The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-22
Sammy Rumgarten's Silver M;pe.

Sammy Brzz1garten IS a PeunsztiT rama
TOutchman-shis aneest tors have lived in
The neighbashood, of Middleburg. .Sny-
der County, A8., for two hundred years,
nd he still ,cultivatss the farm cd his
at-grandfatsler. bis wife, s0ns:and
daughters aTe Pennsylvania DutAe to
the backbone. Only Sammy and Ithe
lhovs can speak English, which they
hive picked up in the outside w0tld.
Home made nuch is the languasesef
|. the family. Sammy:is forty years oil
Nsthing has eHerhapPes ed till last wiz
ter to dam up tne. even t1Ow of his life.
He,has cultivated his farm and raised a
little corn and wheat, cattle, pigs and
horses: while in Gtfse winter the monQt-
Onysof life was Ealsd by Grips up tAe
Shade mountains 10 ,cut white pine
shingles on the property of the New
York .speculator whsse lands adjoined
his, and who in despair had given up
writing letters to bis agent es mplaining
of the disappearance of the white pine
from HIS tract. Reason enough there
was; for Sammy and his ancestors had
keen ,poaching shingls cuttings for
many generations.
Last winter QUE mOrnsng the whole
faeaily left the farm sad went up the
msuntain to cut shingles-father,
mother, three red-cheeked girls and two
bigshouldered sons. High above the
valley Sammy cut down big white pine
that grew oIn of a mass of bOalders. 1t
was dinner time when the tree fell, and
they all sat down on the root to eat
their scrabble and pie. While thus oc-
cupied Mrs. Bamgarten picked up
little piece of stone, in which were
imbedded particles of matter that
shone like silver. Pop, it's
silver" she said: Il read in the papers
how silver looks" 4 few knocks with
the axe revealed the fact that all the
rocks were flied with the shining par
ticles; and from that time forth the
New York spectators white pine was
respected. The family marched down
the mountain, and set to work talking
and dreaming about the silver mine.
Sammy used up the savings of life
time in buying, at a dollar an acre, a
strip of the mountain side OF thous-
and acres containing the rocks. He
bought it from the New York man, who
remarked. that as Sammy had cut the
timber off without paving for it. he
thought it was generous act to come
forward anu buy the bare rocks.
When the purchase was completed
and the deed recorded at Middleburg,
sammy sat down and wrote the follow
ing letter to Wall Street man. whose
name his wife found in the paper.
MIDDLEBURG, Snyder County. Pa,
Febry 18th, A. D., 1884.
Mr. Vim g Niddlebdum & 20, trdu street, NCtc
TOTke state:
SIR: / was tolte that thare ware som Ridge
Tainral man in Wall streete New Yorke. so
ride you. Plees led me know and the names
of than, plees send them ride to my place.
hat fount silyer.-I think i'd will max l0J pount
silver to the tun of Rock and my wive bro
nounced Id ridger yed. Yrs truly,
SAM BUMGARrEy.
Sammy and his wife and children
have waited since last winter expecting
TO hear from Wall Street. The farm is
half cultivated, the neighboring timber
is undisturbed, and they think and talk
of nothing but the millions they expect
from the 1000 acres that cost Sl.00 per |
acre.-M Y. Erening Post.