The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-01-14
EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.
Terrible Seihshness Among the told
Hunters In ;hc North

Hunters In ;hc North.
Nobody who has spent the winter II
the kiondike will ever want TO try I
again" said Thomas llarlner at tn
mining bureau the other day. "Tha, is
unless he has a certainty of maxim,
enough money to partially repay HIN
for suffering hardships such as wcr,
never endured in any mining camp OF
earth before"
| Mr.. Harmer went into Alaska tw,
years ago ard says that he left thcr,
last August never to return. II woui,
not go back there and remain five wears
Tor s25u,eoo," he continued. when
| speak OF suffering do not mean actual
bodily pain or sickness, because | think
that II man goes there prepared as he
should and abstains from eNccsseS he
can keep in reasonably good health, but
| to live during the winter season In
| those close cabins and see the horrible
srlfshness aud cruelty of human beings
toward each other, the result of the
| rush for gold, which many of them,
even after they have secured il. do MOI,
hesitate 10 thro" away, is enough tC
make one lose all faith in the fitness of
| men 10 live on the earth. When | was
| coming out ! saw men refuse a nail on
the use of an az or even the use Of tin
cup to men who were in need of these
trittes. Every man there seems 10 he
q III az hiz F,,ll ) A.. a
will steal something or have better sue,
cess in finding gold. spent last win.
ter from September to April with cgh,
other men, We having gone together tc
save labor in keeping warm.
Each of us had claim or a part of
claim and we went out every day that
the weather was not too cold 10 work
our Claims. In melting the frozen
gravel we nearly always found one OF
more nuggets in the dirt. but during
the entire eight months that we worked
together | do not remember of a single
occasion when one of us acknowledged
that he had found any gold, Each Of
us had buckskin bag that was carried
on the person, and the ingenuity of al
was taxed to the utmost 10 devise some
scheme whereby that bag could be con.
cealcd from the rest. There was nc
stealing in the camp. A man caugh,
stealing would have Ind a rough time
OF 1t, but every man seemed to think |
that every other man wanted to stcal
from him. and do not think that a |
single one Of us knew where any othc, |
man carried his gold | remember on,
night lying awake and seeing five mer
of our company at different times put
ting away the nuggets found during |
the day. and in every case, after put
ting them in the little bnckskin bag
they would thrust the bag under the
blankets, and | could see from tn,
that they were concealng II
about their persons. We always had o
man sitting up to keep the fires and
the men were afraid that he might sec
where they put their gold. There was
no absolute cruelty, but the total In
difference to the welfare that eharac,
|erized everybody was simply horrible
was in the cabin one day reading with
two men, one OF whom was sick, the
rest being at work. The sick man had Il
.errible cold and fever, and asked one
If lis to hand him drink.
"The other man went over to the
bucket in which we kept our melted
snow and, with the remark: There is
10 more than | want myself drank l.,
vi. This, of course, was exceptional
y brutal. but there were many instances
'lmost as bad. Every man Is for him.
elf, and many OF them are so constant.
y thinking of their gold that they be.
ONE insane, or partially SO. came
nj with one man who was so excited
ver about $4,000 worth Of gold that by
he time we got to San Francisco he
vas almost an idiot. and il was with diff
Guilty we could induce him to deposit
is gold in bank and 60 to a hotel
here is plenty Of gold there, and | |
link more fields will be found. but all ,
man is likely 10 get will not pay him I
,r the horrible experiences he is called t
pom to endure. | was not particularly q
lcky, though l brought out enough t. i
ay me fairly well for my two years In c
laska, but If I was assured Of $50. 900 /
ear would not go back there. Den. v
II Republican. q