Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-23

were pulled by the greatest of all mag nets-gold. He was stricken with cholera during l the went epidemic in the '50's-he | cannot recall the date-which brought him near to the portals of death. Many hundreds succumbed to the ravages of this terrible disease and their bodies were taken to the cemetery in all sorts of vehicles, some of them drawn by hand, owing to a scarcity of horses, and buried without ceremony. More over, there was continual contest be- tween gold and graft, in which the lat ter usually won out Every person who was unfortunate or who needed nurs- ing. or medical aid was regarded as prey for the grafters whose attributes seemed to rival those of the South, American condor.
 Doctors Fees in California.
 'FWhen I came down with the chel- era I was boarding at the hotel" said MT. O'Brien, and l sent for old Dr. Brown, who lived a few blocks away. my bed, rubbing his hands and saying at every turn in his walk: Just in time, just in time Yes, I thought, you are just in time" to pour few more shekels into your coffers before the gfoating "undertakers'' run me to the graveyard
 Well, the old doctor made 15 visits and charged me $1,500."
 Fifteen hundred dollars!" interposed the scribe.
 Yes, s1.5oo." solemnly averred the venerable survivor of the '49 era. "But he finally compromised for thousand dollars. Yes, 1t cost something to be sick in that locality and at that time," unused the veteran, as he refilled his pipe and continued: But wait till old Doc. Didn't get him mad, though ?" he chuckled. ''He dropped in one day-for another hundred, I sup pose-and said:
 You are looking a great deal bet ter'
 "'Yes.' I replied. I've got a new
 IA new doctor! Who is he?'
 "'Dr. Pickle
 "'Whos Dr. Picker
 "'Why, a pickle I found in the din- ing room yesterday when the help all been a fire the day before and I got up from my bed, and pushing a chair ahead of me I managed to get the pickle.
 "The doctor looked at me with great concern.
 "4I wonder the pickle didn't kill you he growled. Don't you dare ot eat another pickle unless you want to take the suicide route to kingdom come,' and out he went and he didn't call again till he came with his bill for $1,5o0.
 s76 Some Days.
 Taking i: by and large" went on thing in the mines, working by the placer process, that is, washing the gold from the dirt. Some days I got $75 worth of gold, and sometimes not enough to pay expenses" Were you ever hard up for food ?' he was asked. MT. O'Brien seemed to be laboring with painful recollections. T guess I know how it feels to be 1 starving" he said. T got Host once while prospecting in the mountains. 1 We ran put of grub and wandered about three days with nothing to eat. Finally we saw smoke at a distance that we estimated to be 20 miles. Our only salvation was to get there, but in our weakened condition, and with our mining outfits of about 40 pounds each, the journey seemed almost hope 1 less.
 l Then we ran across a dead mule, which my companions partly skinned, and cutting off some slices from it. they brQiled and ate them. How did it taste2 Don't ask me. The smell | was all wanted.
 We finally succeeded in getting to where the smoke was and found a ho- | tel. Starving as we were, the hotel keeper fed us on short allowances till ! we got into normal condition, which took several days.
 Teamins and Stage Driving. l MT. O'Brien alternated prospecting and wrestling the glitering metal from the grudging mines, which had called him thither, with teaming and stage driving. For long period he owned and drove a four-horse tally-ho, rum ming from Sacramento basck into the Sierra Nevada mountains, a distance of 100 miles. usually making the round trip in week, but in times Of stress he has made nearly two round trips in seven days. Many of his passen- gers were Chinamen that followed mining and they sometimes carried large amounts of gold.
 Ion some of the loftiest mountains snow could be seen the year round, said the doughty gold-miner, "aEd ir the winter, drifts from 20 to 80 feet ! deep were not uncommon. The snow froZe hard and as the trees were chop ped even with the snow. some pretty tall stpmps were seen when the snow melted.
 s'Once was sent to get the body of a Chinaman who had died in icabip in the mountains. The snow had drtfted to the cabfu,s peak and access could be had only by going through a tunnel Several miner; were occupying the cabin. I stored the body in a house constructed tC keep dead Chinamen.
 ''The Chinese didn't bury their deat 1 In this country and when these deas houses were filled, the bodies-wficl