Show GOLD IN THE AMERICAN RIVER chinese lease a ranchers land and make a fortune W burnett is the owner of a piece of land on the american river near salmon falls in el dorado county the river lied there for or yards bad never been mined some chinese made him an offer to lease thia land for mining purposes bior two pears offering pay him for the use thereof this was declined the chinese were persistent though and after bartering for awhile mr burnett told them they could have the land for the time stated for one half to be paid in advance and the balance at tha end of the year the afler was accepted and mr burnett was congratulating himself on his bargain and considered the 75 to have como into his possession easily lie was not long fn changing his mind As soon as the lease was signed the chinese began to work A force of eighteen or twenty men was employed by them A wing dam was built and a wheel and other apparatus put up there the cost of which was not over or about three days after it was rumored that the mine was producing 1500 a day an investigation disclosed the fact that the heathens had sent abway worth of dust within a week after they began work several thousand dollars worth of dast was also disposed of in chinatown and handed over to one of the chinese merchants there poison telegraph |