The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-29
BAPTISBD IN HUMAN CORE.
The First Battle in the San Juan
Gold Fields.
A VERY BLOODY ENCOUNTER.
One Man Killed, Sixteen Wounded,
Seven Of Them Fatally.
The Discovery of Several Large Nuggets
Started the Row, Each Claiming the
Find Was on His Claim-Over
One Hundred shots Fired.

DENVER, Colo, Dec. 28.-T Special. l.
The new San Juan mining camp has fol-
lowed the precedents of all great mining
camps by baptising its golden sands
with human gore. The first news of what
was apparently sanguinary battle was
made public today when two men arrived
from Bluff City and stated that prior to
their departure a courier on horseback
arrived in GREATNESS excitement seeking
medical aid. He said that about seven
teen men were digging in the bottom of a
small creek and discovered several large
nuggets. Up to the discovery of the rich
find the men had harmokiously worked
together, but the nuggets had the same
effect on them as red rag on Mexican
bull.
Each man claimed the find as his claim
and a general battle was prec1pitated, in
which over 100 shots were exchanged.
One man, George Ferguson, was killed
outright, and several more are expected
to die. Not one man engaged in the des-
perate encounter escaped without a
wound. The courier stated that he left
camp Immediately after the last shot was
fired and did not know how many would
die.
There are nearly five thousand men in
the new fields and there has been very
little attention paid to the people stalking
their claims. The prospectors have de-
voted their time to prospecting and scour-
ing sands to find the most prominent To-
cations.
There have been a few claims staked
out, however, in places and many colors
to the pan have been found. but the lines
of the claims, it is said, have not been
reported in a great many instances and
causes trouble every day. The irregular
ity in reporting lines has been the cause
of the terrible battle.
The news of the battle in Denver created
great excitement among prospectors who
have been hitherto skeptical of the re-
ports of the fabulous finds in the new
country. They regard the deadly COM
bats with fiendish delight, as it is to
them the best evidence of the richness
of the claims. The battle will add new
impetus to the boom. People that
hitherto have been Indifferent about the
ueW country nave DecOlue intensely 1utST-
ested in it. Thousands of people will
now start for the new country that gave
it no serious consideration heretofore.
This is demonstrated by fact that in
Denver tonight people are forming into
parties preparatory for the start.
''Soapy'' Smith, leading Republican
politician of Denver and practical
gambler, has made up his party of six
men with records as dead shots. He will
take one of the finest gambling outfits in
the country with him. Some of the
hardest characters in the west are now in
camp or on their way and much blood
will flow before the camp celebrates its
second birthday.
The Associated Press confirms the re-
port and says eleven men were killed and
large number wounded. George Fer
guson, an old prospector and James Cody,
known as Blind jim, one of the best
known characters in Arizona and New
Mexico mining camps are among the
slain. A private dispatch from Dolores
this evening confirms the terrible report.