The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-02-23
LIFE AND OCCUPATION IN THE
BLACK HILLS GOLD DIGGlNGS.
Virginia (Nev.) Chronicle ]

There is no regularity about any
| thing. A man opens II place of bust
ness and makes lots of money, then he
gets the prospecting fever, starts fol
| the gulches, and shuts up his shebang.
When II place is closed up it means
that the owner is out digging, has been
killed in fight, or is off on Il spree.
We have no municipal government
at all. Every man thinks he's Mayor
Of the town. Every once in while
the boys call Il mass-meeting, draw up
| resolutions, ETC., and decide to incorpor-
ate the town and have Board of AL
dermen; but at the end of the week
nobody knows what in the HI has
become Of the resolutions Of the Alder
men. We start new city govern
ment every two weeks, and burst one
every week-if there is any.
THE TIIEATER.
The orchestra chairs are made Of
stakes driven into the ground with Il
round piece of board about the size Of
$3.50; reserved seats, $5. They run :.
sort of variety show, and sling in the
jokes and stage business as broad as pos
sible. The 'can-can" was danced for
some time until the boys got tired of ii,
and they said, "Give It's some singin'
or We'll clean out the place; we want
something elevatin," and the manager
had to import u female sentimental
vocalist at big expense to appease the
patrons. She sun sSwcct Spirit Hear
my Prayer" "Consitler the Lilies, ,"''I
Know that my Redeemer Liveth, and
other high-tOned music, and thought
the boys would go crazy with delight.
But they got tired Of it in about Il
week.
SALOONS.
There are saloons all over the place,
and whisky four bits Il drink. They
put two barrels up on end, nail Il board
| across for II bar, and deal it out. a
miner who wants to treat pOurs some
gold dust Oh the barrel head ,and says,
s'Set 'em up" They never weigh the
dust. Sometimes n man won't put
! down enough dust, but they never say
a word; if he is u little tight, and
pours out ten or fifteen dollars worth,
they never mention it. They have
three faro banks running all the while.
They don't use checks for the boys
when they won :, pile of checks they
threw 'cm oil over the place, and some
! were too drunk to handle 'em. So the
checks got played out. Now n man
puts Il little gold dust in a dollar green.
! back, and it goes for two dollars. Ten
dollars worth Of dust in II ten dollar
greenback goes for twenty dollers, and
so on. They never weigh dust at all,
but guess the amount.
THE DEADWOOD DAILY PAPER.
We have a daily newspaper-thati is,
| sometimes it's daily, and then when
| the compositors get drunk, it don't
come out for several days. If Il man
| wants gun-wadding he goes and pays
| four bits for a paper. Whenever they
start Il new city government they print
Il lot of ordinances then there's a
grand rush for the paper. Sometimes
it comes out twice a week, and some
| times twice Il day.
a GROWING GRAVEYARD.
Every man in Deadwood carries
| about fourteen pounds of firearms
! hitched to his bell, and they never pass
any words. The fellow that gets his
gun out first is the best man, and they
lug off the other fellows body. Our
graveyard is big institution, and Il
| growing one. Sometimes, however,
the place is right quiet. I've known
| times when !; man wasn't killed fol
twenty-four hours. Then, again, per.
haps, they'd lay out five or six Il day.
| When man gets too handy with his
shootin' irons, and kills five or six
they think he isn't safe, and somebody
pops him over to rid the place of him
They don't kill him for what he has
done, but for what he's liable to do.
suppose that the average deaths amour,
to about one hundred Il month.
| THE HOSTILE sAVAGEs.
The country swarms with EN-. They
swoop down on the small camps al
night and kill whole parties. In ont
camp, Il few miles from DeadwoOd
ffty-two men were killed in one night
But never saw a word about it in an,
newspaper. The Cheyenne papers sup
press all such items, and if the Dead
wood papers print them they ar
bought up at any price in Chcyenn
and destroyed. i have gone out sew
cral times to hunt for men who wen
out to prospect, and found them al
dead. ! once saw fifteen men 1yin:
around Il campfire where they ha'
been shot dead and left. The indians
take their arms, currency and coin, bu
leave the gold dust.
THE GOLD DIGGINGS RICH.
The diggings arc immensely rich.
have known five men to take Ou