The Osceola times., 1884-11-22
DEAD IN THE GRAVE HE DUG.
Ola Jim beatfy's Melancholy Experience
in a Mining settl.me

WI" "'m behtiy's melancholy Experience
in a 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 10
forget to eat All the 9th r unfortuna;es
were always hungry. Whethe, -four
was $40 OF 500 barrel made no differ
enoe. They had to be fed. Old jim
would go around looking pale and weak
with his joints working loosely and his
clothes daily growing too big for him
suS he never asked for anything. 1t
was known that he had nothing. and
that somebody else was feeding him.
One day 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 be never asked
for grub. 1t was agreed that he should
not be molested Then somebody ex.
pressed curiosity TO know how and
where he got his meals. No one in the
crowd knew anything about him. One
OF the men said he would make it
point to find out Perhaps the old fel-
low was starving. Just then old Jim
came ,long, walking feebly and looking
weary and haggard. One of the bows
asked him if he was hungry, and he
went off into a long and weird story
about discovery he had made. The
boys gathered around him and listened.
plying him with questions occasionally.
Gentlemen" he said "lve got a claim
up the creek here ways that will make
us all rich. haven't said ANYTHING about
1t, for wanted 10 make sure, | dream
ed it all out one night when was asleep
on the mou 1tain. II came to me lust 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
crust of rock on the outside, If / can
get through the crust that is all want.
I'll run tunnels all through it and YOU
can help yourselves"
Touched" sal one ofthe BOYS. point
ing to his own head, and the rest of the
crowd nodded
"Ive locatcd it all, - said old jim, slow
ly, "but | can't seem to do much work on
it. I'm getting too old. Can't YOU help
me little bit?"
The old man appeared TO be almost |
gone, and one ol the men handed him |
flask Of liquor, Of which he partook spar |
lngly. Then another offered some bread |
and he devoured it with wolfish ayidity. |
Its shame to let an old timer like |
Jim starve in that way" observed |
young and stalwart prospector. "Let's |
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 10 come there when |
he was hungry and they would see about |
his mine. Two or three days later |
party of them went with him TO his gold |
mountain, as he called il. 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 Ole man would set out |
to his work with some CHEEKY remark |
He had got almo to the gold One or |
two more days would reveal it. Then he |
began to bring home handfuls OF earth
and rock and gravel to be examined. |
The boys looked at the stuff patiently |
and said II appeared promising After |
while he grew discouraged and said |
they would have to helphim. He knew
it was there, but feared he could not
reach it. A day was set on which two
OF the men were TO go with him and see
what he rad accomplished. This satisfied
him, and he started out happy. That
night he failed to appear. The next
day came and went without him, and
the men began TO wonder where he was.
On the third day two of them volunteer.
ed to 90 out and search for him. They
found the place at last where he had
been digging. 4 cave in had occprrCd,
and old Jim was in there beyond
doubt. They got others to help then,
and alter a little patient digging they
came upon {, e old fellows body. He
had been killed in his first drift.
Funerals are expensive in this part OF
the county, aud none too elegant at
best. 1t was greed that a funeral
would do him no good. They left him
IN the hole he had dug, covering it up
once more, and on big stone which
was rolled in place on the mountain
side they scratched the riptiCn: "Old
Jim Beatty's mine" New York Suns
Idaho Special.
t\IkES