The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-06-14
Strong Big Ben of California.

John w. Sutton, 'Forty-niner, lee
tured before the Manhattan Liberal
Club, recently, in New York, about
California when in the delirium of the
gold fever. Among the uncouth min
ers about him. he said, were I" Big Ben !"
and "Little Dick" mates. "Big Ben"
was far above any man in the mining
region in stature, burly, and of wonder
full strength, his favorite pastime being
bending croWbars. "Little Dick" was
curiosity for the stalwart miners on
account of his smallness and meaner
soul was never in man weighing eighty
pounds. Little Dick" was quarrel
some but cowardly, and "Big Ben" had
to do the hitting for him. So, although
inofensive and kindly naturally, "Big
Ben" got the reputation of desperado.
In the mining bowlders too heavy to
be handled by few men were often en-
countered, and when they were the
proprietors of adjacent claims were
invited to assist in removing them.
"Big Ben" was. never forgotten, and he
did the work of half dozen sturdy men.
But after the bowlder had been moved
nearly far enough, he commonly thrust
the crowbar well under the bowlder, and
pressing his shoulder against the crow
bar, bent it nearly double. Finally Jim
Cook, the blacksmith, vowed that he
would weld a crowbar that Big Ben "
could not bend. He got up ponderous
bar of caststeel from Frisco, and welded
it into crowbar that, sure enough, "Big
Ben" could not bend. The latter re-
membered this, his first defeat. !. to his dying
moment.
There came from the States, to recu-
perate, the Doctors wife and tiny
daughter, "Birdie." She became very
fond of "Big Ben," and he worshiped
her. Though he was panning or Grad
ling, with glinmer ofthe yellow specks
at the bottom Frightening his eyes, he
would go when "Birdie" said, "Come,
Ben, l want some flowers or pretty
stones" For years afterward the miners
used to say, between the pufs of their
evening pipes, that big Ben" never
weakened" but once. 1t was in front
of saloon. "Little Dick' was the
aggressor, and pistols and bowie-knives
cleaned. "Birdie" said, "Come, Ben,
with me-" and catching her up in his
arms, Big Ben" walked away.
The mining camp was by the side of
the bed of dried-up stream. Across
its high banks a single fallen tree ex-
tended, the only connection between the
camp and the fowery slope beyond the
river. One afternoon, as suddenly
streams in that region do return to their
bed, a mighty food poured down the
bed. The miners saw Birdie" gather
ing flowers on the opposite slope. "Big
Ben," returning with "Little Dick"
saw her peril. He shouted, "Dick. go
across and get the child, and I'll hold
the bridge" He put his crowbar
into a crevice beneath the tree, and
braced his massive shoulder against it.
"Little Dick" darted across the tree,
about which the waters were rising fast,
snatched up" Birdie" and ran and as he
darted across it and sprang to the shore
the tree whirled down the current, and
" Big Ben" fell PROSTATE. Bloody foam
was on his lips. He had ruptured a
blood-vessel. "Birdie's" mother wiped
away the foam, and, looking up, "Big
Ben" whispered, az saved Birdie and
bent the bar" and died. He had bent
the crowbar that Jim Cook had forged
to overtax his strength.