Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-07-11

Johnny spiker Gets Tired and
Blows His Brains out.
We learn from William Halse ("Swan'
sea Bill"), who came over from Hamil
ton yesterday, that Johnny Spiker, well
known here, committed suicide SOM
seven miles from that town last Sunday,
Johnny had been working his Mountain
Queen mine, on Mount Ophir, in the
White Pine Range, with a miner whom
he had hired to assist him. This man
slept in the tunnel by which the mine is
worked and Spiker slept in . cabin at q
short distance from the mouth of the
tunnel. Spiker had been on a spree for
quite q while. and early Sunday morn
ing. before it was time to get up for
work, he came to the tunnel where the
water was kept to get a cool drink. He
was parching with thirst and spoke in q
wild, crazy manner. After taking . long
pull at the water he seemed greatly re-
freshed and he went back to his cabin.
The miner who had been reused and dis
tnrbed by the noise Spiker made in the
tunnel and had exchanged q few words
with him, had lain awake in bed for
some 80 minutes when he heard the noise
Of a pistol shot and groans issuing from
the cabin. He got up hastily and ran
over to see what was the matter. When he
entered the cabin he found Spiker lying
on the floor gasping his last. By his side
lay q pistol with one chamber empty.
His head was covered with gore and the
brains were issuing from the top OF the
skull. He had evidently shot himself
with the pistol which be had placed close
up to his forehead, for the skin was pow-
der burned. The ball had entered near
the upper part Of the forehead and had
come out through the top Of the head,
crushing the skull bones AID expelling
the brains.
He left a brief note written in German
on his table saying:
II can't hold out any more. / must go
now. To all my friends good-by. 1 owe
some debts. Take all l leave and divide it
among those whom / owe. This is the
last Of poor Johnny Spiker. Everybody
good. by, good-by. JOHN SPIKER."
The deceased. as before said, was we'll
known here. being al oldtimer in this part
Of the country. He was in the habit OF
making trips to Eureka, IN which coca
sions he always had plenty Of money. His
mine, the Mountain Queen, is a good pay
ing property and afforded him many q
handsome Cleanup" Every time he
made one of these ''clean-ups" he would
come over to Eureka, pay his debts, and
then make Rome howl until his money
was all gone.
He was q short, thickset, sandy-com-
plexioned man. and a hard worker when
at the mine. He was 81 years old and a
native Of Germany. 1t lie said Of him that
he had killed three men when under the
influence of liquor-one in the old coun-
try, one at Salt Lake and another at Aus
tin. He was suspected also Of having
killed the shoemaker at Hamilton. last
Winter, who was for q time supposed to
have been lost in the snow. but whose body
has never yet been found, though
diligently searched for several times
by the whites, assisted by Indians.
The reason alleged for this suspicion is
not of a nature proper to be published, as
it INVOLVES the name OF an innocent per-
son, to whom such a reference would, to
say the least, be very offensive. 1t is said
also that Spiker brooded over the killings
attributed to him when drinking, and that
he imagined there was always q foe at his
elbow. He vent armed, and was q dam
gerous man to have any words with when
on a spree. Crazed with whisky, he would
sometimes take out his pistol and fire at
some distant object, which he imagined
was a man just in front Of him. These
are the stories that are going the rounds
about him, for the truth Of which we, of
course, do not vouch.
His farewell has q manly tone. He sum-
med up the pleasures and pains of
earth, and deciding that the balance was
against him, he put an end to his life.
Not, however. before he had made a fare
well expression Of honesty by offering up
all he had to make himself square with his
craditora