tho n,r-
son of an unmitigated fraud who i'm
AGNES, from the time you suffer him
to bring his diamond drill to bear
on you that he has good thing.
That is precisely the kind of game
we had yesterday with our suffering
friend from the new gold fields, and
if ever we find out that we have put
up wrong, we shall not hesitate to
make ample reparation.