The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-06
i is NECESSARY TO LIE
In Order to Make q Success in
the Klondike.
A LETTER FROM CRoNIN
An American Is Given No Show at
Dawson-Ofacia and Social Rot
tenness Checkokos, Sour
doughs and Pioneers.

Great Falls, Feb. st E. Cronin,
friends in this county as well, writes to
a friend the following graphic letter
from Dawson City:
II have not heard word from Lew
istown since left Seattle last winter,
except what I have heard through
Johnnie Lyons, also formerly of Lew
istown. Well, Billy. if you should see
me now you would not know me. Talk
about your grizzly bear, i could make
one SO ashamed of himself he would go
off and die. 1 had a frightful trip in
here, but finally got through all o. K
Landed here August l. This is a great
country, but an American has
no more show here than if he were
in Hades Talk about your official and
social rottenness, why, Boss Tweed in
his palmy days was chubber compar-
ed to the crown officials here. The
White Chapel streets of London or of
any of our large cities, are no COMPARE
ison to any part of Dawson.
OF all Of the tens of thousands of peo-
pie who came in here, there never has
been man known to deliberately tell
the truth after he has been on the trail
one day. Every time a man asks me a
question lie to him; he just asks Inc
as a matter of form, for he knows be
will not get the truth, and he knows he
would lie to me. It's in the air and
you can't help it.
4 have done some tall rustling since
came in here. I located one claim,
but have not done any work on it vet.
Johnnie Lyons is working on lay On
bunker creek. I have not seen him late
ly, but have heard that he has good
thing. am camped in Dawson, having
been here for the last six weeks. 1 am
going to take a lay soon and go out
to the diggings.
"Ffty-five below is the coolest it has
been here yet, but l don't mind the
cold. A good many people have frozen
to death along the trail, but most of
them We're checkokos;' all the clothing
they had usually was a calico shirt and
linen buster.
There are three different classes of
people here, the .checkokos, the sour
doughs and the pioneers. To be q good
'checkoko,' you must tell every one you
meet all about your trip in, how much
more you packed over the summit than
any one else, how much faster your
boat was than any other boat what a
remarkably short time you were on the
trail, and what a high muck-a muck
and all round sofl-of-a-gun you were
in your native country, and finally to
be able to convince your nearer, If he
stays to listen, that you are one Of the
most aboninable liars that the divine
ruler of this Arctic Universe ever per-
mitted to float down the Yukon.
ITO be a good sour-dough, you must
see the ice come and go in the Yukon,
pilot your own boat through the White
Horse rapids and live on beans straight
for four months. To be good pioneer,
you must have been five years in the
country and be guilty of every crime in
the decalogue. People are going out on
the ice 200 per day, and mighty glad
they are to get out, too.
IF my health don't fail, will stay
here until l make a stake George
Treat, Dave Hatfield and Angy Egloff
of Great Falls are calming with me-