Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-22
A STONES RIVER SENSATION.

| Discovery Of a Supposed Gold Mine
Thrilling" Adventures OF Five Am
ateHr Diggers - An Extraordinary
Instance of Great Expectations.
Some months since, gentleman residing
not thousand miles from this city, en-
ployed wandering freedman TO haul a
load of sand, to be used in grading his
yard walks. In due time the sand was de-
livered, graded, ETC., and the "knight of
! the saddle mule" wendell his way to parts
unknown, in search of other jobs.
In few days there came up violent
rain storm which, 10 and behold, washed
to the surface of the sand thousands of
minute golden scales, which quickly ar
rested the wandering attention of the gem
tleman of the graded walks. With these
he filled a small vial, and during the week
following, exhibited the same to several of
his friends as an object of curiosity. AT
| length, after long search, a casual acquaint-
ance dropped in-an old California miner
who, upon seeing the vial and hearing
its history, boldly declared that the load
of sand had been taken from the vicinity
of rich gold mine, and that somebody's
fortune was as good as made.
Then ensued scene impossible TO
describe. How to keep the secret-how to
find the place from whence the sand had
been taken, and how to find the negro who
hauled it, were of the thousand questions
asked the most important. Within two
DAYS, five persons had been admitted to
confidence Scouts were busy day and
night, seeking for sand-pits on the hill
sides and sand-bars in Stones river, while
others wandered over the country, astound-
ing sane people with incoherent inquiries
concerning lost darkie.
At length the missing teamster was found,
and quickly spirited to the golden fields.
With four cooked reYolvers at his head as
persaaders, he piloted the gold-seekers at
midnight TO lonely bend on Stones river,
where the sand upon washing yielded up
the glittering particles. Here, with fifty
dollars in gresnbacks and an awful oath to
divulge nothing, he was dismissed and
ordered TO clear the country.
For days, with shovels, picks and pans,
the party followed up the traces in the
sand, until at length, beneath steep,
rocky bank, they came upon the long sought
treasure. 1t was a vast bed or deposit of
what seemed TO be almost pure gold, the
sight of which took their breath, and
caused them to glare at each other with
curious, dangerous eyes.
One of the party was the following day
dispatched to open negotiations for the
purchase of the land on which the mine
was located, but was thunderstruck TO
learn that ten thousand dollars per acre
would be no temptation. A traitor was in
their campl Then came week of quar-
rels, threats of litigation and personal yio-
lenee.
But alas for all human dreams, when the
feelings of the various parties were at fever
heat, the ill-omened face of the old miner
came suddenly into their midst, and he
quietly told them it was all a sham; that
he had had the scales tested, and that
they had turned out to be nothing more
than worthless shale, with not trace of
gold or any other metal in them.
Pen here fails to depict what followed.
Some swore, some cried, few laughed, and
all agreed that they had been a pack of
most egregious ninnies. Pledging each
other to keep "mum," they returned home,
chap-fallen company, inwardly vowing
never to permit themselves TO be 80 taken
in again.