The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-08-07

ead of the "firiug-cord;" they hcar,l him
give the signal to Lc hauled to bank; the,
saw old Bill Conway begin to turn tht
windlnsS; they saw Sam Griiliths stco
out Of tho shut" with the rcd-hot rim
and slip 1t down the rope; they saw The
old man quit hold OF the windlass in hor.
rori and they saw this powerful Young
murderer dash the old man down the
shaft in the face of tho shower of stones
thrown up by the explosion.
Mother and daughter awokc in the sol.
cmn midnight and discussed their dream
with trembling aud with awe. And they
cluhg to each other, and conforted each
other, and tried not to. believe it. Just
then John Hughes, the husband and
father OF the two women, entered; and
after some bantcr-hc was in liquor
the women again slept.
at was most extraordinary circum.
stance" Coroner Williams used to say,
"but both these women dreamed the self
same dream over again."
In the morning Mrs. Hughes met Dick
Conway, the idiot latl, took him aside,
and questioned him about what he saw
That dny when he lost his father. lie in
dIcatcd by dumb show how some one was
thrown dowd the shaft, and how some
one else was struck on the face, meaning
himself.
Mrs. Hughes shortly after died. The
doctors who attended hcr were not agreed
respecting her malady; but DIR. Jones, of
Mold, WAS certain that her mind was
gone, and that she was tho victim of hal.
lucinations. Hannah, the twin daughter,
now devoted herself exclusively to her
father. She would frequently descend
the Great Oak Shaft while ho was at
work, and carry ale, hot coffee, tea, ETC.,
to him; and consequently she achieved
KIND OF envied notoriety on the mountain
Tor her bravery i'll descending tho coal
mine. She had several admirers; but her
kind words md light looks seemed re-
served for her fatlcr. On his part, lie ro-
paid her with an aficctionatc admiration
that approached idolatry; and it was his
boast that when his head was laid low
Hannah would bc lady.
On dark December midnight, few
months after her mothers death, Hannah
Hughes and the idiot lad Conway stole
quietly away from Buckley village and
proceeded toward tho Great Oak Shaft.
Her fathcr and his companions would
have stopped work at twelve o'clock, and
the two nocturnal pedestrians avoided the
road by which the miners would return
to their homes. When Hannah and Dick
reached the pit-hcap all was still as the
grave. The horse had been loosed from
the gin" windlass, and lay sleeping in
his straw, and not n star checrcd the
gloomy vault Of heaven. Hannah soon
obtained n light; tho stablc-(loor was
opened; the gin-horsc was harncsscd and
hitched into the accustomed shafts for
raising the coal; the young woman took
her seat on the "COrvc," or bnskrt, and
told Dick to slower away" Into the
black, yawning pit she dc ,ccnded with
out fear or trcpidntion, and when the bot
tom was reached she stepped briskly out
OF the "corve," proceeded TO the air-door
near the bottom of tho Shaft, and securely
pTopped it open. Then she walked along
the two thousand feet that separated her
from the Great Ash Shaft, und, reaching
the air;door there, securely proppcd it
open. The air-current now shot direct
along tho shortest route between the two
shafts, and by its violence crtinguishcd
her light; but she returned undismayed
by the darkness or the inequalities of the
rugged tramway, until she reached the
shaft where she had descended. Then
she shouted to Dick, who started the
horse, and she was wound up until size
reached the bank in safety. The horse
was now unhitched and returned to the
stable, and the girl and the crazy lad
mado quick progress homcwurd.
Before daybrcak, every mnn and wo-
man on Buckley mountain was plunged
into aparoXysm of grief and wGiling. The
Great Oak and Ash Collicry had cxplo-
dcd, and, with the exception Of the door
keeper, cvory man of tho GriiIiths gang,
who had gone TO work ut 4 4. NJ, was
torn and scorchcd into shrcd5 md patchcs
and scoria of humanity. As far as tho
coroner could gather from thu door-man's
dRtc-m0rtem statement, he lad gone down
tho pit rs usual, but had almost immcili-
ntcly been lorror-struck to discover that
the door was open and that the mir was
blowing straight along tile Great Ash
Gallery instead Of cunning along the cast
crn workings. ThCrGupOn, ho had
slammed the door and had run as fast as
lie VIA able to shut tho door mt the other
end Of the gallery. The miners, mean
time, had returned into their workings
and woro shouting and swearing about
the mir. When both doors were closed,
the mir returned into its proper course,
carrying with IL NIL the gus that had nc.
cumulatCd during these four hours. or
course, 1t ignitcd like n spark of gum
powder, and with Irresistible force swept
through tho mine and burst M tho two
shafts with gigantic tongue Of ilamc
and II report like Titanic artillery.
The idiot boy had remained out of bed
In expectation of some catastrophe, ard
when he saw tho two vivid flashes and
hoard the heavy reports, he danced around
tho village street, crying "lI0ornh hoo.
rah for Hannah Griiliths and INC! Who's
got n black eye now1 IIurrahi'
by this demonstration of crazy Dick ,
Hannah was suspected, md sho mado nm
open confession of the terrible crime to
Coroner Pctor Williams, stating, ut the
same timo, that she had been incitrd to
the decd by the doubiO dream md tho
certainty that Samuel Grillilhs Ind mur.
dcrcd her twin brother. She was lodged
IN Flint Castle TO await her trial, but
cyadcd her probable fate by suicide
JAMES WiOnr, in Appletons JoarHdi.
-----------~.s-----
lS all evils which admit remedy, I'M.
patience should bc avoided, because Il
wastes that time and attention IN com
plaints, which, If properly applied, might
remove the cause.
| a REVIEWER in the New York T'riJUn,
| defines real mort M ga sinprr ~ boa,