Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-09-30
AN ALASKA LETTER.
FRANK THOMAS WRITES INTER
ESTING LETTERS HOME.
He is Working for One Dollar per Hopr
Plenty of Discouraged People There
Frank Says he VIII Make Some Money
If Not q Fortune.

Dawson City, July 81, lS9S.-Dear
Father and Mother-I wrote you two
weeks ago and posted it here but |
don't suppose you will ever get it, if
they are as slack about sending mail
out as they are at getting it In. L
havn't heard from home since l left
Skaguay. | am going to send this out
with young Englishman whom l got
acquainted with on the way down. He
is going out before long and will post
this when he gets to Seattle. He is
going to travel some in the United
States and promised me he would call
and see you when he passes through
there. He is a real nice young man
and his name is Samuel Barrett. He has
a brother living at Lansing, Mich.
know it would please you to talk with
him as he has been here and can tell
you so much more than ! can take time
to write. He has two partners, one of
whom is going out with him. The
other and | will winter and prospect
together. Old Dick Reomy they call
him. He is an old miner from Wyom-
ing and good man to be with. Mr..
Barret will post you on this country
when you meet him.
Dick and | will take another by the
name of Henry Pierce, from Newark,
Nj. lie is good worker and has the
stlcktoativeness and that is what a
man wants more than any thing else in
this country, besides health and plenty
of grub. Dick has particular friend
here who came into this country before
this camp started and owns one of the
richest claims In the district. Well he
has promised US work when we get
through prospecting.
Now is the best time of the year to
prospect for bench claims and high
dlggings, as the ground is thawed some
feet down and there is no bother from
water on the high ground. However,
one could not do much along the creeks
now as the water fills the shaft before
bedrock is reached. We were out once
since | wrote you last but did not do
much prospecting as we were out for
the purpose of looking over the country
aid deciding where we are going to
prospect.
| think the chances here ale as good
as ever and that many will secure good
claims in the next year and some will
no doubt make fortunes, although
many are discouraged and are going
out as fast as they came In. AS yet |
see nothing smaller nor poorer than l
expected before l came. | did not ex-
pect to pick gold off the bushes. L
knew there would be plenty of hard
work and necessarily exposure with it
both in winter and summer, much on
account of the great difference In
climate. Then again l know that my
chances will be only one among many
thousands, but am going to hustle as
long as l am here and | am morally
certain | can make some money if not
a fortune.
There would be plenty of work here
this winter if the royalty was taken off,
but if not most of the claims will lay
idle. These mining laws here are the
most corrupt and unjust in the world
Everything Is left to the police and
their head officers, and the law distinct
ly says that their decision Is final SO you
can imagine how corrupt they would
soon get. To tell the truth they are a
osnd of dissapated, drunken, highway
robbers. People here are almost down
to the point of dispair to know what to
do.
The Monarch" just got in from st.
Michsels. the first boat up this year
Your loving son,
| FRANK l.. THOMAS.