Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-11-23

A SENTINEL reporter yesterday Afternoon
encountering George Ham. the ~footracsr.
on Main street. and noticing his head all
bandaged up, stopped to ask him what he
had run against. II will be remembered
that he returned home Thursday night,
and that in this paper yesterday morning
quite an exciting account was given from
the Elko Independent OF his exploits at
Humboldt Wells last Sunday.
In answer to the question, George tells
. story Of . hair-breadth escape with his
life that would be good for . sensation in .
dime novel. He says after leaving Eureka
some three months ago he went to Utah
and spent most of the time at Park City,
ready to accept = banter from any Latter
Day Saint who felt like running . race
with him-but he didn't get . banter.
He came to Humboldt Wells last Satur-
day . week ago, during the season Of
horse-rscing there. At the Wells he met
James Conger, . young man about 20
years Of age, who has been travelling
through Montana as . footracer. They
made . l00-yards race together for 500 .
side. As soon Is it was known that they
were going to run Ham says he could not
write 9 letter or q telegram but somebody
was looking over his shoulder to see what
he had to say. He could not sit down to
read . newspaper but what somebody
would be posted near by to watch his
movements. As Is not unusual. there
were men trying to get to him who wanted
. dead thing"
he says be was invited to meet . certain
we'll known wealthy gentleman who, at the
meeting, made ovsrtures to him to throw
the race of, assuring him he would be
treated literally II he would do 80. Ham
does not say that he did not agree to do
this, and leaves the inference that he did
to agree; but be says he got nothing in
hand to clinch the bargain. He made up
his mind, after the interview, a. he says,
ito give him his dead thing"
He says he went around and told his
friends among the railroad boys to put up
their money IN him for he was going to
win the race. And they all did it. He
says he went and advised other friends in
the same way, and they too put up all their
money on him. The gentleman referred
to and his friends covered all this coin
whenever it came in sight, feeling sur
they had it captured in advance. Thus ON
both sides the betting went IN until . fu-
rore set in, such ~ was never known be-
fore in such 81 affair 1t the Wells. The
gentleman, who thought he had the dead
thing" took every bet he could get. in one
or two instances making single bets Of as
high ~ $500 each. One young man from
Ruby Valley matched him for $3.50 in one
bet, and after breaking himself went and
dug up more to wager. Before the excite
ment abated between 81, 900 and SIS, 900 on
each side, or between So, 900 and $1,000,
altogether, had gone into the fimsy specu-
lation.
The race took place at half past 4 O'Clock
last Sunday afternoon. Ham says that
the whole town and the big gambling
crowd that had assembled there were 1t
white heat when it came nearly time for
the match, on which many Of them had
risked the last cent they had in the world.
Both sides were nervously waiting to
double their money, and full Of confidence
in the result, though not altogether free
from the fear that there might yet be .
slip, and that tho ''dead thing" might
crawl away.
about two hours before the race the
wealthy gentleman mentioned came up to
me-" says Ham, Sin 9 crowd and asked
me how l felt. 1 told him / was going to
win if l could. / suppose he took this to
mean the reverse of what I said. and that
l intended by it to throw dust in the eyes
Of those betting against him.
"You can imagine the excitement in the
little town when the race was announced
to take place on the street in front Of
Hanks hotel. To make . long story
short, / beat Conger easily enough in 10A
seconds.
Leaving the track at once, / went up to
my room in the second story Of the hotel,
and warned the proprietor not to let any
body up after me. I was in the room
pulling OF my racing clothes when three
men, the gentleman alluded to several
times being one Of them and in the lead.
and pushed themselves in. The leader had q
whistler in HE hand, and turned it loose
on me. 1t snapped, or I wouldn't have
been here to talk to you. He pulled on
me again, but one OF the men who came
in with him grabbed the pistol and caught
the cock ON the loose skin between his
thumb and forefinger, from the wound OF
which he carries q blood blister yet. did
not wait for any further developments, but
at one bound I cleared the bed, which
was in the way, and went headforemost out
Of the window. I took out only two panes.
12x1O inches, for I went out like a shot. l
fell to the ground with terrible force, and
was knocked senseless and bleeding like =
steer.
1.-The railroad boys packed me to the
train, which came in shortly after the
affair, and I was taken to Elko, where l
staid two nights and . day under the
treatment of DR.. Meigs, an excellent sur
geon and very kind gentleman"
"Well," asked the reporter, chow did
you come out? Did you get away with
any OF the spoils ?"
Ham: II tell you, sir, / don't know. I
suppose there are $500 or $500 coming to
me, but l can't tell. 1 don't know any
thing about 1t yet. I haven't heard. 1
was brought into Eureka on q stretcher,
and this is the first day since my leap out
Of the second-story window that I have
been on my feet. II I only get well I nm
willing to call it oil even."
This is the story as given by Mr.. Ham.
The gentleman whom he tells the story on
and describes as having attempted to MUIR
der him, is one whom we know pretty we'll,
and he is the last man in Nevada whom
we would suspect Of making such an at
tamrt uo IL q man who takes his chances