Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-06-30

"A low years later tEeeo Indian
Killed a number of white settlers
and the government sent Genera
y. .. Howard there with fore
enough to punish and subdu,
them.
AT o'clock p. m. reached
large encampment of people jus
below the snow line, and abou
two miles this side of the Mountain
house, and stopped all night
Late in the evening news came il
that the large gang of men EN-
ployed to shovel out the snow ant
cut and remove the logs and max,
a passable trail, had just complete,
their work.
May 27.-Mounted my horse at
a. m. and started alone for Flor
ence City. The snow was piled S,
high on either side of the trail TO
several miles that l could not Sc,
over tin some places it was II
feet deep. l reached Florence at 4
p. m, and was the first man t.
enter Florence on horseback. Wher
l reached the mining district anc
the miners got sight Of my horse
they threw down their picks ant
shovels, tossed up their hats anG
shouted and yelled as if they were
crazy. This din of shouts followed
me until I reached the town. The
sight OF a horse was the announce.
ment of cheaper food and all sorts
OF merchandise. They had paid all
winter 40 cents a pound to men to
pack in their supplies of all sorts
from the mountain house, ~ miles
away, on their backs.
June "A continuous stream Of
people is pouring into Florence
which gives it an exceedingly busy
appearance. There is still some
snow on the ground, but it ia
rapidly melting away. Having
never been in a mining camp be-
fore, it is very interesting and new
to me. Every one but the new
corners are busy as bees, digging,
ditching and washing out gold in
cradles and sluices. Immense heaps
OF fresh earth are piled up in every
direction and the whole country is
SO full of prospect holes that it
seems totally ruined. / spent a
day visiting different claims and
found many anxious to sell out, al
though all claimed that their prop
critics were very rich.
June S.-This morning reports
were circulated that exceedingly
rich diggings had just been discov-
cred in the neighborhood of the
Buffalo Hump, about GO miles in a
northeasterly direction from here.
A few miners who seemed to know
where the new discoveries are,
off in the night to prevent
the crowd from following them.
All day people by hundreds, and
perhaps by thousands, are getting
ready as fast as possible to go.
Many start with packs on their
backs, while others take horses
we'll laden with food to last weeks.
June 1O.-Still hundreds of ex-
cited men are rushing off to the
Buffalo Hump. Within two days
flour has advanced from 80 cents
to 81 per pound, and almost all
sorts of provisions in like proper
ton, on account of the extraordi-
nary demand.
June 15.-The town is alive
with people today. Everybody
goes to town on Sunday to lay in
see the sights, get and
send letters, buy newspapers and
take a rest. Newspapers cost 81
each. I can only afford three a
week. On almost every corner an
auctioneer is selling horses, goods
and merchandise Of every sort.
Great clumps of people stand in
the streets discussing the "new dig
gings." The saloons are full Of
people. Many are gambling, hun
dreds drinking, while some are
simply idling away the time and
listening to the alluring chink of
coin on the gaming tables. FIRE.
quently quarrels occur at the gam
ing tables which almost always cul-
inmate in shooting, and often kill
ing. Not infrequently some drunk
en- rufiian draws his revolver and
begins to shoot in the midst of the
vast crowd, often killing or wound
ing some one and creating q fear
full stampede. Such is Sunday in
Florence. Here the congressman,
legislator, judge, divine, doctor,
lawyer, merchant, farmer, laborer
and sailor mingle in the same
crowd, wear like SLOUGH hats, blue
shirts and ragged or patched
Nearly all Of this vast
horde Of gamblers, roughs and des-
peradoes are from California-the
remainder, dregs and offspring OF
that foul collection of villains that
flooded California in 1849 to 1862,
10 to Is years ago. There is no
law here, or none that sees, abates,
retards or Furnishes crime. Scarce
ly q day passes that some one is