Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-08-15
The Miners Ten Commandments.


J. am miner, wandering '.from away down
east" to sojourn in strange land. And
BEHOLD l have seen the elephant, yea, verify,
| saw him, and bear witness, that from the
key of his trunk to the end of his tail, his
whole body hath passed before me; and
followed him until his huge feet stood still
before clapboard shanty; then with his
trunk extended he pointed to a candle
card tackled upon single, as though he
would say read, and read the
MINERS TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Thou shalt have no other claims than
one.
Thou shalt not make unto tbyself any
false claim. nor any likeness to mean
man, by jumping one; tor l, miner, am
a just one and will visit the miners around
about, and they will judge thee; and when
they shall decide, thou shalt take thy pick,
thy pan, thy shovel and thy blankets with
all thou hast and shall depart, seeking
other good diggings, but thou shalt find
none. Then when thou hast paid out all
thy dust. worn out thy boots and garments
so that there is nothing good about them
but the pockets, and thy pr tience is like
unto thy garments, then in sorrow shalt
thou return to find thy claim worked out,
and yet thou hath no pile to hide in the
ground, or in the old boot beneath thy
bunk. or in the buckskin or bottle beneath
thy cabin. and at last thou shalt hire thy
body out to make thy board and save thy
bacon.
Thou shalt not go prospecting before
thy claim gives out. Neither shalt thou
take thy gold dust, nor thy good name, to
the gaming table in vain; for monte, twen-
ty-one, roulette, faro, lansquenet and
poker, will prove to thee that the more
thou puttest down the less thou shalt take
up; and when thou thinkcsSapf thy wife
and children, thou shalt not hold thyself
guiltless, but insane.
w.
Thou shalt not remember what thy
friends do at home on the Sabbath day.
iCSN uIC hoe SOhRslS
favorably with what thou doest here. Six
days labor only thou canst not work
enough to wear out thy body in many
years; but il thou workest hard on Sun
day also, thou canst do it in six months
and thou, and thy morals and thy consci-
ence, be none the better tor it; but re-
proach thee, shouldst thou ever return
with thy worn out body to thy mothers
fireside.
V.
Thou shalt not think more OF all thy
gold, and how thou canst make it fastest,
than how thou will enjoy it after thou hast
ridden rough-shod over thy good old par
cnt's preccpts and examples, that thou
lnayest have nothing to reproach thee,
when left alone in the land where thy faith
er's blessing and thy mothers love hath
sent thee.
vi. |.
Thou shalt not kill; neither thy body by {
in the rain, even though thou q
shalt make enough to buy physic and at
tendance with; nor thy neighbor's body in +
| duel, or in anger, for by keeping cool' n
hou canst save his life and thy conscience. =
Neither shalt thou destroy tlysclf by get o
ing tight" nor ''slewd,'' nor '.high," ;,
'or ''corned," nor ''halfseas over" nor :,
three sheets in the wind" by drinking y
down-"brandy Sings" ''gin q,
cocktails. whisky punches" ''r,,m tod
les, nor ''egg nOgs." Neither shalt thou
lck mint juleps," nor ''sherry cobblers,"
trough straw. nor gurgle from the bottle dt
re ''raw MATERIAL nor take It ''srraight" ct
ON the decanter; for while thou art tn
down that purse, and the coat ar
ON off thy back, thou art burning the ex
'at from off thy stomach; and il thou ha
,uld see the houses and lands, and gold Al
lst, and home comforts already lying FOL
ere-''a huge pile'-thou shouldst feel a us
loking in thy throat; ard when to that pc
on addest thy crooked walkings thou arr
i'll feel disgusted with thyself. and in life
lire lis thy servant dog that he doelh list
csc things?'' Verify, thou shal. say,
Farewell, old bottle. will kiss thy gurg-
g lips no more; stings, heart-burnings, II
lie devils, and all the unholy catalogue OF enc
lis that follow in thy train. My wife's pur
tiles and my children's merry-hearted MAJ
Ugh, shall charm and reward me for en- ~
wing the manly firmness and courage to IL
: no. wish thee an eternal farewell. did
VII Tsp
y, in
Thou shalt not grow discouraged, nor bod
nix of going home before thou hast any
de thy pile" because thou hast not Lab
ruck lcad," nor found erich crew. Jaw
!" nor sunk hole upon a ''pockct," lest ere,
,oing home thou shalt leave four dol and
day, and 90 to work, ashamed, at syst,
cents, and serve thee right; for thou or "
west that by staying here, thou highest h,"o ,'
Ike a lead and fifty dollars a day, and -
p thy manly selfrespect, and then go
ne with enough to make myself and
crs happy.
VIII. e
hou shalt not steal pick, or a shovel,
pan from thy fellow-miner; nor take
y his tools without his leave; nor Dor
those he cannot spare; nor return r.
n broken, nor trouble him to fetch sent
:, l,,cl- ou,;,, nor fall r., h;,,, ,,,;l ~; by e.
- ""0A "S"i"' hui 'aiA W "i'i "hne Ills made
er rent is running on; nor move stake head
nlarge thy claim, nor undermine his Blu
in following lead, nor pan out gold a ,1ans
, his ''riffle box" nor wash the tailings We g
! his sluice's mouth. Neither shalt WI
pick out specimens from the compa- r may.
pan to put them in thy mouth or w.
,et; nor cheat thy partner of his share; purcl
s,oo, from, thv o.,h;., ,,... ~. -, Scisss
, to add to thine, tor he will be sure to
,ver what thou hast done, and will
ghtway call his fellow-miners together
Il the law hinders them not, will hang -
or give thee fifty lashes, or shave thy
and brand thee like q horse-thief,
"R" upon thy cheek. to be known the p,