Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-07-08
"CHISPA."

In 1865 was working on the sout
fork OF the Yuba, at o point two or thre
miles below Sierra Oity. was at wor
alone in o ravine making down th
river. Half dozen other miners ha.
cabins not far from mine, and were O
work in gulches or on bars in the river
All of our cabins were on the south sid
OF the river, and mine was at least half
mile further south than any OF til,
others, which carried it we'll up towart
the main ridge or range Of hills wallint
in the stream.
One day at noon I went home to re-
my dinner, and on opening the door o
my cabin saw in the middle of the foo
a small scrap Of white paper folded in
the form of note. ! thought this no
o little curious, as my door was secured
with paddock of peculiar construction
and no man could have entered except
through the "cat hole " at the bottom
of the door.
As took up the note I saw that there
were two or three drops Of blood on it.
The note alone was sufficient to startle
me, but when saw the blood chill ran
through my veins as said "Here is
some villainy afoot Somebody has
been murdered, perhaps" Ny next
thought was that some of the boys
might be playing a trick on me. In
stead of at once opening the note to read
it began looking into all corners OF the
room, even stopped and peeped under
my bed.
No one was to be seen. My cat, old
"Chispa," was he only living thing in
the place. He come purripg about my
legs, as was his habit when came home !;
though often he was out on his own hook,
hunting and prospecting about, for he
was not one OF your home-staying, lazy
kind of cats.
After speaking kind word or two to
old "Chispa" opened the note, and
as read began to open my eyes. Tho
little note-merely the folded leaf of an
ordinary memorandum book-read as
follows:
"June 9, 1865-This is to inform the
person into whose hands it may come
that I am in the old Maldanado shaft.
By the breaking of ladder l fell to the
bottom Of the shaft about three days
ago. I am almost starved. For Gods
sake, come to my assistance at once.
"JAooB PRIrcHARD."
When I had read the note-scrawled
with very dull lead pencil-I hardly
knew what to think. My brain was in a
whirl, and I made no headway in trying
to think. As turned tho paper in my
fingers observed that the blood came
off from it and stained my hand; saw,
in fact, that it was quite fresh.
This astonished me not a little, "for,"
thought I, "if he fellinto the shaft three
days ago and hurt himself, how does ii
happen that the blood on this note is
still fresh and almost warm 2"
My next thought was this: eff he is
in the bottom of the Maldanado shaft
more than one hundred feet below the
surface, as he says, how could he leave
me this note9" Certainly the thing was
and I could make neither
head nor tail OF the business. Who |
Jacob Pritchard was I did not know. I |
did not remember having ever heard his |
name.
I sat down on a stool and tried to
;hink. "Here," thought I, "is a man
IN the bottom Of shaft, where he has
oeen for three days, and where he is
low supposed to be starving, who
caves note on my cabin floor asking
ne to come and get him out. There is
blood-on this note, which
makes things still worsei'
sat and thought and thought till
hings got so mixed up in my head that
was no more capable of forming an
opinion in regard to the business than
BORN idiot.
I talked to the cato old Chispa-
bout it, and the old fellow seemed will
ing to assist me, and he got upon my
knee and snuffed at tho note as though
le knew that the cause of my trouble lay
n that. He then jumped down and
unning to the corner of the room
brought me the remains of little Grip
,led squirrel which he had lately caught,
's could see, just rs if he thought I
night be in trouble on the grub ques-
ion, and as much as to say: Here,
cd pard, eat and be merry!"
The more I pondered on the matter
he more it puzzled me. At one time
hought that man might have been
murdered and thrown into the shaft, and
hat his murderers might then have left
he note at my cabin. This would not
10, however, as, if the murderers
Wished the body of their victim to be
ound, there was no need of throwing it
nto the shaft alive, and not wishing him
o perish they might have left the note
or me to find. There appeared to be
!ome little sense in this, yet had no
iesire to go to the shaft alone it might
70 trick to get me out to murder or
me. Again there was no rea-
'cn for trying to entice me to any par
ocular spot, as I was living quite alone
It my cabin and might easily be caught
here or at my claim at any tims.
Being unable to arrive at any satisfac-
ory conclusion in regard to the myste-
ious affair, made up my mind to see
ONE of the "boys" on the river and
AZ the matter before them.
Having got four or five of my neigh
'ors together, produced the note, told
hem where found it, and asked them
that they thought of tho "business.
After much talk We all concluded that
here was in it trick of aome kind
owever, we would see it out.
We determined to visit the shaft
amed, the whereabouts of which was
'ell known to us all, we having seen it
cores If times. It was decided that
ach man should be armed with q six
hooter and that We should take with us