Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-17
LEADVlLLE LETTER..
The Mountain Metropolis -.PfO;-
pe1ity and Greatness Of the
City Of the Clouds,
The Town is Not on the Wan
Becoming Staid and
Sensible.
Leadville Past and Present.

hhADNibbhp SOhs apfh ls,-ih tuo
days of the boom, some four years
ago, Lesdville achieved a world. wide
notoriety, and was looked on as one Of
the liveliest cities on the globe, and
yet not ope.tenth Of her vast riches
had been uncovered, nor was there as
much mineral take On out Of the ground,
daily or weekly, as there Is now
Over SIS, 0O0,0 worth of ore was ex-
trscted last year, which Is several mil.
lions ahead of any previous year, and
present. indications point to q product
of 800, 000, 0O0 during 1883, which
will double the output of 1873 or 1879
and those were considered the flosh
years of the camp. But the railroad
we have two) Is a great clvilizsr, and,
with Its advent Lsadville has settled
down to q comparatively orderly and
p~eaceable town, compared with the
wild and exciting Lsadville of former
days.
IT'S true we have our little matinees
occasionally, but what more can DO
expected Of a town composed princl-
pally Of miners, who must have their
fun, and which still contains many
specimens of the rough border ele.
ment.
LEADvILDE To.DAY
comfortably supports. %, 600 people and
there are twenty men to every one
womsn. Nevertheless there are many
pretty m here and q pleasant
state of society, although, naturally
high, It 10 not stuck up; somewhat
cosmopolitan, GO to speak, t,the social
lines not being very sharply drawn.
You will meet with acurious spectacle
by promenading on our principal
street and observing none but those
of the masculine gender on either side
Of II. 1t ID. on account OF the great
proponderanoe Of males rather than
any di6idence on the part Of the ladies
towards taking . walk where 90 many
of tho rougher element are oongre.
gated. Although living here nearly Q
year I have yet! to hear Of . woman
being insulted on our streets. Morally,
Leadvllle marches ahead of many So
called civilized cities I have yet t.
hear OF any one being arrested for the
crime OF rape or seduction, and tn the
houses Of Iii fame there Is not q single
Leadville girl, nor has any graduated
from nj city; and prostitutes are moi
allowed to ply their vocation PUBLICLY
either day or night.
Considering the fact that the output
from the mines Is constantly e~nlargtpg.
trads increasing, money brisk, and
the people generous enough to spend
1t where 1t is made, instead of sending
1t or taking 1t away, Leadville is far
from q d~ecaying town. New strikes
are being made regularly, but not &C
compsnied with the gong beating OF
former days. Everything is now
being done quietly and all the mines
are earning vast Gums of money. AT
least $65, COO, 900 Of gl.ttering wealth
has already been taken out of the
earth and fully 800, 000, 900 more re-
mains untouched. There are Ms yet
hundreds of acres (owned by rioh com
panies) of virgin mineral bearing ter
litory, which will In due time unfold
their vast treasures. Leadville Is gooC
for five years yet, beyond the shadov
Of Q doubt.
ii Although the surface Ia calm ant
smooth, times are a. good and thing
are Is prosperous % at any time II
the past, and one may travel thu
world over without finding another
Leadville, or anything resembling 1t
There L. q kind of fascination abou
this peculiar place that attracts ont
and holds him fast; hence my origina
three months visit mas now lengthene'
to almost q year; and when ! leav
here, . few weeks hence, 1t will b
with some sighs of regret.