Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-10-18
LOGGERHEAD GULCH.
A TALE OF A MINING CAMP.

however, that the name was no mis-
homer: for no other mining camp IN the
8. Territory was so rough, quarrelsome, ana
.pugilistic in the nature of its inhabitants
Everybody seemed at loggerheads Win
everybody else, and ready, upon t1e
slightest provOcatiOn, to lynch eVeryDouy
else : 1850 =
The diggings had not of late been very
productive of profit, and that TACT diu nov
add to the kindly spirits OF the miners,
who were disposed to revenge their luck
upon anything that presented 1VselI DIS
possible scapegrace. a#-
No mining camp can exist, or at least
ever has existed, without drinking
saloon. and Loggerhead Gulch had it's
shanty devoted to the retailing of drink.
It's proprietor was Jack Jeptha, and his
dress and demeanor indicated that he
had seen better days-had been faro
dealer or barkeeper in big Eastern
hotel, or something of, that f1ashy nature.
Even now some traces of loud dressing
p hung about him; but the brim of the felt
hat was battered, and there was some
thing the matter with the crown; the
flaming red tie failed to harmonic with
the almost equally flaming and shaggy
!. red beard Immediately above it; the shirt
collar was woefully time-stained; the vel
veteen coat was much smirched, and had
grown white at the seams, and at least
three buttons were lacking at the vest.
The only other occupant of Jack Jep-
tha's shanty at the moment that the reader
j., I, is, introduced to it, excepting the custom
sE1ers, was a young woman-Jack's wife,
Mollie by name, who, with her really del
icate beauty, seemed wonderfully out of
CpIace in j oggerhead Gulch. She was
1about the middle height, between twenty
three and twenty-four years of age, slim
and elegant as to her figure, fair as an
angel is painted, with soft blue eyes and
dropping lashes; her mouth was small,
her lips full and rosy, her teeth white as
pearls. When animated or talking to any
one, pleasant, fascinating smile would
play around her mouth; but at times
when she fancied that no one was looking
- at her, the, corners of her mouth were
drawn with hard, care-WOrn expression,
She shared the honors of the bar with
Jack, and dispensed bad whisky and
smiles to the Loggefheads with a dash
and grace that largely augmented the ag7
gregate sales.
Among the drinkers was one upon
whom liberal rotations had told consider
ably His companions called him Tow
head from the color Of his hair, and that
J was the name he had in camp. In his
dust, which he had incautiously display
ed several times during the evening.
At twelve o'clock Towhead rose to go;
butfirst he called Jack Jeptha outside the
door, and placed the bag of dust in his
hands. N[
'"Thar's my pile, jack" he said, can
want yer to keep it till tomorrow. Ima
little too drunk ter take it along with me
and thar might be somebody as would
foller me for it, a..E>s .~
Jack slipped the bag in his coat, anC
both returned to the barroOm.
Soon afterward the party broke up and
departed. Towhead's way led him soil
tary walk of mile or more; and as he
left his companions, the form of a mar
skulked after him in the shadow. Thus
followed, Towhead staggered along unit
his path led him through deep gully
which had been dubbed the Devils Glen
Then and there his follower stealthily ad
.vanced. from behind, and killed him with
murderous dirk stab. A hasty search OF
the victims pockets convinced the muir
,derer that the prize for which he had
committed the villainOus deed was not
there Then the cowardice of the man
showed itself. A storm had been com
ing up, and now, as it burst forth in
thunder, lightning and flood he shivered.
With blood on his hands, and with hor-
TOR in his. eyes, and with the dreadful
mark Of Cain branded indelibly on his
brow, the wretched man fed, clutching
his breast with his pale, talon-hke fin
gers, as if to tear hence his cowardice.
On he went, flying over rocks and
chasms, and uprooted trees-On, on, still
on, unable to stop until he sank exhaust
ed beneath a huge pile of rocks The
storm was wildly, madly cannonading
against the rocks, as if it would tear its
way to where he lay, and boldly engulf
him but he heard nothing but an mag
mary and unearthly cry of Murder pr
saw nothing but the cold, still face and
lifeless form of his victim
o. ToWhead had not been murdered fif-
teen minutes before his body was dis
covered by a party. of miners returning
from some midnight carouse. They car
ried it back to Jack Jeptha's shanty,
amid threats of vengeance upon the
murderer. Arrived there, they laid the
body on the floor, while one of the party
went behind the bar to help Jack fix up a
hurried dram, in the vain hope of reviv-
ing the murdered man. His eyes fell
upon the bag Of dust, with Towhead's
mark upon the side.
whats this?" he said, holding it up
THAT'S Towheads!" replied several
"How did it come here?" asked others.
Jack Jeptha turned pale as he realized
the predicament in which he was placed.
He gave the true version Of the affair, but
they would not believe it. They were
anxious to fix the guilt upon some one, to
hang somebody, for Towhead had been
pretty popular among them. Several re-
NAMED as guard over Jack while others
went out to collect the miners for the i'm
mediate holding of trial. Judge Lynch
allows no delay, and there was every pros
pect of a hanging in the morning.
Mollie Jeptha had come into the room
upon the arrival of the corpse, and her
eyes-had- closely watched Jacks face
But she believed his version of the story
gsifJack," she whispered, 81 believe
yOu;" and then added, aloud: II believe
| know who did this. There was a
stranger, here among the rest drinking
last night, and more than once / saw him
look at .Towhead's bag"
But the rough and unreasoning crowd
would not listen.
Jack" she again whispered to the
prisoner "keep up your courage, old
partner, and I'll get you out of it yet"
No." said Jack. doggedly, 81 didn't
do it, and won't run. Let EN- hang me
if they want to-" II -
''fdoh't want you to run, Jack" she
said; I'm going after that fellow my
self 3 Goodbye, Jack; keep up your
courage" e.r- er.er.
Mollie kissed him, armed herself with
pair of revolvers, and slipped out I'M
noticed. Taking the path that Towhead
had followed, and speeding along with
all her strength, she soon came to the
plood-marked spot of the murderer.
"Of course, he ran AWAY" she thourht