The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-03-28

old mans heart. He come around as
humble as could be, and he says, Boys,
thar .,ust be another chamber some
whar. Dig onto her, for Gods sake.
WAL, they war full six weeks tibet we
spent hunting up the trace. We drifted
out in every direction, every man for
himself like. I tell you Old Bassick's
credit run low in them days. The bank
wouldn't trust him q cents worth, and
he war completely busted. One day
me and my pardner run onto her agin
all of q sudden, full thirty foot away
from the first shaft. and running down
perpendicular jest like the other. It war
miracle we struck it. As soon as Old
Bassick hearn of it-he war atop of the
shaft at the time-he slung his hat up
in the var and
DANCED A JIG
all round the windlass. Bimeby he So
bered up, and next day he war as proud
and lofty-like as ever he war in the early
digging of the mine. No gratitude at
all, the old sinner. Never said THANK
YOU to me and my pard. Went off and
bought the finest house in town, with
heightened furniture, and is worth now
his Millions"
"How could he git the boys to work
for him, being SO treecherous?"
"Waal, thar's only two other mines
besides his'n tibet war of any account in
the camp, and at that time Leadville
warn't heerd of, and it war work or no
grub. The boys all hated him, though.
I remember the old man brought in q
foreman to work in the shaft, and this
foreman's name war Ritchie-he's now
studying for a ministry in CalifOrny-
and he war cross and jest the kind of q
teller to suit old Bassick. So the boys
put up job on him one day. You see
this var Richie war doing the timber
work himself inside the shaft, and there
war stulls cross-ways to support the
timbers. So one night the night-shift
shot (blasted) out the rock behind the
timbers, leaving 'em unprotected like
and liable to tall in sudden. In the
morning down comes Richie in the
shaft and steps boldly on one of the
stulls, when the whole thing came crash
ing down, and he fell 80 feet to the bot
tom of the shaft"
"Did it kill him?'
"Waal, no; he only got his eye black
ed little. But the queerest thing was
tibet one of the very men as put up the
Job on him got smashed. He war a
standing on the ladder like, thinking as
he war safe, and watching to see Richie
get killed, when one of the stulls jes,
took him in the head and laid him out
as nice and purity as eff the job he'd been
done by q navy"
"That war about the right thing,
too"
"Waal, believe the boys did carry
the joke tritle,
JEST TRIFLE,
too fur. But did you ever hear how
Old Bassick got cheated out of five ton
of ore?"
"No."
Gone day thar come along Teller
all fixed up in store clothes, and said as
how he war from New York; and wal
agent fur reduction works thar, and
how his firm could pay bigger price
fur ore than Hills ut Blackhawk, wheI
the old man war shipping then. Sc
Bassick jest picked out five ton of his
best mineral and sent it on to the ad.
dress give him by the New York chap,
And that war the last he ever heerd OF
that ar mineral. But the way Old Bas-
sick used to swear when any one ast
him about that ar ore was awful"
There was a pause in the converse.
ton. Finally some one inquired:
"War yew ever down at Silver Cliff?''
"TwO years ago." replied the miner,
81 war around Silver Cliff considabul.
l see as they are making an excitement
thar now over fir, sh diskiveries. But
can't believe in it, knowing as do, the
quality of the districk. Silver Cliff is
only four mile from Rosita, and the
cliff itself is no more than twenty-foOt
hill. Thar is leads in plain sight all
around thar, but none of EN- while l was
thar could ever be worked to pay. The
veins in the granite are gently slim, and
run from eight to thirty ounces. Thar
war big excitement thar two year ago.
A chap named Dunn come down from
the Black Hills to Silver Cliff, and he
he'd lot of ore that he brung with him.
So one day he sailed shaft, and it as
sayed as high as thousand ounces.
Inside Of forty-eight hours every foot OF
ground for two mile around war staked
off in claims, and the rush war big.
Dunn sold q half interest in his shaft
fur a stack of money, and got away
afore the game war found out. Regard
ing the present excitement, amt per-
tending to say nothing" G.E.w.