Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06
PROJECTORS OF TODAY.
Their Gun Play Not Up to Tradition
of Mining Towns.


Republic CWash) Corr Boston Transcript
The mining camp Of today Is passably Or
Derby; life and property in reasonable Sc
curity. Hold-ups do occur now and then;
shooting afrrays-'gun plays''-take place
occasionally, but the members of the COM
munity see to It that an order Of things
which threatens their lives or pocket books
does not obtain a foothold. Dance halls,
gambling, women and drunkenness are per-
mitted. and these are virtually impossible
to eradicate in mining camp. But the
business and mining men who have their
money invested do not allow matters like
murder and robbery to get Roadway. as
well from sound business motives as from
those Of self-security.
In our Republic camp there has been only
one man shot in the last year, although
curious shooting affair did occur some
quarrel about a claim. Presumably I'M
armed at the time. they separated. swear
ing trouble. At O'Clock that evening they
came in sight of each other on the main
street of the town: one supplied with a
Winchester rife opened fire from the mid
die of the road on the other standing In
saloon door and armed with long-barreled
Colts revolver. The street was crowded
at the time, the busiest Of the evening.
The men were now separated by twenty
PAGES. They fired seven shots. The ex-
traordinary point was that neither hit the
other. nor any one else either on the street
or in the surrounding buildings, although
every place was crowded. The bullets were
found in saloons and stores near by. while
one went on fifty yards down the street to
a more distant gaming house The men
were fined 500 each the next morning, and
it was a generally accepted doctrine that
they should have got another 800 each for
not shooting straighter.
This incident would point to the fact that
4 bo dow iS N III.
able shot as Deadeye Dick of thirty years
ago. Indeed the present-day prospector as
seen about the streets of Republic appears
to be more concerned with putting his claim
than in watching his gun. Let us walk up
the street and talk to one of them mo-
ment, but remember, eaSterner. that this is
the most democratic country in the world,
and that prospector is as good as you are
and rather better-for you are an eaSterner
We approach hairy individual, leaning
against the Butte saloon He is chewing
tobacco with a certain slow dignity He
impresses us as looking resolute and dirty
When you get to know him better you will
find he is a pretty good sort Of fellow, with
many Of the primitive virtues and all of
the vices.
well, how're they coming?" ask as We
stop beside him.
"Oh! they're stacking up pretty good. My
partner and me was working some last
week up on them Bear creek claims. You
know them. Ell? By -. they're good ones
He digs bit Of stone out Of his pocket
and hands it to us. That runs $3.50 to the
ton. and we're only down ten feet"
Got much Of that?' I ask.
well, there amt such a h Of lot of
that there stuff, but a good average assay'Il
run SO or So. We've got ledge four feet
wide, and she's going to be a wonder.
We're going to have another LIE Roi there
before we get through. We wouldn't take
SIC. 900 for her as she stands No, by -,
$1,000 wouldn't look at her"
The property our friend spoke of COM
prised. as knew, two fair-looking claims.
with a little low-grade ore In sight. Pres
ent value. on the chance Of II getting bet
ter. perhaps $780, But 50 it Is with many
prospectors. There is no more visionary
man. and let him get any kind of a show
ing at all on his claim he straightway be-
comes possessed of the idea that he has
one Of the great mines of the world His
head filled with thoughts Of famous mines,
he asks hundred times the value of his
claim Sometimes he never makes a sale:
sometimes he holds the claim until he gets
hard up, when he becomes more open to
reason and will often sell for a fair price
Occasionally, with an uncommonly good
claim. he does get his own fancy figures.
Many prospectOrs have made their money
by going at the matter in another way:
they get a small company formed to work
their property. and keep a large proportion
OF the stock themselves. Should the claim
turn out to be a mine the stock of course
grows very valuable