Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-11-11
The Sturg Teller.
THE MYSTERIOUS NOTE.
CHAPTER 1.


In 1865 I was working on the southern fork
of the north affluent of the Yuba, at point
two or three miles below Sierra City. L was
at work alone, in ravine making down into
the river. Half dozen other miners had
cabins not far from mine, and were at work
in gulches or on bars in the river. All OF oul
cabins were on the south side of the river, and
mine was at least half a mile further south
than any of the others, which carried it well
up toward the main ridge or range OF hills
walling in the stream.
One day, at noon, I went home to get my
dinner, and on opening the door of my cabin,
saw in the middle of the floor, a small scrap
of white paper folded in the form of note.
thought this not little curious, as my door
was secured with paddock of peculiar con-
struction, and no man could have entered un-
less through the ''cat-hole'' at the bottom Of
the door.
AS took up the note saw that there were
two or three spots of blood on it. The note
alone was sufficient to Startle me, but, when L
saw the blood, a chill ran through my veins,
and I said: 'sHere is some villainy afoot
Somebody has been murdered, perhaps" My
next thought was that some of the boys might
be playing trick on me. Instead of at once
opening the note to read it, l began looking
into all the corners of the room; even stopped
and peeped under my bed.
No one was to be seen. My cat, old ''Clis-
pa was the only living thing in the place.
He came purring about my legs, as was his
habit when 1 came home though often he
was out on his own hook, hunting and pros
pecting about, for he was not one your home
staying, lazy kind of cats.
After speaking a kind word or two to old
'Clispa' opened the note, and as | read,
began to open my eyes. The little note
merely the folded leaf of an ordinary memo
randum book-read as follows:
JUNE Q. 1863
This is to inform the person into whose
hands it may come that am in the old NAL
danado shaft. BY the breaking of a ladder I
fell to the bottom of the shaft three days ago.
am almost starved. For Gods sake come to
my assistance at once.
JACOB IRlTCiARD.
When I had read the note -scrawled with
very dull lead pencil-I hardly knew what
to think My brain was in whrl, and
made no headway in trying to think. AS
turned the paper in my fingers, I observed
that the blood came off it and stained my
hand; saw, in fact, that it was quite fresh.
This astonished me not a little, ''for,''
thought I, eff he fell into the shaft three days
ago and hurt himself, how does it happen that
the blood on this note is still fresh, and almost
warm?''
My next thought was this: eff he is in the
bottom of the Maldanado shaft-more than a
hundred feet below the surface-as he says,
how could he leave me this note % Clearly
the thing was improbable, and I could make
neither head nor tail of the business. Who
Jacob Pritchard was did not know. 1 did
not remember having ever heard his name.''
sat down on a stool and tried to think.
''Here,' thought I, lis man in the bot
tom of a shaft, where he has been for three
days, and Where he is now supposed to be
starving, who leaves note on my cabin floor,
asking me to come and get him out. There is
blood-fresh blood-on this note, which makes
things still worse ~
sat and thought, and thought, till things
got so mixed up in my head that 1 was no
more capable of forming an opinion in regard
to the business, than a born idiot.
talked to the cato old 'Clispa''-about
it, and the old fellow seemed willing to assist
me, and he got upon my knee, and snuffed at
the note as though he knew that the cause of
my trouble lay in that. He then jumped down
and running to the corner of the room, brought
me the remains of a little crippled squirrel,
which ne had lately caught, as | could see,
just as if he thought 1 might be in trouble on
the grub question, and as much as to say
''Here, old pard, eat and be merry.'
''Clispa, old fellow, you mean well, said
''but your kind of grub is not to my mind"
"Clispa" looked disappointed when he found
that could see nothing in the ''wreck'' of the
little squirrel. Heseemed to be of the opinion
that this ought to bring all my troubles ant
doubts to an end.
The more pondered on the matter the more
it puzzled me. Being unable to arrive at an,
satisfactory conclusion in regard to the myste
rious affair, 1 madeup my mind to see some O
the 'boys," Oh the river, and lay the matte
before them.
Having got four or five of my neighbors to
gether, produced the note, told them where
found it, and asked what they thought of TIN
''business.''
They all said at once that the note was al
''imfernal lie on its face" Said they eff TIN
man is in the shaft, how is he able to leave
note on your floor, telling you so ?"
This was nothing more than had mysel
thought of in the start. After much talk, w
all concluded that there was in it trick o
some kind however, we would see it out.
We determined ovisit the Shaft named, tn
whereabouts of which was well known to Il
all, we having seen it scores of times. 1t wa
decided that each man should be armed with
six-shooter, and that we should take with Il
three or four candles and long rope; also,
canteen of water and some brandy, thoug
these last-named articles were mainly intende
-