The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-06-13
A COLORADO PIONEER.
His Experience AS a Professional
Prospector.
It ~MaIxes Him Tired' to Hear Tender
feet-Talk About the Business-A
Letter That a Young Man in
the East Wrote Him.

1t sounded like brass knuckles, that
rap on the door last evening when, in
response to correspondingly vigorous
..come in," a stalwart, pleasant-faced
man, clad in slickensde canvas suit,
entered with resounding step, sugges-
tive of robust health and hob-nailed
boots, and in ringing tones inquired;
'Are you the mining sharp of this
here paperP"
Eyes; take a seat and tell me all
about it.
Tell you all about whatp"
"Why, your big strike, of course;
how many thousands of dollars it runs
and YOU only want capitalist with
few hundred dollars and lots of grub
to make it the biggest bonanza in Colo
RADIO"
''Now, hold on, pard, you're dead off
the trail this shift; / only want to show
you letter"
"Oh, that's it; your pard has struck
it, and you want to sell an interest to
go and Join him and stake off the whole
country"
mo, you're on the wrong lead again.
I've got letter from tenderfoOt who
wants to come out here and prospect
for mines,
.'Well, why don't you let him come
as one of the grand army of prospec-
tors who swarm through the gulches
and climb the rugged peaks of our
mountain ranges?"
you've caught on, that's the float,
follow it up and you'll hit the vein
cropping right through the surface.
.9Tenderfeet make the best kind of
prospectors, don't theyP"
.Pard, now your on the pay streak
to a dead moral certainty, and I'll do
the assessment work for you free gratis
for nothin' if you'll put it in the paper
in good shape, SO that can send it to
INV darn fool friend back in the
States
'All right, fire away, and make it
short"
..Well, this chap writes that times
is dull back thar and they are cuttin'
wages down-he's a clerk in dry
goods store-and so he says he'll quit,
come out here, find rich. mine and &C
E back thar and sell it.
whats wrong about thatP Ain't
he as liable to find good mine as any
bodyP"
"Now you're gittin' right down t.
bedrock business. It's all wrong, boil
in theory and in practice. Nobod!
finds a mine. 1t takes money, anC
lots of it, to change the best kind 0
a good prospect into a paying mine.
s'Oh, your friend don't mean a min
he means prospect.
'.P'raps he does, but it takes none
to prospect, and he's in luck if he ha
money enough to pay his fare to Den
YER"
"He's got more money than that Q
he would not think of coming so far
astrange country and an equally strang
business.
"Now, there's whar you're fooled
Lots of fellers come out here ever
blessed season, KNOWN nothin' abou
mimi or prospectin', and land will
out scads enough to buy grub for
burro."
Il thought burros foraged and didn
require feeding"
That's so, but they don't grow wit
pack-saddles on and clinch ropes al
sacks hangin' to 'em. A teller can
mine with his fingers and live on mou
tim scenery and trout in streams tt
miles or more from whar he's got
look for prospects if he wants to FL
any
'.All good mining ground is not ne
essarily high up on the mountains, al
there certainly are good placer di
gings yet to be found along the strear
and in the gulches of the State. ]"
go easy, pard; thar's some trut
but lots of foolishness, in what you sa
The biggest part of the gold, silve
copper and lead mined in this count
come off the mountains, not out of mic
smooth, level places. What soft sna
were lying around loose like have