The copper era., 1903-05-28
EARLY DAYS
AT CLIFTON.
An Interesting Letter From One
Who Opened Natures Store
House Here.
NEW YORK. May 70 1905

NEW ORR, May u. l--5.
The Era Publishing Company
GENTLEMEN Il have now been
receiving your paper for some
years. So far as know. l have only
paid you for one years subscription.
1 must be in your debt. Will you be
good enough to send me bill, show
ing how much 1 owe you. The fact i.
have taken no note OF the time since
l paid you last. Life here in New
York, as rule, prevents man from
taking note OF the flight OF time. We
live fast in this great city, and. # by
chance we note that we are getting
old, we go to a massaeur and have our
wrinkles massaged: and then we get
bottle OF colOring. so "a not to show
our gray hair. I believe that Old
Time himself when he comes here
whet it, but cuts down right and left,
rich and poor, young and old, as the
case may be. The money | owe you Is
not over secure, for the reason that
lLlc l. ulCti OdIh llCiC III NC" 1 VI n"
If you would watch the rushing of the
electric cars and the automobiles, and
the thousand other dangers that
threaten human life every minute, you
would be under same apprehension
that party owing you money IL light
not live long enough to pay it. 1t
would, therefore, be wise for you to
send me bill.
| like to read the paper occasionally.
| hunt for some names that | have
known. AS years go by. only very
seldom | come across one that | have
known. When your paper arrives, |
take few minutes from my work and
go back to Clifton. Again | camp UNI
der a tree in company with three or
four, not forgetting my friend William
Grant, and there we camp for the
night. Again | start the next morn
ing to go to the "Longfellow" Mine.
1t is a long tramp, and there is no
trail up the hill to the "LongfellOw;"
and. in order not to maltreat our pack
animals, we leave them at the foot of
the hill. We hobble them, ana take
up provisions and blankets and put
them under 4 temporary shed. Five
Of us go to "LOngfellow" mine. We
find great powders of copper ore lying
on the surface and l say to myself
Eureka" After hunt of thirty
years, | have found it at last. As the |
evening closes in, we return to our
or rather where we left them, |
and to our provisions where we left |
them; but, behold, there is nothing
there; the animals are gone and the |
provisions also. We had some canned !
stuff. and that was destroyed; and the |
tracks of six Indians are plainly visi-
BILE in the sand. We have nothing !,
but our arms, and had no food all day. |
Shall we follow the Indians? They are |
twenty or thirty miles ahead OF us, and |
we have no provisions and are afoot
and tired, YEARLY we go back to the
camp on the San Francisco where we |
meet some of our companions and we
have to relate our first disaster at the |
loot of the ''Longfellow" mine. But
it will not do 20 indulge in these
thoughts, otherwise I should be
to write book and relate
what | have seen and gone through in
the twelve years that lived in Cliff
Ton. | sometimes think that will go
and visit you and get up a subscription
TO raise monument in memory of
William Grant, our guide, who took
Is to Clifton first, the man who dis
covered the coronado" mine. In
TACT, most OF the mines around Clifton.
Poor Grant! His bones lie buried in
Grant Pass in Oregon where he retired
After many years of labor, and died
,omc two years ago.
However, | have wandered far from
he original subject, that is, about the
dill | owe you. Please send it, and
,blige. Yours very truly,
HENRY LESINSKY.