The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-06-12
STRONG BIG BEN OF CALIF0R.
MA.
Bending the Crowbar That Was
Made Especially to Defy
His strength.

John W. Sutton, '49er, lectured be-
fore the Manhattan Liberal Club, last
evening, about California when in the
delirium of the gold fever. Among the
uncouth miners about him. he said, were
"Big Ben" and "Little Dick mates
"Big Ben" was far above any man inithe
mining region in stature, burly, and of
wonderful strength, his favorite pastime
being bending crowbars. "Little Dick
was curiosity for the stalwart miners
on account of his smallness: and a
meaner soul was never in man weigh
ing eighty pounds. Little Dick was
quarrelsome, but cowardly, and "Big
Ben" had to do the hitting for him. So,
although inoffensive and kindly natural
ly, "Big Ben" got the reputation Of a
desperate. s-5-e l
In the mining, boulders too heavy to
be handled by few men were often en-
conntered, and when they we're proprie-
tors of adjacent claims were invited to
assist in removing them. "Big Ben
was never forgotten, ,and he did the work
of half a dozen sturdy men. But after
the boulder had been removed nearly far
enough, he commonly thrust the crow
bar well under the boulder. and pressing
his shoulder against the crowbar bent it
nearly double. Finally Jim Cook, the
blacksmith, vowed that he would weld q
crowbar that "Big Benz could not bend.
He got up ponderous bar of cast steel
from Frisco, and welded it into crow
bar that, sure enough, "Big Ben" could
not bend. The latter remembered this,
his first defeat, to his dying moment.
There came from the States, to recu
perate, the Doctors wife and tiny daugh-
ter, Birdie" She became very fond OF
"Big Ben," and he worshipped her,
Though he was panning or grading with
glimmer of the yellow specks at the
bottom Frightening his eyes, he would
go when "Birdie'' said. "Come, Ben, /
want some flowers, or pretty stones. -
For years afterward the miners used to
say, between the puffs Of their evening
pipes, that "Big Ben" never weakened"
bat once. 1t was in front Of saloon.
"Little Dick" was the aggressor,a and pis-
tolls and bowie-knives cleaned. "Birdie'
said, 'Come Ben, with me-" and catch.
ing her up in his arms aBig Ben walked
away. 7f nJ5. In
The mining camp was beside the bed
of dried up stream. Across its high
banks single fallen tree extended, the
only connection between the camp and
the fiowery slope beyond the river. One
afternoon as suddenly as streams in thai
region do return to their beds, q mighty
food poured down the bed. The miners
saw "Birdie" gathering flowers on the
| opposite slope. "Big Ben" returning
with .Little Dick" saw her peril. HI
shouted, "Dick, 60 across and get tht
child, and I'll hold the bridge" He pu
his crowbar into a crevice beneath th'
tree, and ,braced his massive shoulder
against it. "Little Dick' darted across
| the tree, about which the waters wer'
rising fast, snatched up "Birdie" ant
ran; and as he darted across it ant
sprang to the shore, the tree whirlet
down the current and "Big Ben" fel
PROSTATE Bloody foam was on hi
Hips. He had ruptured blood vessel
"Birdie's' mother wiped away the foam
and, looking up, "Big Ben" whispered
IL saved Birdie and bent the bar" ant
died. He had bent the crowbar tba
Jim Cook had forged to overtax hi
strength.