The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-22

Flat twenty two years ago from San Fran
cisco, and that she had been out of the
canyon only once and then to Harland
Flat, five miles away.
Would we like to see her daughter, wife
of the ex-foreman? and what was Mrs
Murldorff giving us fits about at the head
of the canyon? In her opinion Mrs. Murl-
dorff had too much to say to strangers,
and was given to acting "fresh" on the
slightest provocation. She was also s'stuck
up' since her husband struck pay streak
over at Bloody Run and took out $4,000 in
one week.
What Mrs. Murldorff had to be stuck I'D
about she could not for the life of her tell.
Was not her daughter at one time engaged
to man who was afterward killed for
robbing sluice- boxes at Whisky Diggings?
Did not her first husband have to borrow
money with which to open up the Gold Bar
shaft in the spring of 500 Her husband
worked for his money-Mr. Bittinger did,
we could bet our sweet lives on that.
Would we like to go over to the diggings
and see him?
Mr.. Rugg replied that he would, and so
we hitched our horses, and following the
direction indicated by Mrs. Bittinger's in
dex finger, we found three men at work in
small ravine. This is my son-in-iaw,
said Bittinger introducing Mr.. Lassiat.
when he got my daughter he bought out
L
is not much gold here. If there was we
could not get at it. They won't let us pipe
any more, the dogs of perdition.
lit takes money to get gold nowadays
machinery and that sort of thing. In the
old days we scraped it up by the handful.
Well, me an my old woman don't want
much anyway; we are about DONE
Returning, our route lay through what
once upon a time had been set aside as the
town bury ing ground. 1t rests upon a
little elevation that slopes away toward
the town in gentle fluctuations.
Thickly covered with chaparral, with here
and there patches of wild sunflowers and
lupine, intersDersed with prospect holes,
the slope presents scene of utter ruin.
Some of the graves have wooden head
boards, Others are marked by stakes, while
many have nothing at all. There are
eight people in the town and eighty sleep
ing in this ruined ground. Nearly all of
them were laid to rest without religious
rights of any kind other than the reading
of chapter from the Bible by Charles
Pond.
Pond was professional gambler, but
always selected for this service on account
of his fine voice and oratorical effect.
"The boys always liked Pond" said
Henry Waggoner, one of the old settlers
of Poker Flat. "He could read better than
any one else and so he did the burying, and
ingly lively.
"Twice year a priest used to come over
from Downieville, but we could not always
wait for an ordained clergyman. Things
went with rush in those days, and the
climate of Poker Flat seemed to be con-
ducive to sudden DEATH"
Gold was discovered at Poker Flat in
1852, and two years later 1000 people had
gathered in this rich canyon. There we're
Is stores, hotels, 8 dance halls and 7
gambling houses. In 1856 circus
came to town and sold 1900 tick
cts at 500 each. The following year
man named Joslyn picked up q mug
get worth $4,000. To celebrate his good
luck he got full and offered the whole
piece to his partner in exchange for the
latter's wife.
The man accepted, and without the for
mality of divorce proceedings Joslyn and
the woman were married and left town.
Two days after he committed suicide at
Gibsonville. His former partner also left
town and bought some land near San
Jose. Two years ago, on August22, he died
wealthy and respected at good old age,
but it is doubtful if more than half dozen
people in the world know how the founda-
ton of his fortune was laid.
Henderson's big iron safe, over which
the noted faro-dealer shed his heart blood
in defending his money IN September,
1867, stands ruin by the trail, half buried
in the sand, just abovethe Bittinger house.
Poker Flat will not last long, and when
the pioneers have all been gathered to
their fathers, this lively and romantic
camp OF early days will be forgotten, and
given over again to be a safe ana sheltered
feeding spot for wild deer.
As we rode back up the canyon to reach
the homeward trail, Mrs. Murldorff came
out to bid US adieu. She had let her hair
hang down and taken off her paper collar,
but she still wore the brass spurs. w. f.