The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-05-10

hours. Al dlOtneT, TWO DoNS puehoo
some disintegrated quartz seventy miles
on the back of a mule to haveit assayed,
and found it worth $4,000 per ton" at
another, "three men found some pay
dirt in crevice on the top of =. a noun
tain, and carrying it down to a stream,
found they had 5000 worth of gold. y At.
every rancho we heard glowing reports
of the country; and although we met
many returning gold diggers, none OF
them said discouraging word-why,
we found out later. At Denverwe found
a population living entirely upon the
money of the incoming gold seekers,
whom they called g Ameeroogans.', or
Pilgrims. a" Freights from the Mis-
souri, River to Denver were eight cents
per pound, and the hauling of supplies
was a great industry. .Ss "a
Thence to the digsings, the grand
round of which we made. We saw no
gold dug Tin any. quantity everywhere
the miners had just quit work, or the
roof of the drift was out of order, or the
water had driven them out, and they
were waiting for q pump. All gave
glowing accounts of the gold they had
got, and were going to get, but all were
anxious to trade their'claims for money,
goods, wagons, mules, oxen-in fact for
any thing in the shapeof portable prop
erty-always provided that you gave
them a bond to pay them any sum from
40,000 to 800, 900 when you got it out
of the claim, you having first taken out
for yourself, say, the same amount. The
bond further stipulated that you were TO
keep fair and truthful accounted all
disbursements and receipts, the sellers
always insisting in solemn language that
the bond was the only consideration for
which they could be persuaded tosseH,
and that the portable property they got
from the purchaser was of value only as
it enabled them to prospect some remot-
er section. They were always ready to
promise to give you a twentieth or a for
tieth of the prospective g find
At the diggings every body spoke well
of his neighbor. When the Denver pa
pers came up the community were fire.
quently astounded by marvellous ac-
counts of the richness of their own sec
ton. s~~
After doing the mines, L started alone
for the East, leaving my friend, who had
invested in one of these claims. When
my intention became known to my ac-
quaintances among the miners, presto,
every thing was changed. They be-
came communicative and confidential,
first insisting upon my secrecy, and told
me most extraordinary stories as to how
they had sailed claims so that Horace
Greeley could see the gold washed out
I'd 10
they had to get the dust to salt them
with. How they had fiXed'' some
newspaper correspondents and fooled
others. How, in fact, they were an or
ganized community, banded together to
keep up the gulch-digging
excitement until they could ''get out. .
The newspapers published in the towns
along the Missouri River kept it up in
the interest of the dealers in miners
supplies; the railroads aided to keep it
up in their own interest the stage-coach
lines across the Plains were the circulat-.
ing agents for all the lying reports of the
richness of the country. My mining
friends always ended their stories with,
"Now, old fellow, you know the bottom,
and we don't want you to give US away.
You see we have wintered here on flour
at 81 pound, have risked our lives and
ruined our health, and are dead busted;
our only chance of getting back to the
States is by working some pilgrim. We
amt mean with them. We alters leave
them something to get home with All
this interesting information was given
me on my road back to Denver.
On the Plains we passed hundreds Of
men walking the $50 miles to the Mis-
souri, River. Some had cut their trouser
legs off close to their thighs to make
wrappings TO keep the alkaline dust
from their travel-worn feet Others had
handcarts, in which they dragged along
their provisions and all that remained to
them of worldly gear. Many who had
started out with eight oxen were return
ing with one scrawny yoke harnessed to
the front axle and wheels of the wagon.
All had pitiful storiessto tell of homes
and property sold and the proceeds ven
tured in an outfit. Butnot one of them
would make a complaint, or give in
formation, to any outgoing emigrant.
Every one appeared to desire, in the Bit
terness of his heart, that these gayly
equipped and prosperous-looking peo-
pie should learn for themselves. The
keepers of ranches along theroad, who
had given such rOse-colored accounts to
us on our outward way, when jokingly
asked why they lied so, answered, for
bread and butter.'' 80 yea
In my Judgment, the history of these
diggings, and the suffering consequent
uponthe untruthful accounts circulated
regarding their richness, is about to be
repeated in the Black Hills The time
is at hand when stage routes can begin
running. with profit to themselves. The