The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-28

Adventures Recalled by a. Arizona Mystsry

tains near here yesterday caused some OF the
old frontersmen who hang nbout the hotels to
overhaul their memories for yarns about min
Ing mysteries.
This here cnse, "said old Bill Pepper. is
queer because no one knows just what killed
him. Still. there's any one OF u dozen things
| that might have finished him. SO that 1t isn't
SO terribly queer after all. Now. remember q
| case In 1850 over on the American River in
| California tina, made my hair stand. Three or
four OF lis were working together. Charley
Thomas and were in the gulch and our part
| ners were up Mt the camp getting dinner.
Charley had pick and was swinging 1t hard.
Was shovelling some gravel and we were both
talking. Pretty soon the dinner horn blew.
and says: Come on. Charley dinners ready.
He said something about coming right along.
aud / supposed he was following me until
had gone some distance. and then
| looked around and he was not In sight Think
| ing he would como right along. I went on to
| the camp and told the other boys that Charley
was on the way in. Az the meal progressed
| said several times that II seemed strange that
he did u Of come in. and the others agreed with
me. When We got through dinner hurried
back to the gulch. and found Charley lying fiat
on his back, dead. There was no mark yisitde
except II biz bruise On his forehead where the
pick had hit him As he and II fell. but which
could not lave been severe enough to cause
death. ] rolled him over and raised him up
and tried to rouse him. but without avail. He
never spoke \ was terribly axitsted and just
as I was bending over him and listening with
| my eur OIL his hcart MY partners came up aod
made known their presence by some exc!aina-
ti"n which made me jump. I could see in a
moment that they suspeoted me. and pre-
sumo tina, my manner was = little queer; They
Examined the bru,.e on his head and made
! the ease. Thoy seemed nXious to know more.
and pynpsi me psrsi;;ently i ; sHid ct last
l swear to You that know nothing nboutit Ii
| you will say that you believe me. and " III prom
s1r is viii my
| self here and now, and what money / leave l
toa poip. wherS it can Be- sssmined Il ana tho
| cause Of his death ascertaiLed.'
-, We were all good friends and they insisted
The thing WAS SO sudden and mysterious that
| they didn't know what 10 make OF 1t OF fret.
lad night When became convinced by their ir
actions that they really believed my story /
near where he died We never found out just
what a.led him. but the probability is that it
friends AT that time ! would have been lynchcd
for murder. and. understanding that fac, fully.
law. I have sa. in two or three lynch courts,
aud | have always made tho mob produce
somebody who could swear that the prisoner
This story reminded Jim Iers Of an episode
In MS career durinG the early days on the Com.
mines; aud fights and murders were numerous.
The boys had been talking for some time" he
did not stop One dismal Novem 6sr day Just
at dusk it was reporied that Tim Longs body
that the man who had killed him had been cap zap,
turod in the net Of robbnH him. Long was
when It was snhoanced that he had been mmr
dered The prisoner was q harmless looking
-rssh Bat nosody beev s iGi
He said he was coming over from Gold Hill TO
I'm de Gy n I've 1sn sv Then be stu
His frat feeling OF horror soon gave way to one
Of joy: for he was entirely dest tute. and lie
valuahics. just a. he was searching him a
party OF liners came along. seized him. and.
renewing Longs body TO the camp. spread the
AS soon as 1t became known that Long Was
eeance Everybody in the camp Was ont. and
| there was an enorinous amount OF drinking
BY a lot Of leading spirits that the people must
| take the law into their own hands. The pris-
eySS S" I'd aar. wen
one was finally selected everybody else wanted
e. be or G. tho Alter these
for volunteer to defend the accused man.
But no one responded Feeling a littlo sorry
m hold him up. boys II you won't lay 1t up
-Th"y. ali said they wouldn't. and took
| hold OF tie case, not having any idea that I
could save his neck. but Just determined that
play and against any hnsty action. As soon as
tho ev,donce Tor the prosecution was in the
ute that i talked they Interrupted me. was was
| Just closing with what l then considered
ns H1 5n9 on s HIs %
crowd; First there was q sort Of q war whoop,
Gsa S h0T nH, % say se
coming ior me. ana ] got right down from the
box on which had been standing. and taking
my sympathy was increasing, every minute. We
awaited the worst. Isays 70 him:
HIS teeth chattered as he thanked mo for
what had said
hi e hrounS Ss aS
after The yen which greeted him had subsidized
What's this trial forY
For the murder Of Jim Long says the
,hna 'o .EdTs 9s,hsI amid
Tor jim Long Is "s we'll as any Of YOU and he
curses. Jim had not been hurt. He had had
some sort of q fainting spell. and lay for an
to the camp and left alone with a blanket over
him. he came 70 his senses. and presently
n wosd ~ hs
safety. Now. call that another Illustration OF
10 9en Ss
innocent, ! dop,t believe an innocent man
next speaker, an old man named Parker.
knew OF one cnse wh.re man entirely limo
cent was hanged by the neck until dead. He
was a good fellow. too, and they never would
have lynehed him, II y hadn't been that he
ns not. 1t was ur- in .Plumas county. about
fifteen years ago. l had a mine thore then or
Thought did. Mt any rate. i was working an
old claim on n scientific idea. aud had great
hopes There were e good many miners in
there at that time. and somo OF them were hard
fellow from Now Jersey named Bristol. He
had had R.l kinds Of luck, and when he came 10
had received word OF tho death OF his only
child and he had no other relative living. In
q younger. quicker. and proudsr man
One day whom Rumsey was drunk and
we'll do proprietor, and in his frenzy fol-
lowed and shot him. leaving the pistol by the
side OF tho victim. 1t so happened that that
up their minds that no was the man. Before
any arrest was mado Itumsey. who had begun
10 al i.au Int In hal dLaIaa Slaln Eirta a.