Diary 67-05: November, 1891 - preliminary transcript

in the Ophir mine last Friday -- I rode in carriage with Major F A G Gearing, Mark Feeny, and John Brady -- Took a ride out on Geiger Grade as far as the summit afterward -- Evening about town -- at room, writin, reading etc -- Bed 3 -- I had a real nice old time dream last night -- I had struck it, somewhere in a

An Old Golden Dream -- Bennett $2

"prospect" of a gold vein -- picked out chunks of gold in $1 $2 & $3 and bigger ragged quartz gold pieces -- more than $100 worth -- hated to wake up to the scrubby reality -- Yet 42 years ago I was on my way from Stockton to the California gold diggings -- footing it for Woods' creek on the Tuolumne -- Left S Nov 2 & got there on the 6th -- But this dream was so good and naturalistic that it made me feel rich all day afterward "The days of old, the days of gold, the days of Forty Nine" --

Wednesday Nov 4

Same -- PM, W P Bennett came & I wrote a couple of letters for him -- He paid me $2 -- Evening about town -- Bed 1 --

Hitchcock $20 -- Centennial ass't Bracken's Safety Invention -- $10 -- Cold

Thursday Nov 5

Same -- PM, H W Bracken got me to his room in the International relative to an article about safety cages, etc, & his invention therein -- Evening about town -- Bed 1 -- Hitchcock paid me $20 more this PM

Friday Nov 6

Same -- Worked some on the Bracken job -- evening about town -- completed the B job during the night -- This PM met Kinzle and James and as Directors we held a meeting and levied assessment No 43 on the Centennial -- 1 1/2 cts per share --

Saturday Nov 7

Same -- cooler -- Delivered Bracken's article to him this morning at 11 and he paid me $10 for it -- PM about town -- Evening ditto -- Bed 1 -- cold freezing night --

Icy Exempts & Odd Fellows dues Paid Letter to Cornelia for father's violin -- Benedict Illusionists

Sunday Nov 8

Same -- ice formed till noon on the shady side of the street, from the street and sidewalk sprinkling, etc -- PM attended regular monthly meeting of the Exempts -- Evening was around with Zimmer awhile -- He was with me at my room -- Took a 2 hours sleep in my bed and went to Gold Hill where he lives -- Bed 2 -- Paid my dues in Exempts today up to Jan 1, 1892 -- Am paid in Odd Fellows also to that date --

Monday Nov 9

Same -- PM about town -- Evening ditto, till 10 -- went to room -- wrote long letter, 4 pages to sister Cornelia, in which I told her to send me the old violin bequeathed to me by my father -- Bed at 4 --

Tuesday Nov 10

Same -- Evening at theater -- Benedict and company of 2 or 3 -- slight of hand, illusionists, delusionists -- very slim house -- fair performance -- Bed at 1 -- Was

disturbed before getting to sleep by noise of a rat in my room foraging around --

My Rat Killed -- Letter to Eunice "Skipped by the Sight of the Moon"

Got up twice & rummaged around trying to get him or run him out -- Finally I found him in upper drawer of bureau and jammed him as he was trying to escape over rear part of drawer -- Held him fast, got him by the tail, faked him out & banged him dead -- 1/2 grown rat -- Got in last night by the janitor leaving my door open inadvertently -- Troublesome pest well rid of -- that rat did squall well when I had him jammed -- Bed finally at 4 oclock --

Wednesday Nov 11

Same -- Evening theater "Skipped By the Light of the Moon" by a company from the East -- Very funny -- good house -- Bed 12:30 --

Thursday Nov 12

About as usual -- Evening down town -- bowels bad -- Room at 10 -- Wrote 4 pages letter to Eunice -- Bed 3 --

P H Lynch's lecture -- Icy -- Delavan's death

Friday Nov 13

Same -- Bed 1 --

Saturday Nov 14

Same -- Evening attended lecture of Patrick Henry Lynch at Opera House on "The Past Present and Future of the Republican Party by an Irish Roman Catholic Republican" --

Very slim audience -- Not much of a lecture -- Bed at 1 -- Yesterday and day before ice formed all along the east side of C st, till noon, from the street and sidewalk sprinkling -- Tonight was another freezer -- I received today a marked copy of the New York Financial and Mining Record from its office containing the following editorial paragraph: Date of paper Oct 31 -- ((newspaper clipping here))

Bob & Elva Patterson sick Scarlet fever -- Goodyear, Elitch & Schilling's Minstrels

Sunday Nov 15

Same -- PM about town -- letter to wife etc -- Evening I visited Bob Patterson at his residence -- He is laid up with a gouty foot and his daughter Elva is just recovering from the scarlet fever -- Home to room at 10 -- read & wrote & bed at 2 -- freezing night -- The scarlet fever is very prevalent in Va & GH -- Probably 200 cases --

Monday Nov 16

Clear & pleasant -- Freezing on shady side of C st till past noon from street & sidewalk sprinkling -- About as usual -- Bed at 1 --

Tuesday Nov 17

Same -- as usual -- Goodyear, Elitch & Schilling's Minstrels arrived on morning train & paraded the streets with fine band of 9 pieces -- About 25 in the crowd -- Evening I was at theater & saw them -- big house -- $530 -- Performance splendid, after the usual Minstrel variety style -- Bed at 2:30 --

At Carson on Keyes Mining Suit Minstrel show $532

Wednesday Nov 18

Cloudy & cooler -- Took morning train at 7:45 for Carson to attend, as witness, the case of P J Keyes, vs the Keyes Silver Mining Company -- sued for salary as Superintendant, and supplies furnished $2200 -- Other witnesses and Keyes' attorneys -- C E Mack and F Huffaker -- also went by train or otherwise -- Case called at 11:30 and jury completed in about an hour later -- Keyes on stand during PM relative to bills, (Keyes awarded $1,015.40) etc -- Court in US Circuit Court, Judge Hawley and held in the new Gov't building -- Court adjourned at 4:30 PM till 10 AM tomorrow -- recess of 2 hours at noon -- The minstrel troupe also came down on morning train to play Reno tonight -- Piper told me they had a $532 house ast night -- It certainly was full -- I had on, for the first time, my new dark brown suit of clothes -- coat, vest &

My New Suit of Clothes -- Mrs Langtry Frosty Weather -- I on Witness Stand

pants -- Evening about town -- Bed at John Wolmesing's at 11 -- Picture of Mrs Langtry on the wall next to my bed -- Very chilly wet & white frost here this morning as usual now -- dry freezing frost in Va as usual -- Col A C Ellis Atty for Keyes M Co --

Thursday Nov 19

Same -- Got through with evidence of P J Keyes at noon -- Met again at 1:30 PM when I was placed on the stand relative to a letter from Frank Shay, President of the Keyes Mining Company, making P J Keyes Supt which I embodied in an article in the