John S. Lamb

Murders Barr Calafornia [California] Dec 14th 1850

Mr James Ewing

Dear Sir

Your letter of the 12 th of September was received on the 17th inst which I was very glad to receive from you I was very much rejoiced that day I also received a letter from Mrs Lamb I never was so much gratified as I was at receiving any news it having been so very long scince [since] I had any news from home Mrs Lambs letter was of the 21st of Sept and the last that I received was the last of May nearly 7 Months a very long time not to have any news from home I was very home sick and if I had had my pile made I would have been Off for home but that is to make yet I do not intend to be home untill [until] about the 1st of next Dec 1851 and then I intend if GOD spares my life and health I hope to see old Burgettstown again which will be a glad day with me if I find my dear little Family all well as I left them and then I hope to be able to able to pay all my Debts which will relieve my mind very much to what it was before I left home I think that I will be able to send home on the 1st of Feb next By Mr Wm Bradley some $300 or 400 and I do

not suppose that I could have made that much at home in 3 years no not in 4 but then it is a very great trial for a man to leave his home his Family and the Church of God and every thing that is near and Dear and come here a man has to suffer a great privation indeed and I would advise every man that has a home in the states to stay there and be contented there is Money here but it is very hard to get I do suppose that Calafornia [California] can raise more Loafers than any other State in the Union in proportion to the number of Inhabitants men come here and because they cannot make as much in a day as they thought they could they will not work there is more gambling here than any other place I ever was and on very large scale meny [many] men work all day and gamble their Money away at night I do not think that the average of the Mines is more than 3$ per day to the man but I can make more I think that I will be able to make 5$ per day every day that I can work or about $100 per Month this winter we can make more in the Summer time we have so much weat [wet] in the Winter this has been very dry so far in comparison to last Winter we have had hole [whole] weaks [weeks] at a time that it did not rain the evening and mornings are pretty cold and the Sun is very warm here at noon there is about 80 men here on this Barr Wintering

they thought that they could make more than to go away to the dry digings and it has proved so thus far there has been so little weat [wet] that they could not wash in the Raviens [Ravines] very much yet it is healthy here now there has only been 3 deaths here scince [since] I came here last July from disease there was one man shot on the Barr By the name of Beck from Kentucky the Man that shot him was by the name of Walker from Illinois they got into a dispute about their lead one claiming half of the River while the others claimed all the way across the River Beck Chalenged [challenged] Walker to settle it with powder and ball Becks pistol missed fire and Walker shot him and was tried and acquited its being looked on as a dewell [duel] I was on the Barr at the time but was down in the hole at the time diging [digging] and did note [not] see them till after Beck fell dead. I see by your letter that I did not invite you to write to me again I hope that you will forgive me for that as I was in a hurry and it was an oversight in me it allways [always] will be a great pleasure to get a letter from you while I am here or at any other time please answer this as soon as you get this line please let Mrs Lamb know that you got this letter and tell her that I never was as well in my life. or any better I weigh 170 lbs and work hard every day that it does not rain I will not write to her before Mr Bradley goes home

the 1st of Feb. I will send her a letter then by him if I had my pile made then I would bring it myself but that is not the case yet if you are not down at Burgettstown please write her when you get this line please give my best respects to Mrs Ewing and all inquiring Friends, but before I close this line I would say that there has come over the Plaines [plains] this season about 70,000 People to this State and I would judge that the half of them or more if they were back would stay there but I am not in that half yet there was I suppose 1,000 or perhaps 15,00 died on Plaines [plains] they were all behind us we did not see but 1 new grave when we came through there has been many horses Mules & Oxen died by the way there were some of the late Emigrants told me that for a Days travel in a place they were not out of the smell of them so numerous were they by the road side. Crossing the Plaines [plains] is no small job any person that thinks Differently let them try it and they will know then all about it I think once will do me and if God spares my lif [life] to get home I think Washington Co will hold me while I live nothing more at present but remaines [remains] yours truly

John S Lamb

Mr James Ewing