The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-09-20
OUR STORY TELLER.
"OUR FOOL"
IN. Quad, in Detroit Free Press.l

NJ. Quad in Detroit Free Press.J
When the medina Party" as we
were called, were mining in Nevada in
1859, the redskins made it their busi-
ness not only to hunt for scalps, but to
find them. There were twenty-four of
us in the party, and in August we were
IN camp called "Old Tom Jones'"
The diggings were good, and we had the
camp so secured as to insure the Indians
a warm reception whenever they took a
notion to visit us. A sentinel was posted
during the day to watch for the enemy,
and at night we all retired under shelv-
ing rock in the face of the cliff fifty feet
high. This cave, as it might be called,
could only be approached by one path,
as we thought, and as there were three
dogs in camp none of the miners were
asked to stand watch. Running parallel
with this path to point within thirty
feet of the cave was gulch, down which
ran stream of water in the spring and
fall. 1t was dry at this time and the
bed of gravel was foot thick. Any
one sneaking down this gulch could
come within thirty feet of the cave, but
would be separated from it by wall of
rock about twenty feet high. This wall
could easily be scaled from the gulch,
and q party gaining the crest of it
could look down into the cave, almost
could at least shoot down all who at
tempted to leave it.
Such was the general situation on the
9th day of August, when "Our Fool !"
made his appearance. He was a man
even for that country, and his face wore
nf Az ha
came into the diggings he carried his
hat in his hand and grinned like a
baboon over big stick of candy.
"Who ar ye, and what do ye want?''
grOwled one of the men, as the stranger
halted before him.
"Te-hel Te-heW laughed the fool, in
his silly way.
"Boys, here's a regular born fool p'
shouted the miner, and as the men gath
cred around the fellow swung his hat by
string and called out:
"The cow jumped over the moon
te-he! te-heW
1t was plain that he was fool. Where
he came from and how he had reached
us no one could guess, but after talk
among themselves, the miners decided
TO let him stay around until he got
ready to go.
Our Fool was soon at home. He had
the appetite of wolf, and we couldn't
get stroke of work out of him. The
very first night of his arrival, however
he armed himself with club and paced
up and down the path like a sentinel
and we heard him muttering:
81 see Injuns-they can't see mep'
He paced up and down all night long
and next night he took the post again
without a word being said. No one
thought him any protection to the camp
and yet think we all felt little safer
in knowing that some one was moving
about and keeping the dogs active and
vigilant. After Our Fool had been il
the camp a week the Indians became
unusually numerous. The day sentine
reported seeing them on the hills around
US, and one night they certainly came
close enough to our cave to give the
alarm to the dogs. Up to this time Oul
Fool, az everybody called him, haG
slept most of the day, and had beer
very quiet. Next day after the alarm
he was noticed on the ridge dividing thu
gulch from the path, and he was uI
there and in the gulch so much of thl
time during the next three or four day
that one of the men remarked:
al guess our fool has discovered ricl
thing up there"
One morning it was discovered tn.
our keg of powder was missing. We tai
had firearms and personal supply O
powder in our horns, but this twenty
five pound keg which had been bough
with company funds to fall back on i
case of necessity, had been taken fro1
the cave by some one, and there was
deep mystery about it. None of tn
men could be charged with the theft, a
no one wanted to leave or could carry
down the mountain and sell it. Th
dogs couldn't take it, it couldn't carry i
self off, and the only thing left was t
declare that Our Fool had stolen it. ii
was cuffed and shaken around, and som
of the men wanted him whipped, bu
all he could or would say was:
"Injuns coming-Injuns blow way u
highp
We searched all around for two hour
but the keg was not 10 be found, an
the incident created much ill-feeliI
among the men. 1t was agreed that OF
man should keep watch Of Our Fool fC
two or three days, and see if he woul
not betray himself. Both remained
the cave, but in some way the idiot crel
out unnoticed and was absent for thr(
or four hours. When he returned
was more silly than usual, and as
moved around he kept calling out:
"Got all fixed-got all fixed"
That night be went on duty as usua
Having slight fever / was nervous ar
restless, and at eleven o'clock awol
and heard him talking to the dogs.
one o'clock / awoke again and he w
missing. got up and walked down Il
path a hundred feet, and though Il
dogs came to me nothing could be Sc,
of Our Fool. l thought that he HI
been seized with some new fancy al
had perhaps absconded altogether. al
going back to the cave soon fell into
sound sleep.
Half an hour before daybreak sever