The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-12-02
v
The Business, Wickedness and Weather
Of the Colorado Camp.

Sf-rA14H correspondence "a sl1 '
AS everybody is seeking information in re-
gard to Colorado's great mining camp, and as
it contains many curly timers of Montana, a
few words in relation to thisw wicked but pros
porous city may not be altogether uninterest-
ing to your numerous readers. 1t has been
reported in a few newspapers and copied gen.
orally throughout the country that Leadville
has reached the zenith of its greatness and
that it may soon be expected to %retrograde to
a city of a few thousand inhabitants. l beg
leave emphatically to deny the truth of the
statement. Such rumors have generally en-
anated from disappointed Spectators Or
natural born falsifiers. The Leadville of to-
day is "livelier than ever before and each sue
ceeding week affords visible evidence that the
growth is steady and rapid. Mining sales are
of daily and almost hourly occurrence, pros
pectors having no difficulty in disposing Of
any hole in the ground provided a trace of
mineral can be found. A great deal of
"salting" is going on but the capitalists seem
undismayed, for Notwithstanding the practice
of these numerous and outrageous frauds,
which would forever damn a mining camp in
Montana, property is rapidly approaching in
value and is eagerly sought for by the repre-
sentatives of eastern capital.
But in spite of the unexampled prosperity
of the camp, in a general point of view, much
suffering and poverty exist. Too many young
men who come here from the eastern States
with barely enough money to pay their fare,
and who confidently expected to be able to
take a gunny sack, dig a hole in the ground,
and fill it with half dollars whenever they
felt so disposed, are sadly disappointed by the
bitter experiences they NEE: with. Many of
them have to saw wood for their board, serve
as walters in the restaurants and perform
other mental work, while not a few even less
fortunate, often find themselves hungry, cold
and houseless.
As before stated, Leadville, though pros
porous, is a wicked city. 1t is the hotbed of
every known vice, and the home of miscre-
ants of every known stamp. Criminals of
late have become exceedingly bold in their
exhibitions of lawlessness, the city authori-
tiles proving wholly unable to successfully
cope with the evil. However, it is gratifying
to note that excess and impnnity of crime
have at last eliminated in a popular uprising
of the respectable element of the community.
and summary vengeance has been lately in
ficted on several offenders by a recently Or
ganized vigilance committee. They began
their business in a practical and determined
manner, by proceeding to the county Jail
and taking out Chas. Stuart, a footpad, and
one Fordsham "a Montana rough), whom they
gently and scientifically hanged. Other law
less characters were threatened with the same
fate. However, the desperadoes and roughs
have banded together for mutual protection,
having formed a counter organization out
numbering the Vigilantes, whom they threat
ell with vengeance dire unless the latter
cease operations and Danish their leaders
from the town. A-
Winter has set in violently, and Leadville
is almost cut off from communication with the
outside world. One coach succeeded in get
ting in last night, but was first overturned and