Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-11-08
DEAD In THE GRAVE HE DUG.
Old Jim Beatty's Melancholy Experience
in "A Mining Settlement.

Old Jim Beatty's Melancholy Experience
in Mining Settlement.
Old Jim Beatty came in here with the
big rush last spring. He was out of money
when he got into camp, and, as he could
not pick up gold in the streets. he went
crazy. His insanity was of the harm
less kind. He was quiet, and never
troublesome. Sometimes he seemed TO
forget to eat. All theoth r unfortunases
were always hungry. Whether flour
was $40 or 500 a barrel made no differ
enoe. They had to be fed. Old jim
would 90 around looking pale and weak,
with his Joints working loosely and his
clothes daily growing too big for him,
but he never asked for anything. 1t
was known that he had nothing, and
that somebody else was feeding him.
One dsy several of the men were dis
cussing the best means of Kidding the
camp of the beats, when a bystander
said they had better not touch old Jim.
He did no harm. and he never asked
for grub. 1t was agreed that he should
not be molested. Then somebody ex-
pressed curiosity to know how and
whele he got his meals. No one in the
crowd knew anything about him. One
of the men said he would make it a
point to find out. Perhaps the old fell
low was starving. Just then old Jim
came long, walking feebly and looking
weary and haggard. One of the boys
asked him if he was hungry, and he
went off into a long and weird story
about a discovery he had made. The
boys gathered around him and listened,
plying him with questions occasionally.
Gentlemen" he said. "l've got claim
up the creek here ways that will make
us all rich. Haven't said anv thing about
it, for.I wanted to make sure, / dream
ed it all out one night when l was asleep
on the mon 1tain. 1t came to me just as
plain as anything. / know there's gold
there, and want to get you boys to help
me a little with it and ven divide.
There's mountain of it, with just a
crust of rock on the outside, If | can
get through the crust that is all l want.
I'll run tunnels all through it and you
can help yourselves"
Touched" said one ofthe boys, point
ing to his own head, and the rest of the
crowd nodded.
"I've located it all, said old Jim, slow
ly, "but can't seem to do much work on
it. Pm getting too old. Can't you help
me little bit?"
The old man appeared to be almost
gone, and one ofthe men handed him a
flask of liquor, of which he partook spar
ingly. Then another offered some bread
and he devoured it with wolfish avidity
"It's shame to let an old timer like
Jim starve in that way" observed a
young and stalwart prospector. Lets
fill him up"
They took him to cabin near by and
made him meal, and when he slept a
while they gave him some more to eat
Then they told him to come there when
he was hungry and they would see about
his mine. Two or three days later a
party of them went with him to his gold
mountain, as he called it. 1t was just
like thousands of others, with no more
sign of gold in its composition than Of
diamonds. But they humored him with
his notion. They fed him and gave him
strength, and told him to dig away
They would help him after while.
Every day the OLD man would set Out
to his work with some CHEEKY remark
He had got almost to the gold. One OF
two more days would reveal it. Then he
began to bring home handouts OF eartt
and rock and gravel to be examined
The boys looked at the stuff patiently
and said 1t appeared promising. Aftel
while he grew discouraged and sale
4. they would have to help He knew
il was there, but feared he could no
reach it. A day was set on which tw,
OF the men were to go with hin, and Sc,
what he bad accomplished. This Statistic,
him, and ne started out happy. Tina
night he failed to appear. The mex
day came and went without him, ant
the men began to wonder where be was
On the third day two of them volunteer
ed TO go OUT and search for him. They
found the place at last where he hat
been digging. A cave in had occurred
and old Jim was in there beyond
doubt. They got others to help them
and after little patient digging the,
came upon IT, old fellows body. HI
had been killed in his first drift.
N Funerals are expensive in this part q
the country, and none too elegant a
best. 1t was agreed that funers
would do him no good. They left hir
in the hole he had dug, covering it u
once more, and on a big stone whic
was rolled in place on the mountai
side they scratched the svriptiCn: "Ol
Jim Beatty's mine." New York Sun
Idaho Special.