The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-06-08
THE BLACK HILLS.
What Returned Miner Has 90 Say
About 1.-THE Suffering Among the
Adsentrrers-CusterC City and the Sur
rOundings-The Gold Diggings.


rOundings-The Gold Diggings.
From est. Louis Republican, May 20.
Capt. w. B. Rothrock and Mr.. Geo
Gallant, who left this city for the Black
Hills with Carpenters expedition, the
I 18th of last March, have returned from
their wanderings. These gentlemen
have had an experience, and they are
satisfied with it. 1t was hard school
through which they have passed, but
the instruction impaired is thorough
and valuable; The trouble began with
this company, numbering 1l5, at Chey-
enne, where their leader, the redoubt-
! able Col. Carpenter, organizer of Black
/ Hills expeditions, etc., abandoned his
company. Capt. Rothrock was then
elected as leader, and Mr.. Gallant as
second in command. The company
remained at Cheyenne from the 10Th to
the 23d. During this time the weather
was exceedingly inclemeht; snow fell
every day. On the g3d the party set
forward ON their journey over the bleak
and desolate plains, en- route to Custer
City. The weather continued rough.
The cold was intense The men
suffered intensely, having their noses,
ears and toes frozen. -Four days they
were compelled to halt, while the
storm ragged over the plain. Other than
the sufferings occasiOned by the cold
there was nothing of much of a startling
nature occurred, until they reached
Custer City There they found 3. .col-
lection of huts Inhabited by from 400 to
500 adventurers This place was reach
ed on the 9th of April. The prospect
was sufficiently discOuraging. The men
who had pushed their way through the
wilderness were lily supplied with pro-.
visions, but the inevitable concomitants
of frontier establishments had taken
deep root. There were a few frame
houses, and every alternate cabin was a
whisky shop. Some females of the
soiled class had dared the dangers of
the way, and under the direction of
their "bOss,n one Allen, had opened
dance-house. The evenings were spent
in dancing, card playing, whisky drink
ing and profanity faro, ,chucklusk and
the revolutions of the wheel of fortune,
were attractions that assisted to ab
stract what little fortune many of them
had taken with them. For so rough
community there were few crimes. The
adventurers had little disposition to en-
gage i'll fights among themselves. There
was no stealing, for the improvised
laws are executed by Judge Lynch with
vigorous severity. A man who violates
the laws of the community has no show
to prOlong his existence. A convenient
limb and a bit of rope ends his career.
On the dreary march between Chey-
enne and Custer City no Indians were
encountered. The st. Louis gold seek
ers remained at Custer about eight days,
and then set forward in search OF the
FL Dorado which was said to exist on
Sand Greek, about 80 or 100 miles
northwest of that place. They arrived
on the banks of the golden stream on
the 22d of April. There were a num-
Der of California and Colorado miners
at work. These men were taking out
gold in considerable quantities. One
of these persons had found a nugget
valued at S23.60. Some days they
would wash out as much as S27. Other
days they would get from S3 to 81 and
Sl4. Capt. RothrOck and party pros
pected along the creek for couple of
days, and found some gold. But the
best claims had been taken up; the
show for gold was small. They OBJ
tained a small amount of the ''dust," as
a souvenir of their tramp. But the pros
poets were not pleasing, and Capt.
Rothrock and Gallant, formed a resolu-
tion to return to Custer, and then leave
the hills. They, however, visited Bear
Greek before leaving the Sand Greek
region, but here the prospect was even
less encouraging than at Sand Greek.
Then the two adventurers turned about
and retraced their steps TO Custer. They
reached that place the last day of April,
wearied and discouraged. Four days
they remained in Custer City, making
to depart for the States.
BY this time the Indians had become
and adventurous miners
and seekers after gold were daily be-
ing shot and scalped. However, the
St. Louisans, though but two men, re-
solved to set out for Spotted Tail Agen-
cy, en- route to Sidney, on the Union
Pacific road. This Indian agency is
about a hundred miles from Custer
The two travellers made this journey by
night, lying concealed during the day.
On the way they saw the bodies of two
men who had been murdered. These
men had been attacked at Buffalo Gap,
and were left lying by their savage
murderers where they fell. They. ar
rived at Spotted Tail on the 4th of May,
and left that place on the Sth inst.
They had sold their guns at Spotted
Tail, and bought a pony. The trip had |
been made from Custer to Spotted Tail
with one pack mule only. The evening
Of the day they left Spotted Tail they
were met by two Indians who wanted
to trade. Our travellers were not in a
trading mood, and were anxious to part
company with the red rascals. After
some parley with them, the travellers
their journey. Five miles
further on they were again overtaken
by two more Indians. They, like the !
others, wanted to trade. The offer was
rejected. While these red-rovers were |
engaged with the adventurers from st. |
Louis, two more Indians came gallop- |
ing up, with painted faces and bodies, |
whoOping and yelling like fiends. They |
we're well armed, with breech-loading
guns and heavy Colts repeaters. They |
raised their guns and our travellers |
threw up their hands. The Indians |
hen came up. Resistance was useless. !
The st. Louisans had no weapons, ex-
,ept pocket repeaters. They made |
signs that they would give up every |
hing. The Indians unloaded the packs, |
aRd took their clothing and all their
They then changed their sad
lies to some miserable broken-down |
ponies, and made signs that they must !
-ravel in a certain direction. Our trav-
elers resumed their journey. They had
lot gone far away when the red devils |
opened fire upon them
The ponies were slightly wounded, !
Out the men escaped unhurt But what
4 predicament to be in Here they |
we're, $50 miles from Sidney, without |
save what they wore, and |
nothing with which to appease their
hunger. Mr.. Lo Head positively pro-
nibited return to Spotted Tail, and |
hey had no guns with which to shoot
game. They toiled on their laborious
vay Three DAYS and three nights they /