New-York tribune., 1875-07-12
THE BLACK HILLS.

MURDERRR's sECREr-DIvIsION OP THE PARTY
-THE INDIANS.
IFROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THR TRIBUNg.i
BLACg Hills EXPEDITION, CUsrER's GULCH, Da-
kota, June 3O.-"I have seen diggngs in California
which Cinnamon have left better than these" An
officer said that TO day before yesterday. There
was an emphasis about it that seemed to spring from
conviction and experience. And yet he may be
making q mist,ke. There may be found paying
streak in this Guch that IL, profitable for a few
miners There may be other gulchos in these noun
tans where fortunes Will be made, but the testi-
mony so far is against the theory. / am willing to
admit that 'no one can look further into the ground
than another" This remark you can hear OH any
claim represented in the Gulch. If it does any one
an atom of good certainly it is easy enough to coin
eide with SO simple and scf-evident an assertion.
But there is ore thing well known, that the miners
found here and those who have come in since DO not
show any gold dust when asked to do so by the
curious or by ose dcsrous of purchasing specimens
TO send home To believe current talk there is not
nor has there been during the last three months 20
worth of gold dust taken out Of the Gulch. This Is
the same rs it was with the party which wintered
here. They gave an excuse that the cold weather
kept them from working, which seemed reasonable.
These miners say that they have not been prepared
to work their claims Some of them have been III
no whip-saw to cut lumber for sluice boxes" pro-
visions were short and ga man cannot work on
meat straight" Some have reached "bed rock ;"
all the claims pay from grass roots down."
1t is doubtful if details Of the story will be of any
value when the positive results 30 meager. The
general belief among the officers, soldiers, and teams
tiers Of the expedition varies from the extreme view
EXPRESSED at the beginning of this letter to mod
erately conservative expression Of opinion. Col.
Dodge confines himself to the simple statement that
there is gold here in what quantities he Is not pre-
pared to say. Mr.. Janney very positively asserts
that there is no gold in paying quantities lie says
that there is water here, that the creek Is too
small now. and when the Summer months come it
nav dry up, save in places near the few springs.
He admits that if company were formed with
pentv of capital to buy up all the claims and bring
water from a distance in an expensive ditch' IL
might pay. His views in regard to the quartz
have been given in a previous letter.
In an interview with Mr.. Harrison, the Recorder
of the district, learned that his party came via
Cheycnne to Currey's Rancho, near Fort Laramie,
crossing the Platte River on RATS, and swimming
their stock. This is the route taken by all the
parties except one from Spotted Tail Agency ana
one from the Missouri River. Mr. Harrison says the
Gulch will pay fair wages he thinks and SO far the
prospects offer reasonable expectation to any one
who is willing to work hard. He has been here so
short time. having only preceded the expedition
week, that he has had time to take out any gold
dust. except what has been panned i'll prospect
ing"
Mr. Trainor is with q party above Mr.. Harrison.
He is confident. His chief occupation scems to
be to make visits to our camp, and to inquire
about whip-saws and ratOns He is miner,
because he wears rubber boots and tells peo-
ple he is He offers bets In free. oif-hand
way that he can make $25 to the man. His
stake in less extravagant moods is basket OF
champagne. He wants to have lots come H. 40 all
the bows will have show" 1t is, perhaps. needless
to saw that he would rather langush in prison than
desert the Black Hills.
California Joen says briefly: "These arc no
poor mans diggings l will give it try north OF
here. and if it don't pan out better than this, I'll
jump the country"
The following actual test is given from Mr Logans
nit near the stOckade which was reported the best so
far discovered Twcnty-four buckets of dirt were
washed, yielding Al grains troy, of gold. or about
16 cents-threequarters of cont to the pan. Ihis
tells its own story.
There has been ono favorable report, for which l
can youch as the facts came under my observation.
Two DAYS ago Wilson Philip or " Doc" Phillip low
cred cut near the stockade to the rim rock," and
of dozen pans the lowest showed 10 colors oil
shot gold~ and the highest &C. Mr. Robinson, an
cxnerienced miner. examined the prospect" and
was SO fayorably impressed that instead of leaving
the district as he had intended, he will remain until
further developments of this claim, which he and
Phillips have taken up and recorded.
curious story has been told by man whom
have known several years and consider responsible
He has been hired by Mr. Janney, with view, be-
lieve, of proving his romantic statement Three per-
no in def
ing for effect, l repeat murdcrers secret or his
dying lie.
TOusant Kensler, well known at Fort Laramie and
Chcvenne, was hanged two years ago for murder.
half-breed, he lived among the Sioux at intervals
from boyhOOd. He had free access to the Black HIS
While under sentence of death three years ago he es-
caped to these mountains. He prospected this ana
other gulches One of them he found to be richer
than the Alder Guch of Montana, famous III the an
mails of placer digging" Kensler had worked there
and knew whereof he spoke. This statement he
made two days before he was hanged. 1t is an inge-
nous story it is action and useless lie for Kens-
Ter to tell at the mouth of his grave. rumor OF rich
Weld has delayed this letter, which VIII 60 by spe
cial courier. The miners are inventive, and just now
they are taxing themselves to create an exctement
which shall reach the ears of those foolish enough 10
make bold push for the Gulch. The purpose is to
make themselves strong in numbers that the Gov
ernment will permit them to remain here Parties
are coming in daily from Cheyenne-sx wagons and
thirty-four mon on the 2sth, four men with pack
mules on the Goth, and one party, hundred strong,
is expected to-day At this rate there will soon be
a thousand men climbing over these cliffs What
will be the course pursued by the Government no
one knows Col Dodge expects to receive orders
soon.
The scientific party Tor bug-stuffers as they are
famliarly called divided into two sections one