The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-09-22

man has scented and sighted the
treasures of the hills and has COM
menced operations thereon.
CALAMITY JANE.
Among the strange characters talkcd
about around camp fires in these re-
gions, Calamity Jane takes high rank.
From frontiersman who tunnelled
his way through the snow to these
hills about two years ago, in advance
of the first rush of white men, l OBJ
tanned a few facts concerning her
career.
Calamity Jane is tall, slim woman
of about IS, active as cat and of
phenomenal endurance. She is dead
shot, preferring to aim directly under
an Indians topknot to any other
mark in the mountains. When she
was wlry girl Of IS, James father
was the proprietor of a cattle ranch
on the eastern side ofthe plains. Early
one morning the Indians broke into
his log cabin, massacring himself, wife
and four children, and taking his eld-
est daughter, Jane, with them to the
mountains. After years of bondage
Jane escaped and became a
government scout. Like most effec-
tivc$couts. she has light hair blue
eyes, quiet manners and silent
tongue. She dresses in full buckskln
suit, with leggings and moccasins. A
short barreled repeating rifle is always
clung over her shoulders. A sharp
knife, encased in a leather belt, hangs
at her left side. Many night, alone
on her broncho, she has followed on
the trail of Indians along the foot hills
of the Rocky Mountains, stealthily
watching to see if they were preparing
to make early morning raids, as is
their custom. Woe to the solitary
redskin caught outside the lines of his
camp. He knew that certain death
awaited HIM when covered by the
rifle Of Calamity Jane. This Nemesis
Of the savage is now engaged il pilot
ing hunting parties and miners to the
Buffalo Battes.
SILVER AND KENO.
The other evening we returned to
Ruby from a visit to several mines, in
one of which We penetrated wet tun-
nels 1900 feet under the mountain
tops, and were requested to note the
richness of the ruby silver vein over
head while muddy water dripped into
our eyes. This was the Ruby Chief,
the first mine struck here about two
years ago, and which led to the sub
sequent influx Of prospectors and camp
followers. In this and other mines
blasts were fired for our special bene-
fit, and we were presented with spark
ling little pieces of ore said to run
large amounts of silver to the son.
Taking seat by the side of Uncle
Tom Cryder, veteran prospector and
hunter, we said to him, "Uncle Tom,
will it pay to work those hundreds oI
holes We s:.w on the mountain side:
to-day?"
"My FRIEND" said Uncle Tom
pointing to sign in front Of build
ing opposite the Windsor Hotel
which read High Ball and KeLo.'
"Go in there to night and you'll heal
one fellow cry 'Keno!' while thirty
nine yell 'oh, h-l!' You stand JUS
as good chance to make a strike
there as in the mountains.
"But some ofthe mines pay?'
Yes, about one in forty"
"Is there silver and gold, and othe
minerals enough to make the settle
ments permanent"
"Ef there wa'ant you wouldn't sc
two railroad companies laying thei
rails, and smelters going up"
Probably in no mimi. region i
this world have the pioneers gon
through 50 many privations as here
1t was in the summer of 1879 whe
. the rush began for the Gunniso
country. In one mass 900 men tur
. neled their way under snow sevent
feet in height. Mr.. Phillips, propr
etor of the ELK MOUNTAIN PILOT, ir