The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-05-13
LEADVILLE LETTER.


LEADvILLE, April 18th, 1879.
FRIEND STINE:-l received your letter
yesterday and hasten to reply. You ask
for description OF Lesdville. ! must say
that my pover. Of description are not equal
70 the task, bat will commence the effort
BY saying this il the liseliess, bus,ess,
strangs.s and vickesiess t0Wn ever visited
think its equal 10 not in the United Sssiss,
ii in the world. The streets are crowded
Nth people from 5 O'Clock in the morning
until IL at night, 80 that il is almost i'm.
po,sible "a get across . block in less time
than from ten t0 sveoty minutes. Every
foot Of the uay you will be trying to crowd
psss cone o0e whO, in = wonderful state vi
excitement. u seeking some object in dii-
iereas direction from that in which your
ouaine.S call you. Besides this mas Of
people On the sidewalks. you will observe
- you Psss along that all the business
houses are crowded 10 their utmost capacity.
The c,ty has from twelve To fifteen sbous-
and inhabitant. III this number there are
supposed to be about eight hundred women,
Of these is Is hoped that from City to one
hundred are virsuOus; the remainder are
Lopsle,~ly Lost. But u the business Of the
town. Ii - nearly oil transacted on about
Eve or six squares OF blocks, and all the
mercantile and mechanical pprsuils are rep
resented. There are three theatres running
day and right. Each establishmens sposis
. hne cornes band, and each tries to excel
the other in music and performance, ~ that
for very many the EVENING" are spent very
pleasantly 1t there place. Of Amusement.
There are about one hundred and tventy-
i've saloons in the city, and with the excep-
lion OF eight or ten, oil rent stands for
gambling. varying in number from
one to ten, according to the capacity
Of the premises. Il is seldom that two game.
If one kind are running in one house; bot
all kind Of games are run. sowe never sav
nor heard OF, and some are a new to me
~ they would b u the Kingdom OF
Heaven. Each Of these saloons keeps .
string bend from noon To one o'clock in the
morning. There banda are all irss-clss,
which would make The saloons pleasant
places to lounge in we're il not iOr The i'm.
men.e crowds that continually haunt them.
AimUsa every night Fow in come Of these
places terminates in the wiping out Of sumo
I,nOr cue, Who came here in the hope that
n,s luck might chseae and be come out
ahead. There are .lso seven dance houses
running in full blast seven nights in the
week. each one contributing largely to
leadville'. we,l carmel title III u city vi
crime.
In all cities that wss ever in before
Saturday IL the principal day ior business /;
bui not 70 in Leadville. BY eight o'clock
on Sunday morning the Merchsnts have
their finest show good- On exhibitions oil
the markets are filled up with everytb,
calculated To excite the pssriOns of the
sPicurs; bv twelve o'clock al the sslooas
are open and the proprietor doing their
hest To make Themselves agreeable and
their establishment inviting; the gamblers
energy and earnestness ~ you ever heard
an suctiOneer who vas depending o. that
one sale for his next bread and butter; the
string hands play their most inspiriting
tuner; betting IN going on With reckle<-
ness surprising Ia the unsophisiicased, and
rush and excitement are the order Of the
day. BY Eve in the evening the sheaiers
have their bands in the street playing the
liseliest sirs, With banners advertising the
different plays, and By eight in the s,ening
the theatres, dance houses, saloons, gambling
and houses Of i'll fame all combine to make
a righteous man feel that 81 II ont for
noon."
But ] am occupying too much space in
answering one question. Chickens are
worth here . cents per pound, but the
markets are never supplied more than one
day at time; they are in good demand
and sell readily. Native lumber-sli pine,
nothing el~e growing here's worth $40
per n. There are fifteen sav mills within
FIVE niles Of iosn. Building lots in the
city are very high, ranging from $50 To
$l5. 900, according TO the locality. The
bull, portion Of the city IN about one and
s-h.lf mile. long by three quarters Of I.
mile vide. There are but three bricks and
not single stone building. The town i.
made Of wood.
New and rich minee are bsine discovered
every week, 20 sc no good reason vhy
the city shoold soon play out Rents ere
extre0ely high. A room 30x30 bring $50
. moaeh, and one house On Sssts street
rents for 81 500 = moosh. There = plenty
Of land outside Of the city limits which can
be taken - . plscer claim 70 The sooun,
Of 20 acres, for vhich you can get pssess
Tor g IN scfe. This u all mineral land
10 pre- empsioa y allowed.