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From Newberry Transcribe
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Here may be ten or fifteen cents in the bottom of the pan. He gets very eager to purchase the miner says it is better than he thought and does not care about selling that only makes greeny more anxious and he makes large offers two three five hundred dollars. the miner laughs at him says he would not sell a cent under ten thousand but seeing you are so eager to purchase he asks you how much money you have got, five hundred, well than I shall let you have the claim by paying five hundred down and the balance as you take it out. Greeny thinks it a splendid chance and pays over the money at once to secure the bargain. the sharper pockets his money with the greatest glee and immediately takes his departure for some other part of the country and you may be sure he will never come back for the balance of his pay nine thousand five hundred. The poor victim works the claim untill he has eat up all his provisions and finally he has to abandon it having nothing for his money and labor but dear bought experience. I have seen many such cases as that poor silly fellows giving up their wagon teams and almost all their provisions for a claim not worth five dollars you could go and take possession of as good as one at any time for nothing, but they will not believe it they think all the good claims are found and that there is no way of getting one except by purchase. California Gulch at the time I speak of was very scarce of water and to provide against the supply giving out they were bringing water five miles, the way it was done was to make each one of the miners work on the ditch one day in the week which made about a thousand men to work on it every day, they had now been at it twelve days. It was a tremendous undertaking over the hills and valleys they way they had to do it was