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Show AS OF OLD. Of the west western was the good old custom of paying public and private claims in gold dust. With the coming of the hordes of eastern invaders with their habits and ways, the practice passed into a state of suspended animation, anima-tion, so to speak. A great many of us believed that it had perished from the face of the earth forever, and that wo should always pay our debts in mere money if we had it. It appears, however, that wo were a bit premature in consigning for all timo to the grave the gold-dust circulating medium. In proof of our mistake is authentic news of the revival of tha method in Tlclena, Mont. In that celebrated cele-brated ex-mining camp one Raleigh Wilkinson, Wil-kinson, a miner and prospector of the old school, has resumed the liquidation of indebtedness with gold dust, taken direct from placer ground in historic Last Chance gulch. A few days ago Wilkinson passed over the counter of a bank in Helena tha city's 19 per cent royalty on the gold he had mined right in the heart of Montana's capital city. Helena is Last Chance gulch. Its main 6treet follows, circuitously and tortuously, the bed of the stream from whoso rockbottom millions upon millions mil-lions of placer gold was washed along in the '60 's. It appears that Wilkinson Wilkin-son discovered and leased a bit of ground which had been overlooked in the second working of the placer gTound and that he is reaping a rich ro-ward ro-ward for his perspicacity, perspicuity and faithful adherence to the habits of diligence taught him by his father. Mr. Wilkinson the cider, by the way, was one of Last Chance's pioneer miners. min-ers. The Wilkinson family went to Helena Hel-ena in the early days from the flat lands of Xebraska. They traveled by wagon and until Raleigh reachM Helena Hel-ena ho bad never seen a railroad locomotive. loco-motive. The Northern Tacific station is situated from tho heart of Helena some two miles distant, but Raleigh kept the path warm with journeys to the railroad terminal in order that he might fill his eye with tho glorious j sight of the iron horse and the peculiar j vehicles which it drow along on metal i strips. There is living In Salt Lnke j today a man who accompanidd Raleigh on many of these pilgrimages, being j induced to tho undertaking by various I forms of bribes, mostly liquid, he ad; mits. Sinco boyhood rt.-ilcigh Wi 1 ;nsrn has I lived the miner's life, 'frith rcasional debauches into the newspaper tidiness, j This term is more or less literally cor-I cor-I rect, for Ilnleigh regarded his journal-! journal-! is'ic ndventures in the light of excepts and dissipation. Innumerable lodes and mother lodep. ridges and outeroppings has Raleigh Wilkinson in hift time diH-rovered diH-rovered and glowingly reported both by word of month and by writings. It is earnestly to be hoped that Ral-leigh's Ral-leigh's venture at placer mining in the very heart of the capital city of ono rf tho three biggest s'atcs in the Union tvill continue to bring him profit, and that he will prosper in his restoration of tho custom of making payments in the honest currency of the '4qcr nr.d 'Or. |