The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-04-05
THE GOBLIN FROG.
4 STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE
C0NsTOCK LODE. ..-

-. -
4 STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF TH1
CoMsTocK LODE.
Peter O'Reilly was one OF the pionee,
miners Of aWashoe, and one of the dis
coyerers of the Comstock silver mines
one of the men who turned up to the
light of day that glittering ore which
was the first of 5000, 0O0, 900 since taker
from the great vein then hit upon. -
Before going to work on Six mile can
yon, at the head of which the great sill
yer discovery asImade, Peter O'ReillJ
mined on Gold canyon, q long and large
ravine heading on the opposite side oI
Mount Davidson, mile south of the
canyon first named. There he wrought
with pan and rocker at washing place,
gold from the sand and gravel of the bed
and bars of the canyon.
!. .r.ssPete +" was fond of rambling away
alone, along the meanderings of the
stream, in search of rich spots, where
be could be by himself and mine in his
own way. Provided he could find q few
"colors" (sman specks of gold), he
would dig and pan away for days, quite
confident that his luck would at last
lead him to the right spot, and that in
the end his labors would be richly re-
warded.
Pete was mot only a spiritualist, but
also firm believer in luck and in all
manner of signs and omens. The last
mining he ever did on Gold canyon was
when he started in to prospect a bar On
which he found already located "a
"squatter," in the person OF frog,
which frog began in short time to give
him a great deal of trouble. g.... O..
He constructed small dam or reser.
voir to turn the small rin running in the
ravine into little ditch leading to his
panping-hole near the bar. The reser-
voir held but about a dozen hogs
heads Of water, and it was soon after
this was completed and filed, that Pete
first had notice Of the presence on bis
claim of the frog. He had sunk pit
almost down to the bedrock, and had
washed out two or three pans of dirt
that yielded, WELL sHe,wss down-in his
prospect hole, digging UP and filling his
pan with some particularly fine looking
gravel when be, heard a small, squeaky
voice sing out: "Struck it 7"
~ Pete was at the momont deeply ab-
'sorbed III the work in which he was en-.
gagged, and the shrill, squeaking voice
ringing out so near at hand, and asking
q question that, 80 exactly! chimed in
With the train Of the thought running
through his head, 80 startled him that
his pick almost fell from his hands. He
pricked up his ears and looked about
in all directions tosee whence proceeded
the cherry litNey voice. I He half expect
ed to seea little fed-maNtled fairy stand
ing in some neighboring clump of will
lows, or peering out at him through 8
tuft of the rank; grass growing along
the margin of the rill. I. - GSs :
As he thus stood gazing about in
open-mouthed amazement, the little
voice again piped out: "Struck it
Struck ita Struck it?" ="
r. Turning his eyes in : the direction
whence proc oceeded the inquiring voice,
Pete presently described q asmall greer
frog, mounted upon stick that pro
iected an inch or two above the surface
Of the water in his reservoir. The frog
was but rod or two away, and seemed
as Pete thought, to be looking inquir
ingly into his eyes. -
3 . Struck cit2S again said the frog
at is a good omen," said Pete
"The little fellow says 7 have struck it
Though he is no countryhan Of mine,
believs ! have struck it in this very
hole "a I EAG AZ IA " "a
So saying, Pete carried the pan If dirt
he had dug to his panning place, lpannei
it out, and did not get color. He wa'
not little astonished at this result, anG
had notion to call the frog liar; bu
on turning to look; for him, the LITTLE
fellow was gone. Pete went back to hi
pit and dug another pan of dirt-listen
ing all the time TO hear what theifroe
would say about IL. = Not q word ala tht
frog say, however. ,., d.
Pete washed out the pan Of dirt ane
got nearly a dollar. 3" Ahal" cried he
"where are ye now2 Ye hadn't q wore
to say this timel" r 80 d. 90
Well pleased with his luck, Pete be-
gan digging another pan of dirt from
the place where he! had got the last, ex
pecting a rich haul. He had been al
work but half minute, when the voice
rang out. sharp and clear "Struck
its Struck its Struck it ?" '.'.~ -
"Oh, yes it's aisy for ye to say,
Struck it! Struck l.! after seein' what
7 got in me last pan l'' '. ''"
Struck it2 Struck It'll Struck it9'
cried the frog, in what to Pete seemed g
triumphant tone. t.. ~
"All right, me bye!'' cheerily assent
ed Pete, nodding his head toward the
little fellow that sat winking and blink
ing on the end Of the stick. San rignt
me bye-av course I've struck. .it9"'.
He carried the pan to his water hole
washed it out, and didn't get a color
"Ye'r the warst liar liver. saw !" criec
Pete, rising up from his work and shak
ing his fist in the direction Of the frog
Not a sign of the frog did he see, how
ever, the little fellow having very pru
IDENTIFY retired to the bottom of thu
pond. - ,.:r ...'.'. '.':'r'i
Pete grumbled fo- time, and the1
went and 7dagr another pan of gravel
The frog again stack bis head above ths
water and said, "Struck it a" and ,agair
the dirt yielded no gold when WASHED
out. Thus it went on; ; when the fros
said nothing he gotta good yield of gold
but when he made his usual inquiry
sneering inquiry, Pete now considered
it to be-no gold was found.
:. At last Pete had washed so many pam
Of dirt out OF which the frog had charm
ed all the gold, that he began to ge
very angry, He was also not a LITTLE
discouraged. Finally, Just as he begal
to scrape the dirt out of the bottom o
very promising crevice, and just as b
vas beginning,te think the frogYwoult
this time hold his tonuge, ,seut'cane tn.
ittle fellow with'his "Struck IL? strucl
Pete. quietly Laid down his crevicinl
spoon, slyly gathered two or three BIZ
rocks, then softly, on tiptoe, began
stealing toward his little prosecutor. ant
Just as the frog cried "Struck it," Pet
let drive at him with a rock 60 huge tina
it could have been hurled by no lesse
Ajax, missing his mark, but raising
great commotion in the pond.