The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-08

NEW YORK. Aug. "A letter has 1ust
been received here by @. A. ScAllcht:ns Of
No SIC Third avenue. New York, fron
friend Of his Henry REIN, now AZ Dawson
City. IN the Cfoniyke which pictures a
realistic fashion life as II actually q n
this principal citv az the new El6orado.
The letter contains many new facts and
gives details cf frontier life that take Tho
reader back 20 the says OF ~
X gives a new insight into the actual
methods % life in the metropolis OF the
Clondyke, and Indicates wis; ripe bar
ve<, death * likely 20 reap before The
FIRST breath OF mex: spring IS felt IN these
diggfncs of the north. II is a tale that
should cause The cpt!missic gold seeker -
step and think before emsarksng On a trip
20 the Ciordyke this fall III shows that
discretion IS by FAR the better pSrt ot
gruhhing for wealth. rs II Is Of valor
This is the letter, for the frst time pub
Iished:
Dawson city ~ W r., July : ,S97
Dear Friend When we were OF en- that
Fourth 81 July trip a yesr age you nor
! had any idea that another year would
see sne u q place where American hcit-
DAYS are forgotten in a search for SHch
fortunes rs we never ever thought about
Tomorrow Is The Fourth. H21 I suppose
that Is why I think Of the things that
queerest place you ever saw. | have had
the cid-tirners out here tell me stories
about the DAYS Of '4s in California that
were not in the same class with what
SEE happen every day here.
'r suppose back In the States-in Gods
country We call II UP here--you are hear
Ing lot about the money that Is being
made in these diggings and how everybody
IL going 70 he rich. There Is no doubt IN
my mind that there never was anything
like this before anywhere, 1t isn't cues
ton of finding the sold, II is a question
OF getting II out. If half the stories we
hear are true. there Is enough gold IN the
Clondyke to make everybody rich that
comes here
That Is one side Of the story. But
friend there Is another. too Whoever
comes In here, the way things are row.
must make I'm his mind TO suffer IN va
rious ways. II he happens to strike a
streak of good luck, then he IL likely 10
have enough to eat. II he does not he
might as we'll be in Hades with broken
back. There is no worse place on earth
for a man without money than n mining
camp. There are eight hundred claims
staked out within twenty miles OF this
place. so you can sSe how much chance
there is for the new conner. Everything
that Is worth anything has been gobhled
up around here. so that the only thing LETT
to do is TO move north. and that means to
move farther into country that is the
worst ever struck.
.'perhaps YOU would like 70 know what
sort of town this is, and / will tell you.
You have heard about wide open towns.
This Is one Of them. Everything goes
here The saloons never close. Gambling
goes on at all hours. In fact, nothing In
the way OF dissipation Is ever checked 9,
ALL There IS no city government in this
sxr.E h~.
a vigilance committee, which takes the
place of both the government and the laws.
You see, this is British country up here. and
most of us are Americans. so We do not
know much about what the law is that
governs this part of the country. This
being the case, we run the place like We
think we ought to- | don't mind telling
YOU am one of the vigilantcs myself
II wish you could take a trip around
town here and see these things for your
self. Why. 1t is nothing at all for thou
sand dollars to change hands on the turn
of a card. mean that much In gold dust,
for real money is II scarce article out here.
Every man has a sack OF dust, ana ne buys
or CANDLES by the ounce or fraction there
Of The dance halls are lively enough, too'
for there Is a lot of women UP mere, snch
as they are most of them having come IN
from Seattle and Frisco. j reckon there
all told but they can make noise enough
for twice that many.
There is not as much killing going on
here as you would think for. because We
do not think much of bad men up here
We have planted about dozen OF THESE
I'm the last two months, and IL has had me
effect of keeping the tough sort quiet.
write about night. but we don't nave any
night here You see the sun sets about
N p NJ and rises al \. NJ, but 1t never
GETS dark. You can read newspaper out
OF doors at n.loa!ght. SO YOU see IL don't
make much difference when you sleep.
The result is that the people here dohs
have any regular time for sleeping or eat
ing al all They just live like they want
to.
you see all kinds OF psople here. l be-
iiey.s that every nation that We ever heard
OF In Nav York has got somebody out here
who belongs TO II. Everybody Is as good
as every body else, 1t don't make any an
ference what color he is There IS one Ola
fellow that used 10 he a slave. ana his WOOL
Is as gray as Sleeps petit. lie came up
here with a freighting outfit, and did not
have any idea OF going after gold. but wnen
ne did get here. old as he was, ne got the
fever. He staked out a claim and you
can believe IL or not, but that old devil has
cleaned UP $50 go In gold dust. You ought
10 hear him talk about what he Is going 10
do with IT,
His name, he says, is St. John Ather-
ton and he comes from down IN Geor-
gia Just a piece out OF Atlanta, ne says.
He saws that fne daughter OF the man that
owned him during the war Is living there
yet on the old plantation. very poor. The
old man Is going back so he says. and -
going to buy that plantation. and then he
Is going 10 have this woman that - there
do nothing bat live like a lady all the rest
~ her life That's one of the most curious
things I've heard since l have been up
here and believe the Old man means just
what re says.
IL The papers printed half the queer
things / sess up here It would be better than
any book About three months ago thera
was an old fellow came from back East.
and he had with him & boy OF about nj
teen years old. he was one OF the incest
BOYS [ ever saw. lie and his father staked
out 8 claim just east Of claim right on
he river that the boys call Blue Rich
ness / think the old man said he came
from Massachusetts,. lie was quiet,
peaceahle Old man, minded mis- OWE psia!-
ness and paid no attention ~ anybody
Bat after ne commenced work on his claim
a few days 1t got around that he had
struck 3 dirt. That means that every pan
OF dirt ne washed out mad = worth Of gold
IN it.
There Is a lot OF mean sons Of guns up
here. that when they think a man that
will be ran off has got a good thing they
just Try % run him OF. 50 one night two
or three If these fellows went 10 the old
mans tsnt. showed their guns In the faces
Of hirn ard mis- boy and told them Il they
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