“How could anything else be expected of a man who was raised and brought up by his parents among the criminal class found in the slums and back alleys of all large cities, or more particularly in St. Louis, where I was born. If I had been raised in a different manner I should, no doubt, have been a far better man.”
In conclusion, he advised his son, who was present, to avoid bad company, to keep away from saloons, and to live an honest and industrious life.
His address illustrates very aptly the force of habits acquired by association in early life, as well as such inherited conditions which are natural to the individual; they form a part of him, and, under ordinary circumstances, cannot be avoided or overcome.
Sunday was a general holiday for the miners, and early upon this day they could be seen, dressed in store clothes, when fortunate enough to have any, coming from the various gulches and ravines towards the town to see the sights and amusements to be found in the saloons and in the street.
The amusements upon the street consisted principally of horse racing, running, jumping, wrestling, an occasional fight, as well as shooting at targets with rifle and pistol. One of the best shots with the rifle was a descendant of Daniel Boone, of Kentucky, who was remarkably expert. Kit Carson, who also had recently arrived, would display his dexterity with the pistol in shooting through the hub of a wagon wheel as it was being rolled across the street, a piece of paper having been pasted over the hub previously. Gambling was, of course, indulged in to a great extent by many miners, some of them losing the result of their whole week’s work, in some cases amounting to hundreds of dollars. The man who dealt the three-card French monte game was a great attraction, for his simple game looked or seemed “so innocent and aisy to bate, does yez see now,” said an Irish miner; but this was only apparent, as all those who attempted to beat the game became convinced, for it was soon found that the game was a regular swindling operation, being afterwards abolished entirely by the miners, and the dealer driven from town.
A miner on Sunday, for amusement bet on a certain card, throwing down his purse of gold, which contained about $800. Singularly enough he won; the dealer, however, discovering the mistake he had made, attempted to change the card. Failing to do so without detection, he flatly refused to pay the bet. A short consultation among the miners decided as to how he should be served. A rope was thrown around his neck, and fifteen minutes allowed him in which to “pungle down the dust.” He called upon his brother gamblers to come to his assistance, which they were inclined to do, but they were very politely informed by the miners, that after settling with the monte dealer, it was the intention to hang a few of them also, if they did not leave town within two hours. The monte dealer concluded that he had struck a hard crowd, paid the bet and vanished. A few of the other gamblers departed also, but returned again, however, in a few days.
It is proper and but just that I should mention here the vast improvement in the make-up and general appearance of the great majority of the mining class since the arrival of the fall emigration of ’50. Sunday would find them dressed in their “biled shirts” and “store clothes,” with hair and whiskers well trimmed and faces shaved, and occasionally a stove-pipe hat would make its appearance. The appearance of the tile was seldom repeated, however, for the trouble of forcing it up over the face again where it had been jammed down by some vile scoundrel, “just for fun you know,” and of again putting it into proper shape, took away all pleasure in wearing it. The fact is, the miners who had been living for the past year away from those conditions which civilized society creates, had not as yet arrived at that point again, or to that advanced condition where the style of a plug hat would be appreciated; consequently, the man who was ignorant of this fact, and had the audacity to appear in the streets with such an absurd head gear, had to suffer the consequences.
It may at this point in the history of mining be of some interest to know the financial condition of those who had been engaged in the business for the past year. As before stated, many returned to their Eastern homes in the spring, a few of them with a considerable amount of gold dust, and some having as much as $10,000 and even $15,000, but in very many cases with barely sufficient to pay their way. A few, again, who had succeeded in securing a fair amount, would engage in business in some one of the mining camps, or in Sacramento City or San Francisco, whilst others would buy land in some portion of the State and engage in the stock business. But those miners who remained in this portion of the mining region were, as a general rule, those who had not acquired a sufficient amount to satisfy them, and therefore determined to remain until they did. Others again, desired very much to return to their families, but not having the means were compelled to remain.
There were a few persons here who had accumulated a large amount of dust, and one man by the name of Harper, who never was known to wear a hat, a Scotchman by birth, is said to have accumulated about $75,000. Another one from Australia, but an Irishman by birth, who arrived in the mines early in the spring of
