Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-15
IT IS NOT AN FL DORADO.
Deluded Miners Returning from
 Santa Clara.
SCHEME FOR LAND SPECULATION.

Adventurrrs Skinned of Their Possessions.
 Many Instances of Priyation and Suf-
 fering - Outrageous Duties Imposed.
 EngIishmen Engineering the Swindle.
 SAN DIEGO Cal, March 15-The excite ment over the report Of the new Fl Dorado near Tia Juana continues, although conserva- tive people are, and have been for several days, somewhat skeptical as to the genuine ness of the find. As the hours pass on the latter opinion grows stronger. Many miners who started when the first news of the dis covery of gold in extraordinary quantities was brought north, and who were delayed and charged exorbitant duties on every ar ticle they had in their possession before they were permitted to cross the border and pro ceed to the gulches, are returning sick, sore, penniless and disgusted.
 Almost all of them came back with a theory. This theory is that the whole exc ite- ment was brought about by an adroitly en- gineered plan, which was the product of the brains of the agents in California of the h. ternational company, composed almost en- tirely of English capitalists, who some time ago bought up the land, and who desired to rid themselves of what was proving a white elephant.
 This theory finds plenty of supporters in this city. Yet, in spite of the discouraging reports, people are c, instantly leaving for the scene in parties of all sizes No one comes back denying that there is gold in the gulches near Ensenaaa, but every one who has been there declares that there is not the slightest chance of getting 1t out unless the effort is hU ,x-;fJ ! and even then they say there won't be any too much money made out of it.
 Instances of privation and suffering are many Of course the country filled up with gamblers and dlsreputable people of all kinds directly after the discovery was reported The adventurous ones who first arrived of course believed that all they had to do was to dig hole i'll the ground and pick up money. Believing that, they proceeded to spend what money they brought with them Ill dissipation and debauchery, with the re- suit that they were without the barest necessities of life, not easy to obtain under the most favorable circumstances in the desolate country.
 The Mexican government has big force of military at Santo Clara. They arc there to keep order, but they don't succeed very we'll. The scenes are the same those that have characterized every new mining camp for years. There are just as many fights, just as much shooting and just much general cuSsedneSS as there evrr was. The tough people who go there take the guns away from the soldiers ani crack them over the head with the butts if they protest.
 A man named Perkins, an experienced miner ant a man of observation, came in from the mines He said h, had spent three days in prospecting H. declared that he was quite positive that there was no gold in paying quantities there for any individual miner at the end of the first day. But he tried little longer He took out about so5 n the three days. That was just enough to cover the charge the MeXicans make for per mission to travel from Ensen ada to the mines It cost him Sl00 in duties to get across the border. So he is out just $75, besides the discomforts and hardships of the trlp From talks he had with people there he is inclined to the belief that the International company. while openly protesting to desire to buy up the mines, Is secretly unloading the land to newcomers
 The already outra ,eous duties are growing worse The duty on wagons a week ago was SlO wheel. Now it is Sl5 On flour the duty has risen from eighty cents pound to S125, and now, instead of charging a duty on whole harness its various parts are charged the aggregate beng 50 per cent. higher than before. In fact, that is where great portion of the money goes.
 The newspaper dispatches are contradic. tory. It is openly charged here that a num- Der of the correspondents have been subsidized oy the land owners, and such is the state of mind now that reports from notorously trustworthy man would be looked upon with