The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-03-20
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BASSICK'S LUCK.

HOW A PENNILEss OLD PROsPECrOR
STRUCK IT RICH IN ROsITA.
Deminiscenses-Around the Fireside nj
One-Armed Kate's-A True Story in
From the Chicago Tribune
LEADvILLE, COL, March I've were
sitting around the stove, five or six of US,
the other evening at One-Armed Hates.
With single exception. all were old miners
Who had lived from ten to twenty years In
The Rockies, and had prospected more
holes in the ground than there are CHINA
mon bears In Gunnison county. The con.
versation, beginning on general topics,
gradually drifted into personal reminis-
cences.
War Won ever down about Rosita and
the Silver Cliff district" inquired one OF
party, addressing his remarks to a long.
shambling, heavy-bearded individual in
topboots, who, with one leg thrown over
the other, and one enormous foot resting
on the edge fthe stove, sat tilted back in
his chair at a dangerous angle. The per-
son thus spoken to took deliberate aim at
sawdust spittoon on the other side Of
the stove, and fired with deadly precision.
He then carefully changed legs aud re-
piled:
e. hev."
The audience waited. After a consid.
cradle pause. Mr.. Richardson discharged
another round of ammunition and re-
peated:
81 hev, Mr.. Simmons"
1T war nigh about three var ago." he
continued, when me and nv pardner
struck RosIta and worked along In the
Pokyhontus. They warnt much show
then for prospecting. Men had been thar
afore and dug over the burned old hill and
give it up. They was holes around SO
thick that you darsent step off the trail
fur fear of goin' down"
Ever know old Bassick over thar ?" in
terrupted Summons.
Know him! Should think | did.
Warn't me and my pardner grub-stakin'
hum for nigh onto a var before he struck
it rich? Why, the old sinner couldn't
Rit a job nowhar, and we boys all kinder
took pity on him, his old won IN being
sickly-like and taking in washing at odd
times, and him an her hevin a large FAM
lily. Old Bassick war a queer humplty-
back chap and no use in a mine, but he
var always tramping about the camp and
peekin' into all the holes what he'd been
abandoned by the boys. Once in while
he'd come around and want a stake, and
we'd gently chip IN and give him enough
10 git bar1 of flour or hunk of bacon. :"
I've heerd of Old Bassick los" remark.
ed Simmons musingly, but never know
ed jest how he struck it."
"Waal, it var queer, sure enough
You see, as he war sliding around that ar
Round Mountain one day he come to a
hole In the ground. which it he'd been dug
into and then kinder left as being no &C,
count. So Old Bassick he looked into this
hole, and he says to himself, 'Mebbe thew :
mineral, mebbe not With that he Jumps
down an picks away, and keeps on pick
in. Sure enough, bimbeby he comes to
some sand between the powders which it
looks like ore; and then he goes off and
gifts it assayed."
War she big?" eagerly inquired one
Of the listeners.
WAL, she war in the eighties some
whar, | believe, but the boys all larfed
when they heerd on it. They couldn't no
how think as Old Bassick he'd ever struck
anything. and. do you know, it war
week or more afore the old cuss could git
anybody to work fur him He come to me
and says, Dick, Ill give you three and a
harf day eff you will come onto my mine. ;
and kinder winked at the boys and says.
'Whar is your mine Bassick?" He turned
onto me, proud as he could be, and he
says, Up var about harf q mile, Mister
Richardson"
so, some of us boys, Jest for Joke.
said We go up and take look at it. Sure
enough, when we got thar. We found the
old man had RELY struck il, and we all
hire to him on the spot fur three fifty,
though the wages otherwise war no more
than two and two fifty.
Good luck enough fur you," interrupt
ed one of the party.
The miner reached down into his boot
leg and extracted huge slice of tobacco,
calmy bit off a mouthfnl, replaced the rem
nant. and replied:
"Old Bassick war no fool. He worked
along fur a month. and when payday
come he guv us jest two dollars a day all
round. They warnt no use of kicking,
seeing as how the druned old mine he'd
developed so as he could git all the men
he wanted at that ar price. No; Odd Bas-
sick warn't no fool
This explanation caused general
laugh. in which. however. the las. speaker
did not Join.
I'VE went down nigh onto sixty feet. :"
be continued gravely, and all of a sud-
den the mineral give ont. grve tut COM
pletely. Take it all around. that ar mine
OF Old Bassick's war the queerest and the
eussedeet mine. Nobod. e,nld ever make
1t out. All them scientific feilers as e,.
ahmed is said as how it was pLenome-
non. and the couldn' make nothing out Of
It nohow. fou see it want no strait,
nor sand carbonates. nor nothing of that
sort, but like As if !; war a ciiimbly grow
ing right mp OF. Of tie yarth. and as If il
bad been filed Il? with powders and then
the stream of mineral poured IN. You
could scrape one OF them ar powders with