Esmeralda, July 23d.
My Dear Bro:
No, I don’t own a foot in the “Johnson” ledge1—I will tell the story some day in a more intelligible manner than Tom has told it.2 You needn’t take the trouble to deny Tom’s version, though. I own 25 feet (1/16) of the 1st east ex. on it—and Johnson himself has contracted to find the ledge for 100 feet.3 Contract signed yesterday. But as the ledge will be difficult to find, he is allowed 6 months to find it in. An eighteenth of the Ophir was a fortune to John D. Winters—and the Ophir can’t beat the Johnson any. I have promised a man ten dollars if he will get one of the owners to give me 25 feet more. I am very much afraid he can’t manage it, though. Johnson has contracted to find the 1st W. ex. on the[ do do ] for 100 feet, and day before yesterday, when he thought he had struck it, one of the owners sold 25 feet of it for $600 cash. Johnson owns 400 ft in the discovery, and owns largely in the Pride of Utah, and also owns the Union Mill.
Well, I am willing Mollie should come, provided she brings John with her. John would do well here.4 Are you in the new office yet?
I have written Judge Turner—but I didn’t tell him Johnny5 had written me—don’t you. I have offered to sell all the my half the ground to him except the Fresno for $700—or $400, if he will give me his Fresno. I don’t want the d—d ground. [ I w If ]Judge Turner is not there, and will not be there soon, take his letter out of the office and send it to him.
I have not your letter by me now, and I do not remember all that was in it. At any rate, with regard to Phillips, don’t depart from my instructions in my last. He is a d—d rascal, and I can get the signatures of 25 men to this sentiment whenever I want them. He shall not be paid out of the Record fund. Tell him if he can’t wait for the money, he can have his ground back, and welcome—that is, 12½ feet of it—or 25, for that [matter., ]for it isn’t worth a d—n, except that the work on it will hold it until the next great convulsion of nature injects gold and silver into it.6
My debts are greater than I thought for. I bought $25 worth of clothing, and sent [ $20 $25 ]to Higbie, in the cement diggings. I owe about 45 or $50, and have got about $45 in my pocket. But how in the h—1 I am going to live on something over $100 until October or November, is singular.7 The fact is, I must have something to do, and that shortly, too. I want that money to pay assessments with. And if Turner don’t accept my offer right away, I’ll make a sale of that ground d—d soon. I don’t want to sell any of it, though until the Fresno tunnel is in. Then I’ll sell the extension.
Now write to the Sacramento Union folks, or to Marsh,8 and tell them I’ll write as many letters a week as they want, for $10 a week—my board must be paid. Tell them I have corresponded with the N. Orleans Crescent,9 and other papers—and the Enterprise. California is full of people who have interests here, and it’s d—d seldom they hear from this country. I can’t write a specimen letter—now, at any rate—I’d rather undertake to write a Greek poem. Tell ’em the mail & express leave here three times a week, and it costs from 25 to 50 cents to send letters by that blasted express. If they want letters from here, who’ll run from morning till nights collecting materials [cheaper. ]I’ll write a short letter twice a week for the present for the “Age,” for $5 per week. Now it has been a long time since I couldn’t make my own living, and it shall be a long time before I loaf another year.
No, you needn’t pay Upton. I took all sorts of pains, and run after men every day for two weeks trying to fix up that business of his here, about his house, and d—n him, he has never even answered my letters on the subject. If I sell any of Johnny’s ground, he shall be paid.
I want to have a shaft sunk 100 feet on the Monitor, but I am afraid to try it, for want of money. Don’t send any money home.
If I can think of it I will enclose that scrap about the old scissors, and you can paste it in my scrap book. Who the devil was that James Clemens, I wonder? Pamela enters into no explanations.10
We can’t decide what is to be done with the Fresno until DeKay gets back from Mono.
If I get the other 25 feet in the Johnson ex., I shan’t care a d—n. I’ll be willing to curse awhile and wait. And if I can’t move the bowels of these hills this fall, I will come up and clerk for you until I get money enough to go over the mountains for the winter.
Yr. Bro,
Sam
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
The owners of the First East Extension of the Johnson lode, on
Last Chance Hill, have let a contract to Peter Johnson, the
discoverer of the original claim, to sink a shaft one hundred
feet on that lode. He has commenced the shaft, and has already
reached the depth of twenty-five feet. The work is still
progressing, and the company expect in the course of another
month, to take out equally as rich rock as has been struck in
the Johnson and Wide West claims. (“Mines in
Aurora,” Sacramento Union, 20
Dec 62, 3, reprinting the Star)
Source text(s):Previous publication:
L1, 228–231; MTB, 1:202, brief excerpts; MTL, 1:81–82, with omissions.
Provenance:see McKinney Family Papers, pp. 459–61.
Emendations and textual notes:
do do • [below ‘Johnson’ (228.12) in line above in MS]
I w If • If w [originally ‘I w’; ‘f’ over ‘w’]
matter., • [comma over period]
$20 $25 • $25 0 [‘5’ over ‘0’]
cheaper. • [sic]
