The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-11-07
IN OLD-11ME RUsTLER.
4 Han Who Took Ererythi'ig ia Camp But
the Rirer.
Pittsburgh acknowledgement.

Pittsburgh acknowledgement.
''Oh, yes, there were great 'rustlers
in those days in California;" remarked
the old '49er. ''You see the gold had
about played out in 80, and sharp mer
had hard time making living, fol
everybody all of sudden commenced
4 to get poor. i and six others were
working for an old fellow named Col.
Friday, who lived in a great barracks
of a house on the Mokelumne river. 1t
was all that was left of Mokelumne
City. Friday had been rich once, but
now the old man was poor as Jobs tur-
key, and ali he had was a flatboat, an
B old horse, that wreck of house and a
pretty young wife that he'd picked up
the Lord knows where or how. The
old man was trying to make a living
cutting willow cordwood and floating
it down in his fiat to Sacramento. We
fellows cut the wood for him at
Is cents day and chuck. One night
there came along the old-tlme 'rustler.
He Flowed he'd never worked and he
never intended to. He didn't have
cent, butwe all slept on the floor when
ever we pleased in our own blankets,
and he borrowed a blanket and did the
same. For two OF three days the 'ru
tier didn't do anything but borrow to-
bacco and get credit at the whisky jug
old Col. Friday called his bar Then
an old fellow came in from the San
Joaquin wheat fields, where he'd been
harvesting, pretty flush. He was
nippy sort of a fellow and thought he'd
like to be great gambler. The rus
tier took him under instructions. Some
body had given him cigar and he put
it up against a short bit of the harvest
hands money, and won. They played
two days and night steady, and then
the 'rustler' had all the money of the
man that came in from the San Joaquin
bout $50 l reckon-so he went to
work and made him faro-box out of
an old cigar box; marked out layout
with piece of charcoal on a board and
opened business. In two days he own
ed everything we had in the world, and
on our backs to boot, and the jug of
whisky was empty. Then, when
no one had anything more to
bet, the 'rustler' lay around yawning
for day or two while we fellows went
to work choppipg wood and debating
if we hadn't better 90 through him and |
chuck him into the Mokelumme. We'd |
got the flat boat all loaded for trip to |
Sacramento by the third night after he d
closed his cigar box bank, and we'd
about determined to drown the 'rustler'
afore we started for Sacramento. in the
morning Well, when the morning
came we looked in vain for the 'rustler.
The cuss had taken the flat-boat, put
the old horse and jug on it, loaded up
his plumber that had once all been ours,
and taking old Col. Fridays pretty wife
with him, sailed away. The boat would
get to Sacramento long before we could
foot it there, and there wasn't an ami
NAL within miles, so as he had good
eight hours start, we knew he was safe
enough. l saw the old colonel sitting
on a stump, contentedly chewing to-
baceo and looking. at his old, bankrupt
wickkyup, so went to him and said for
consolation. Pretty tough, colonies
But the old man looked contented
enough and only said, Thank God he
didn't take the river, too; we've got lots
of water left. "