Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-09-16

Wilson. and all through her own efforts.
Miss Wilson was educated in the
public schools at Scra anton. Pa, but her
parents moved TO the western country
before she had an opportunity 20 get
above the grammar grades AT that
time her father had considerable
means. but he exhausted it in an en-
deavor TO locate gold in Colorado and
California Miss Wilson was 10 years
old when her father died and IT once
determined to make her own way in the
world She went to Seattle and found
employment as domestic on a steamer
bound for Alaska. She found her way
to Circle City and became the cook and
general housemaid for number of
miners.
Miss Wilson was not satisfied with
this kind of life. She had had some
experience in mining while accompany
ing her father on his pilgrimages and
she crossed lots" IN Alaska on her own
account. The result was that she To-
Gated copper mine which is now being
worked and which is said to be banning
out as proIi6eHily as any of the gold
mines that are making the K!cndike
fields famous. Miss Wilson had no
sooner staked her claim than her pos
session was disputed by a number of
men, but besides mining she had
learned from her father how to use
rifle and revolver and for days she sat
the sole guardian of her claim.
Her possession was finally recognized
and several of the men who disputed
her right of occupancy are now work
ing with or for her, and it is estimated
that she is not worth less than So ,000,-
600. The young woman said recently:
81 was in Chicago five years ago after
my father died. Then was a COM
monplace restaurant waiter or dish
washer and no one cared for me. Now
am worth perhaps $2.O00,000 in money,
and am being constantly followed by
young men of good families who would
be glad to take a wife. | might as well
say now that am not marrying at this
time. / do not know when | shall 60
back to Alaska. | may never go back,
for don't mind saying that have had
an abundance of the kind of living they
have in that country. My mother and
j can live now wherever we see fit. and
want to tell you that we shall not have
our rooms facing in alleys. as we have
been compelled to since father died.
THE copper mine in which am the
principal owner was all my own find.
The funniest part Is that found it less
than quarter of a mile from where we
| were making our headquarters. There
were indications that others had dis
| covered the presence of copper ahead
of me. but the gold fever must have had
full possession of them because they
passed it over. | secretly prospected
my find for month before anyone else
| =
prior ownership. Then | had to make
personal defense. and this | did.
never had to fire a shot, but | would
have done so without hesitancy.
| mo; / would not advise any young
woman to go to that country who has
not had some experience with miners
or who is not prepared to defenI her
self and undergo the severest hard.
ships. In that country self-preserva-
ton is truly the first law of nature
Men forget all their chivalry and al
though women are scarce they are not
curiosities and do not seem to awaken
any special interest among men
Alaska miners are not sentimental
They are looking for riches and they
do mot care how they get them"
An evidence of how the law is admin
istered in the Yukon country is given in
a letter received at Victoria, B. G. A
| packer named Rice contracted to take
a mans outfit over the Skaguay trail il
| the man went to work on the trail. The
man went to work, but when it wa:
finished Rice refused to fulfill his con
| tract. When Rice's train reached the
| summit with q load it was seized by the
mounted police and a vigilance com
| mittce and was unloaded. Rice viii
not be allowed to do any packing unit
he fulfills his contract with the mar
who worked on the trail.
The first letter mail to be dispa tch &c
from this country to the Klondike re
gion under the new reciprocal arrange
ment with Canada. effected by estab
| fishing an interna tional exchange be-
| tween Dyea. Alaska, and Dawson City
| will be forwarded from Seattle by
steamer leaving there September IL
| From that time forward letter mail
| will go over the new service regularly
once a month. The last opportunity
to send newspapers and reading mate
rial generally into the gold region I'm til
next spring was afforded by the paper
mall" the last of the season, which was
forwarded by steamer leaving Sar
Francisco September 5.
A bit of good news for the miners has
just been bulletined by the North
American Trading and Transportation
company. It is to the effect that full
quartz mill sent by them into the Klon
dixie country had arrived at its destina.
| ton in excellent condition.
Different Case.
What nonsense they print nova
days." said Mrs. Nuwed, YEARLY laying
down the novel she was reading.
How" inquired Mrs. Spitely, who