The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-09-14
THE BOOKKEEPER' ROB-
Der.

VIZ plNtNso VI lllouilloiios VI III
deep gulches, are the quartz mills, by
means of which gold is extracted from
the worthless rock that confines it.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of
them all over the State, some in active
operation, the majority silent and de-
serted. You can easily tell when one
is being worked. The roar of the pom
derous stamps may be heard at great
distance, and in the mills themselves
you can hardly hear your own voice.
Once in every week or ten days the
mill is stopped. This is done for the
purpose of "cleaning up as it is
called, that is, of gathering from the
batteries and Slucies, from the pans
and amalgamators, the amalgam from
which, after it has passed through the
retOrts, the bright gold bullion is OBJ
tanned. Every one living in the i'm
mediate neighborhood of a mill knows
when it is cleaning-up day. The 81
lence prOclaimS it, and even if one
wished, there could be no method of
concealing it.
a few years ago | was employed in
mine in Nevada County as book
keeper. | was then youngster of
seventeen. | had taken voyage to
San Francisco before the mast, under
the mistaken idea that | was born a
sailor. Now | was working my way
us best could, in order to get a living.
The fall and winter of that year will
long be remembered in that country.
Light fingered gentry, commonly
known as foot-pads, were more than
usually plenty. Stages were stopped.
The treasure-boXes were ritled. Pas
sengerS were relieved of their purses,
watches and iewelry. Two cripples,
who kept a toll-gate, were found muir
dered their safe opened and money
gone. Travellers were stopped on the
road, and quiet pedestrians, returning
to their homes late at night, were called
upon to stand and deliver.
No wonder, then, that people hest
tated about travelling after shutdown,
especially if they had anything of value
on their persons.
1t was late in the month of October.
The mills had been running for two
weeks, night and day, on a higher
grade Of ore than the average. One
day, as the superintendent left the
office, he gave orders that the mill
should be stopped before daylight, and
the work of cleaning up be begun i'm
mediately, so that it might be finished
if possible before dark.
Accordingly, as soon as the first rays
of light showed in the east, the engine
was slowed down, the thump, thump
of the stamps grew slower, until they
ceased altogether, and the work began.
But when the superintendent arrived
at ten o'clock, the batteries were not
half cleaned. At noon an hour was
lost while tie hands were at dinner;
and in the afternoon the foreman of
the mill was busy at the furnace, re-
torting the amalgam that had accumu-
lated during the week from the coppers
before the batteries. Work as fast as
they could, it was after five before all
was ready for the great retOrt.
When we had seen the retort put
into the furnace, the superintendent
called me into the office and said
I've got to go to town now to at
tend to some business, but that bullion
must come in tonight to go down on
to-morrow's stage, and you must bring
it. When it's ready, put it into the
big bullion pack, and strap it on the
pommel of your saddle; take your re-
yolVer, and when you start, ride like
fun, and look out for foot-pads.'
1t was seven o'clock and nearly dark
before the bullion was ready to be
placed in the heavy leather sack. My
horse, already saddled, stood at the
door, and, following instructions, [
strapped the sack to one pommel of the
saddle, and, having loaded my revolv-
er, l put foot in the stirrup and mount
ed. Morton, the foreman, shouted,
"Good luck" and away l went.
The road was long and lonely one.
There were no houses upon it. Clumps
of trees were numerous and thick
patches of manzanita bushes, which l
had often thought would give ample
shelter to robbers, even in the day.
time.
AS l have before stated, 1 was not
very old, and had beer but short
time from my quiet Eastern home,
where robberies on the road were
read about, but rarely ex-
perienced. ! don't think | was more
of a coward than most boys of my age,
but | could not drive from my mind
all that had heard Of robberies and
murders during the past months. l
did have firm intention of sticking to
the bullion under my charge, but l
most sincerely hoped that l should not
be called upon to give it up.
My horse Travelled famously. 1t grew
darker and darker. / could hardly see
the road, but he kept it as though con-
fined by fences on either side. He was
going to his stable, and was impatient
,or the hay and grain that he knew was
waiting for him there.
/ was nearly half way to town. A
'ew rods more and / should be in a
more open part of the country, and l
hook the reins and gave my horse a
ouch of the spur. AT almost the
anne moment he passed turn in
he road, and there, not a rod be-
ore us, stood what seemed to be a
nan, with rifle in hand, pointed direct
y at me-.
What followed took actually not a
minute, but to me it seemed an hour.
vt the rate was going it was impos-
IDLE to turn back; it was equally i'm
ossible to stop; nothing was left but
, go ahead. put both spurs to my
orse, and at the same moment drew
~ pistol, aimed as well as L could and
red.
The sharp stroke on his sides and the
port maddened my horse, and the
st Of the way L made faster time