The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-05-05

the door smoking my pipe, and watched
him rs he went down 10 the claim, until
he passed beyond the dump box and hid
himself beyond the horse power. about
thirty yards from tho sluicea. Shortly
afterwards I went To bed, where lay
for some time thinking Of my old home
beside the Mississippi. and the friends
there that loved mo yet, and whose let.
ters / still received and treasured aud
valued more than the gold chispas Of
the Ophir. also thought OF the last
words OF John Manning, as he left me
that night. Then ] foil asleep and
dreamed Of mining camps and sluice
robbers.
II don't think was asleep. however;
when was awakened by Manning, who
shook me by tho shoulder and said =,
For Gods sake, Bill. get up; I've shot a
mani
"He was terribly excited, put on my
pants and boots and hurried with him
down 10 the scene OF the shooting, but
nothing in the shape OF q man was 10 be
found. i laughed at John. and said !,
John, you must have bean dreaming;
for remembered his words and actions
when he parted, and his fears, i thought,
had worked on his mind 80 much that
he really imagined that lac had killed u
man.
"He said No, that hc had shot a man
on the aluices that he had waited until
the rifles were taken up and the robber
had commenced % sweep down the boxes,
and when he stood about over the big
hume had fired. and the man jumped and
gave an unearthIy scream Of pain. /
looked at tho gun, and both barrels were
empty. The rifles OF the boxes nearest
10. and including the dumpbox, were
up. Johns story, was convinced, was
true, but what had become Of the
wounded robberg Was lac dead, or bad
be cscapedI John bad said that when he
fred tho shot the robbcr was standing
nearly over the big hnme.
1--WE went back 20 the cabin and got
lantern and went down tho creek 20 n
place where the iiume bad burst and the
water bad run over broad, level gravel
bed. where nearly everything that came
down the fame lodged. After great
deal Of search something like log at
tractod cur attention, aud on closer in
vcstigation II turned out 10 be a map-a
Chinaman-stone dead and bare.footed.
II looked at John. He Was pale a.
death itself.
Oup NAous AHHA Il
IL when ] left you IN night, Bill, that
would kill some one. oh, God; II sets
me crazy.
"Never mind, John. said /, you hal
% do 10; Il was your duty. Let us lift
him out Of tho creek on 70 the bank, and
then notify the boys
He gave me hand. nervous rs could
be. like q man with the ague. and his
face was as white "a marble. We returned
again to the cabin, after which we noti-
fed some Of the boys Of the Chinaman' b
death, and very briefly narrated the
circumstances attending H. BY day
break that morning hundreds Of the
miners haAtenod 70 the spot where the
robber lay and generally seemed pleased
with what had ha a1pened. aud served
him just right. was the universal senti-
ment.
while poor john was suffering tho
tormenta OF hell, the whole camp we're
showering eulogies upon him anl max
ing him the hero OF the hour. The Cor
oner was sent for. and. after duly i'm
paneling Jury, verdict was returned
justifying John in tho killing. The rob.
Der was buried upon the hill here. back
of the house where he lay for a few
days. when, il il said. his countrymen
came ono night. dug his body mp and
cent il OF 10 China.
"But be that true or not, the facE il.
self, and also of the killing, would soon
have been forgotten by the active and
energetic miners, among whom scenes
| Of the kind were so frequent, but for
the appearance and actions of John
| Manning, who never worked another
day in the claim after the tragedy. He
wasted way, until he was nothing but q
mere shadow OF his former self. He
would remain in the cabin Of others un'
Gil late at night, seeming to fear TO be
alone.
Finally, he took sick and was con
fined TO his bed and the boys took turns
in watching and sitting mp with him
] He got worse, and was finally removed
10 the home of lady on the fat, whC
/ took as good care of him as any on,
could; but 10 was Of no use; he KEEP
getting worse and worse, until deatI
marked him for his own. In less thar
three months from the shooting OF the
sluice robber, John Manning was
corpse.
HE was buried by the miners on the
flat. You never saw miners funeral
All work is stopped in the camp the day
OF the funeral, and all who can walk
from far and near, follow their comrade
to his last resting place. SO 1t was with
John Manning. The peculiar reasons
advanced as the cause of his death at
Lracted the hardy miners from all parts
OF the country. Everybody turned out
for all had loved poor unfortunate John
He had no enemies.
"Why he died is o mystery. 1t was
not from any disease. John was not 1
drinking man, and he was not O man o
dissipated habits at all. The only rea
son could come 10 was that he was
little superstitious, and the fact that ht
had shed human blood, and had takf !
the life of human being, preyed 81
much on his mind, that he broke dowI
under the load. The laws of his coun
try, and particularly the public opinion
of his neighbors and companions (any
one of whom would have done the sam,
under like circumstances, and not few
of whom would have gloried in il, jus
titled him, yet it mattered not to him; b,
couldn't throw it off, and the killing oi
that China sluice robber drove him {,
the grave. / have often thought-anC
thought so at the time that his oody wa
laid out on the table in that old lady
house--that would have given grea
deal, if we had drawn different straws
and he had drawn mine and that nigh
have been on watch that eventful Fri
day night, If it had saved John Man
ping's life. Some said, that he had beel
poisoned by Cinnamon from Sonora
but that is only rumor. He told no on
what the matter was, but carried hi
secret to the grave. I shall never for
get his last look and words to me whel
he left me smoking in the door here
and said: Goodnight, Bill; I hop,