The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-03-22

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. | talked to the cato old "Chispai
E about ii. and ,be old fellow seem.
ed willing to assist me, and be got
upon my knee aud snuffed at the note
as though be knew that the cause OF
nv trouble lay in that He then
jumped down and running 10 The COR
DER of the r0om aud brought me the
remains ola little crippled squirrel
which he had lately caught, as
could see, just as if be thuHgbt
might be in trouble on the grub ques-
ilon, and Us much as TO say: Here,
old psrd, eat and be merry"
"Cbispa, old fellow, YOU mean
well, " said |, but your kind of grub
Is not 10 nv mlndn
"Chispa" locked disap ppoin,ed W hen
he found that could see nothing 10
the wreck" Of the little squirrel. He
seemed TO be of the opinion that this
ought 70 bring all my troubles and
doubts TO an end
he more | pondered on the mat
ter the more it puzzled me. At one
lime 1 thought that man might
have been murdered and thrown into
the shaft, aud that his murderers
might then have LETT the note at nv
cabin. This would not do, however.
a., II the murderers wished the BODY
OF their ylcIIm 10 be found, there was
no ne, q cf throwing it into The shat,
alive, and not wishing him to perish
there might have ieft the note for me
60 dnd. There appeared to be some
iitae seuse IN this; vet | had no
desire to go to the shaft alone; it
might be trick TO get me out 10
murder or maltreat me. Again.
there Was no reason for trying 10 en-.
tlce NE 10 any particular spot, as |
vas living alone at my cabin and
might easily be caught there g. any
lime.
Being unable TO arrive at any salts
factory conclusion in regard TO the
mysterious affair, | made up my
mind 10 see some ci the BOYS on
the river and lay the matter before
them.
Having got four or Eve of the neigh
bOrs together, | produced the note,
told them where found it, and ask
ed what they thought of the "busi-
ness"
They all said az once that the no;e
aas an Internal lie on its tBee."
Said they: IF the man is in the
shaft how in the thunder is he able
TO leave a note on your table telling
yoa so:"
This was rather moro than / had
myself thought OF in the start. AZ
ter much talk We all concluded the.
there was in it trick of some kind;
however, We would see it out.
We determined TO visit the shaft
named, the whereabouts of which
was well known TO Us all, we having
seen IN scores of time. 1t was de-
cIded that each man should be armed
with a six-shooter and that we
/ should take with Us two or three can
dies and a long rope; also canteen
OF water aud some need, though
these last-named articles were main
y intended for our own comfort and
sustenance- Happen what might,
we would thoroughly examine the
shaft.
About 5 O'Clock in the afternoon all
was in readiness and we set out
set out on what seemed one of the
widest Of wild-goose chsses.
The Maidanado shaft is situated
/ (as many of my readers well know)
on the steep ridge Of a high and
steep nil, nearly mile south OF the
north fork OF the Yuba; also it
was--H bicb is not so well
known-abOur half q mile above
where my cabin stood. The shaft
was sunk by General Msldanado.
a man well known TO all the early
silver mipers of the Comstock lode,
but low some years dead. The
shaft was sunk on small but verv
rich vein Of gold-bearing quartz.
The ore extracted was taken down 10
The river on the backs of paek-mules
over long, zigzag trail, and was
there worked in arasiras. At one
time there was quite q village Of
| MexIcsns the river at the place
where the ore was worked-a vii
lage in which iaDdangos, fights, and
romantic love affairs were of frequent
occurrence The shaft at The mine
was sunk after the old Mexican
fashion. IL was about eight feet by
! fourteen la size, and III il ladders of
uotched poles We're Used instead Of
rope and wiudlass or other hosting
apparatus, The miners walking up
and Town he poles aud carrying the
ore poised on their heads in rswhide
sacks. These poles were placed in
the shaft iu such position that they
formed zigzsg line, like q worm
fence, from top To bottom, there be-
ing little platform on which rested
The foot of one ladder and The top of
the next below. Thus, in descend
ing the shaft, one passed from plat
form to platform. and from side 10
side of the opening until The bottom
was reached. When the news of the
discovery of silver in Wsshoe reach
ed Maldanado be abandoned this
mine-which was hardly paying ex-
penses ttbe time-and crossing the
Sierra Nevada Mountains came TO
the Comstock lode, and brought that
segregated portion of The Ophir mine
which was thereafter known, as the
Mexican" ano which proved so i'm
menseiy rich. All Of his Mexican |
followers left Sierra County, Cal
and the gold mine there was com-
pletely deserted, the buildings at and
about the sbaf. were crushed 10 BY
the heavy falls of snow which occur
in that elevated region, and soon all
abou. the place went TO ruin.
Such was the old Maldanado shaft
at the time | found the note on
nv cabin floor; nothing was left at
the place but few shakes about the
blacksmith's forge ard section of q
shake roofe that had fallen across and
covered abou: half the mouth Of the
shaft Ii was a lonesome, dreary
old place
Tha n.o-.- o.,- l;,.io NAVY aamo .o