The news., 1882-10-24
MOUNT HOLLY, co. TUESDAY OCTOBER a.

the hunks, intending to examine it
more thoroughly at night.
We stayed away from town on Sat-
urday and brought it out at night to
feast our eyes upon it again, and each
guessed it would weigh at least two
hundred pounds. We concluded not
to take it up to town to weigh, but d.
vide it some way; for if it were known
there would be intense excitement.
We had gold scales, but they would
only weigh one and a half pounds.
After some time spent in consultation,
Bill Hastings suggested rough pair
Of original scales; we piled on rock
and iron weighed by the gold scales
until we got the balance, aud the mug
get brought down two hundred and
thirty-one pounds, gold weight. We
burned the quartz and thoroughly
picked it out with the point of a knife;
the pure gold brought down two hun
dred and twenty-seven pounds, and
the grand specimen looked more beau
tiful than ever. If we had taken it
to Longton express Office there would
have been the widest excitement.
On Monday we cleaned up the re-
mainder of the crevice and it paid
well, but to us the pay now seemed
small in comparison. Now each had
enough. We each had at least $780,
900 to divide, enough to make us all
three comfortably rich. No doubt we
would have made more by exhibiting
it, but we could not run the risk.
We came to the conclusion to cut it
up, divide it, roll each ones share
up in his own blankets, and start for
the steamer to Panama and the Allan
tic States. went to town on Mon
day evening, got sharp coal chisel
made to cut and divide the prize in
equal shares, and it took us about all
night to cut and weigh it with our
rude appliances.
at seems like vandalism to destroy
the grandeur Of such precious speci-
men Of natures work. At the first
blow of the chisel it sank deep into
the pure yellow metal it was so soft
and yielding. Before daylight we had
completed our singular dividend We
caved down the bank near the mouth
of the drift, took brief sleep, got
breakfast, rolled up our blankets and
passed through the town early, not
caring to bid anyone goodbye; and
then no explanations were required.
We left the cabin and everything for
the first lucky ones to possess. There
was plenty more gold no doubt, for
the ground we left contained big pay;
but we had $4,000 or 81, 900 each,
and we're satisfied with our good for
tune. We tried to appear like three
prospectors, carrying our blankets, and
hurried to San Francisco, arrived in
time to board the next steamer and
landed safely in New York. have
many time regretted the way we de-
stroyed that natural gold specimen,
perhaps the largest ever found in
the world in ancient or modern times"
When l returned to Downieville |
after fourteen years absence, | visited |
old Slate Castle ravine and tried it |
once more, but twenty years had near
ly exhausted its riches; still [ tried
and made small wages, but its glory
had departed. Ny old partner, Dodge,
was an earnest truthful man. / be-
lieve tons of gold were carried below
in early times BY the lucky ones, and
all kinds of devices we're adopted to
evade the highwaymen, and often
large parties went below together, web
armed, and, perhaps, many large
nugget, besides million of dollars in
gold dust, never again saw the light
until it was safely deposited in the
banks or mints of the Atlantic States. |