The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-26
THE MINER.
4 Tale Of Yesterday-what is Murder

Five men left Girardsville on Sunday
evening, the goth day of February last
two Of whom were named Oliver, Ralph
and Robert 1.-The former uncle to the latter
One of the number was named Robert
Clark, who was also nephew to Ralph
Oliver. Along with them were two Irish.
men, BY the name of Brown and Lafferty.
These men were on their way home, going
to Colorado COlliery. Between Girards-
vile and Colorado is a place named-on
account Of it being the seat of many wars
as the RaPpahannOck.
The inhabitants of this village of shan
ties are not all natives Of this country the
majority Of the elder portion at least be-
longing to a certain county named Kill
kenny" which county is situated in an
isle Of the sea" noted for its picturesque
beauty Of scenery and inhabitants, who are
at once hOspitable aud hostile.
Our RappahannOck consists in a group
Of shanties, built-in violation Of all the
rules of regularity-in mountain gorge,
at the bottom Of which flows the little river
of MahanOy.
At the upper end Of the shanties liter
al branch Of the Reading Railroad Com
pany crosses the road leading through it.
This fact alone reminds the traveller that
ne is in civilized country for the wild
scenery around, with those huts and their
inhabitants, convey not the faintest idea of
civilization. This is especially so in the
dusk Of the evening, after the last rays of
the sun have left the highest peaks Of the
surrounding mountains, when these loom
above you in dim skeleton outlines; more
like vague shadows than realities
The thick wood and underbrush approach
the very margin of the road, offering a
ready ambush for the murderer and the
highwayman.
All along the road you are reminded Of
the extreme dreariness of the place and
the ripping Of the dark river, as it flows
in its bed below you, does not add any
charm to the prospect Of cold winter |
night, such as was that Of the date of our
story.
Our party was passing throug Kappa.
hammock, and one Of the Irishmen, a fine
young fellow, as the saying goes, insisted
on treating the party at the rum shop which
the village of shanties boasts. 1t was with
reluctance that the rest Of the party entered
the tavern )" but they consented at last
to do SO, more to crafty the ambition of the
young man offering to treat, than to indulge
their apPetites by tasting the flavor of its
spirits" and partake Of such cheer as the
place afforded. Inside once, the drinks
were called for; but Ralph Oliver took,
instead Of " something to drink, cigar.
The landlord being destitute of that modern
necessary, q box Of matches, handed Ralph
a piece Of paper to light his cigar with.
AS Ralph did this, party Of the resi-.
dents came from an inner rOOm-fOr the
establishment is divided into more than one
compartment-and some of them went VI
to Ralph Oliver and demanded job al
Colorado Colliery, for lph is inside boss
at that concern.
Ralph made him some evasive answer
wbereupon my gentleman took the cigar
out Of Ralph's mouth and stuck it into bis
own.
The meaning of the gentlemen resi-
dents now became evident, when the Young
man who called for the treats ASKED them
to 60 home. Hell to your sowl" says
the leader of the residents, when did you
g. home, you bastard, and what do you
know of the divers and Bobby Clark p
Only, says the young man, that Bobby
Clark boards with my mother. His moth
er was a widow, and he himself drove ono
Ofthe mine teams under Oliver-hence biz
desire to treat the boss. Robert ClarE
was also boss inside of the mines. This
was the very party that should have stayed
away from such place as the RappahanI
mock hotel ~ at such a time of the even;
ing; they found themselves to be in hor
nets nest, and they made the best of the /
way off.
They got out Of the " tavern" and wer,
passing along the road homewards, not i
over careful manner, as will be seen i,
the sequel.
Robert Clark aud Robert Oliver hngereA
behind the others, and were separated from
them by some distance. Thus they passe:
the Devils Hole, another batch of shanties
whose style Of architecture is identical witt
the style of the Rappahannock batch d
clay-plastered sbanties. The railroad lei
to the cOlliery near which they lived, an.
they took to the railroad on their coursi
homewards. Passing along high, steeE
rocky embankDent, fifty feet high, along
whose base runs the river at a point wher,
the embankment is especially precipitous-t
Robert Clark and Robert Oliver we're over
taken by three Of the men they had left Il
the RappahannOck tavern. They salute,
each other, and before Clark was aware d
treachery being intended, be was knocke1
down by heavy instrument such as I
billy" On seeing the rufians attad,
Clark, Oliver ran off and left him 10 thes
mercy.
In his flight he did not stay to expla4
what had happened to Ralph and the tW,t
others who were with him, as he ran pas
them. He muttered something in passing
hut What he said was not comprehende
fully. Ralph Oliver is unfortunately I!
little deaf; but it il presumed that Ralphsl
two companions, the two Irishmen, undet
stood what Robert Oliver had said.
They returned back, and when they gt
to the spot where the attack had been mads
one Of the rufians was struggling to clint
the embankment, and, as be was near ttte
top, be called for helping hand. Thl:
they stretched out and assisted the rnffisn
to the level Of the railway, not knowing, i
appears, that the hand they had graspal
had Just committed dark deed, by stris.
the death-blow of fellow-creature. AZ
soon as this man gained the level Of the
railway, be ran off towards Rappahannocs,
and one Of the young Irishmen suspectinS
what had taken place, said "pop him Off
which meant that Ralph was to shoot bir1
as Ralph was armed with a revolyeS
Ralph did not vet comDrehend tho st.to A.