The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-04-07
Written for THE News.

riodical excitements when a large num-
Der of people are suddenly seized with a
strong impulse to leave their homes and
wander to some distant part to seek
some much coveted object or accomplish
some particular purpose. The ancient
Greeks went forth to seek the Golden
Fleece; the Romans to conquer new
countries; the Mongols to wage a wal of
ruthless destruction and determination;
the medieval knights to seek adventures,
to fight imaginary monsters or to wrest
the holy sepulchre from the fanatical
Mussulman. The modern crusader is
not prompted by any fantastical, chival-
rous desire to conquer or promulgate his
religion, his only desire is to find the
treasures of the earth, the bright metals,
and above all the glittering gold.
What a wonderful talisman gold is,
indeed. It's possession awards the lucky
owner all the gifts that nature and
human ingenuity have in their power to
bestow. 1t opens the salons of society
to the dull, illiterate fellow while his
educated poor brother is secluded; it
secures the prize of love where personal
merit pleads in vain; it turns the scales
in the hands of blind Justice in favor OF
the thief and opens the gates of prison
to the criminal; it relieves distress,
builds homes, consoles the dying hour
of man and buries him with pomp; in
fact, it is the motive power in human
society for everything good or bad. No
wonder that people crave the possession
of the noble metal which has cast u-4 \,
them a powerful spell, and are ever
ready to follow it's alluring lustre,
whether it leads them to the icy terror
of the Arctic zone or the burning sands
of the desert, there is no obstacle that
can stop their mad pursuit. But unlike
the migration of people in olden times,
devastation and death do not follow the
path of the gold hunter; on the con-
trary, civilization follows his trail, cul-
tivated acres, fourishing settlements
with pleasant homes and busy industries
mark the spot where the magic wand
touched the wilderness.
Look at Goldfeld-a dismal, barren
waste less than two years ago. Then the
magic little word ''gold" went forth
from the desert in a whisper, but it
spread like the rings made by a stone
thrown on the tranquil surface of a pond,
and grew louder and louder until it's
echo was heard all over the States. And
the people listened and came; they were
under the spell and could not help it;
and, behold, a city sprang up or the
arid desert where stunted sage brush
had been the only sign of organic life.
Every new mining town has its own
peculiar character, and comparing Gold
field with some of the earlier camps, l
notice that it differs from them in many
respects. The most conspicuous feature
is the absence of hat interesting species
of humanity which is considered the
typical product of the wild west-the
professional chad man," the hero of the
dime novel. Although, from a literary
viewpoint, the disappearance OF his pic
turesque figure, attired in a pair of pis-
tolls, a bowie knife and some minor gar
ments, is to be deplored, / believe the
town has no reason to regret the alb
sence of this more ornamental than use
full citizen. During the month l have
been in this place l have not seen a fight
or a demonstration of fire arms, and in
no other mining camp have / found at
this early stage OF it's existence a popu-
lation of such high moral and intellect
ual standing, and l have been in many
camps. Whether one is enthusiastic or
skeptical about the future of Goldfield,
he cannot help wishing the people that
their expectations may be realized.
Hoping hat it may interest the reader
l wish to relate my experience in the
Black Hills in 1876. My partner and |
left Missouri early in March and went
to Cheyenne, which was a lively place at
that time, crowded with people prepar-
ing for the trip across the plains. While
we were waiting for our outfit to get
ready we learned that one of the famous
characters of the West, Will Hickock,
better known as wild Bill" was in
town and concluded to make his ac-
quaintance. We found some n will
ing to introduce us and the reception
took place at the bar of the Inter-Ocean
hotel. He was a tall, well dressed man,
with rather handsome, regular features,
blond mustache, and locks OF the same
color falling down upon his shoulders,
with a not unpleasant but somewhat
restless and suspicious expression. When
a stranger was introduced he would gaze
at him intently for a few minutes, to
make sure, l was told, that he did not
meet an old acquaintance who had a
score to settle with him. After he be-
came satisfied about our identity he