Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-09-07
BsnlpfptifSdtthmsst.
I.FTTFR FROM COLORADO.
Especial corrsspODdsncs.l

%%<A%@@I
The impression prevailing TO some ex-
,snt in the East that Leadville is ''played
out" and soon to be numbered with the
things of the past is an erroneous one. IL
is true that the feverish excitement OF
the early discoveries, and the enormous
speculative tendencies following. there
upon, have mostly passed away, but the
Weld of ore here is still on the increase
and new mines are being opened up al
most daily. More than one-half the to-
tai product OF bullion IN the State for
1881. which was nearly S24, ,OOO,OOO, came
out OF these hills and holes round about
Ieedyille. and it is estimated that nearly
s15. 600. 600 have been taken out during
the first six months Of this year. 1t is
not surprising that,the wonderful wealth
and extent Of the silver deposits that
have been found in this region; the new
field that has been opened TO mining in
dustry wherever the carbonates may
hereafter be found; the novel character
of the ore: the ease with which IT Is re-
duced: the sudden wealth acquired by
soma Of those who first came here and in
vested little money; the Aladdin-like
growth of the camp into city, and the
intense excitement in the midst OF which
every one here lived, should have turned
the heads of people and caused them 70
give currency to reports concerning the
prospects of Leadvilie which were exag.
rerated and have not been realized. Yet
the truth about it reads like novel. Ey.
ery one here at one time had "the fever" "
and there is a good deal of 1t still left.
To minple for a few days with the crowds
that throne the. corridors of the Claren-
don Hotel and other loafing places; to
hear the fabulous tales of .'rich strikes
and Of prospect holes which could have
been bought yesterday for 500 and are
held to-day for $50, 900; tobe introduced
to men who year or two ago were PEN
niless and looking about for somebody to
furnish them coarse food and set of
tools with which to dig a hole in the
mountain ''for luck,y but who to-day
are reputed to be milliohaires; to hear
the careless way in which men In blue
flannel shirts and COW hide boots talk OF
hundreds of thousands or million of
dollars, is enough to set any one crazy
who is not perfectly self-possessed or did
not come here determined not to get ex-
cited no matter what happened
The gambling houses are q feature OF
Leadville, as they are Of every other min
ing camp, Although there are State
laws and city ordinances forbidding
gambling, no effort is made to enforce
either. The doors of these places stand
wide open day and night, and everything
is done to attract tho notice of passers.
by. Just as il the BUSINESS was legiti.
mate one, protected by law. There is nc
pretense of elegance in any Of the gam.
bling houses which have visited, az
there is in those of Eastern watering
places and in large cities. The inside oi
most of them is destitute OF paint OF
plaster The tables are plain pine ones
and surrounded by wooden chairs. The
floors are covered with tobacco.juice and
mud, and the patrons are mostly roughly
i clad miners, who play q small or large
game as money is plenty or scarce with
them. In a prominent place in each sa,
loon there is a bar which is always vel
patronized;. in the larger places there are
two bars. One-half or one-third OF each
gambling-house is separated from the
remainder by low railing and is SET
apart for keno. Around the sides of the
remainder are tables upon which are
played faro, high bill poker, rouge ei
noir, hazard, etc. In the rear OF each
place private room is partitioned off fol
the accommodation Of persons who wish
to "buck the tiger" in private. In the
public room the play ID generally fol
comparatively small sums; chips are solo
for from ten cents to 81 each and the bett
rarely exceed So. In the daytime the
gambling saloons of Leadville are almost
deserted, but at night and on Sundays
they are constantly thronged.
While the pioneers of the mining camI
have left their impress upon the charac
ter of Leadville, the refined, educated
abiding people who have come here from
the East have kept control Of things, and
made the city remarkable for the gooG
order that is maintained and the genera
safety of life and property. OF those
whose first experience in a mining camp
has been obtained in Leadville largel
proportion are men of education or for
mer wealth than ever assembled in any
other mining centre in the early days ol
its history. OF the young and most en-
terprising men who are in business, hold
ing positions about the mines or prospect
ing on the neighboring hills, not few
are fresh from college or from profession
sdlsbtuu1E5y auu gidWfOt5y phyokOARho nho
teachers may be found here engaged il
almost every branch of business. Th'
influence Of men of this class is seen il
the organization OF such institutions al
the police force splendid body of uni
formed men who would not disgrace th'
Broadway Squad, of New York; in tht
establishment OF fire companies, the in
PRODUCTION Of the Holly system Of water
works, the organization of a gas company
and the establishment Of schools. MeI
pass here for what they are. and not fo
what they have been, how they ar
dressed or where they were born. No
body cares who mans grandfather was
or Of what State he is native. No on,
can afford to treat another with contemp
because he is unfortunate; the whee
may turn over and the poor man OF to
day may become the millionaire OF to
morrow. Such things have been com
mon in Leadville. In my next Twill Civ
you something about the mines in thi
vicinity. SPOT
D,.ay1orSa Ax~snn Saliva