Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-04-26

Death of an Old Pioneer Il h
Funeral Services.
We reproduce from the Ceur d'Alene
Nugget Of the 9Th inst. the following sketch
for two reasons; first, on account OF Its
local interest, as "Oregon John" was for
merly one Of the characters" Of Eureka;
and, second, because there is q live human
interest in the story that will move the
heart of every reader:
To say that A. b. Pierce is dead, means
little to anyone. To, say that "Oregon
John" is dead, will cause a pang of sincere
regret in thousands Of hearts. Oregon
John is the only name by which he has
been known in the mining regions Of the
Pacific Coast for 90 years past. ALI who
have visited mining excitements west OF
the Rocky Mountains know him well, and
knowing him we'll, will be sorry to learn
that he has gone. He was a grand, good
| fellow in his day; had plenty of money and
| spent it for others. He was good to every
body but himself, vas kind, generous and
~open-handed to q fault. The strange fever
that all miners aud prospectors fall victims
| to, the fever that causes thep pulses to leap
whenever q new camp is discovered,
Oregon John caught q quarter OF q century
| ago. 1t never left him. As a miner, as 9
man, n as q of the boys, he has made
hundreds Of warm friends. No one ever
spoke i'll of him, and whoever followed a
mining excitement was sure to give a cor.
| dial greeting to the warm-hearted old
pioneer. He always came to q camp among
the first, and always stayed to the last, or
until some new discovery wa made else
| where. He came to the Ceur d'Alenes
| with whitened hair and beard, and weak,
lettering steps. He was an old, broken
down man, yet he could not stay away.
| The wierd fascination of camp life, and the
| rattle of the ~sluices, and the finding Of gold
| dust was as great as when he was in his
| prime, and though he was sick and de-
| crepit, and stricken in years, he came with
| the first rush. The result was inevitable.
| The shattered constitution and weak lungs
| and diseased body could not withstand the
hardships and exposure. From almost the
| moment of his arrival he was dependent
/ upon the kindness and charity Of friends.
| And friends did not fail him. All that he
could require was cheerfully given, and
when at last he became bedridden, the boys
got.him a tent and an outfit costing $125,
and gave him food, fire, q nurse and physi-
clans. Doctors Firth and Farrow gave
him every possible attention, but he was
l 100 IdT guns lOE uQLudu dlus "a 1911 aBlocp
one night and awoke in eternity. Even
the nurse did not know he was dead until
next morning. As he lay in the neatly
painted coffin the boys procured, he
seemed to be in q peaceful, happy sleep.
The calmness expressed in the dead face
was so remarkable as to excite much COM
ment. The old pioneer seemed to have
found perfect rest at last. His funeral
was one that will long be remembered.
The coffin was tenderly borne to the CEN
trail portion of the town, and hundreds of
men gathered around. The games all
closed, the stores and saloons ceased their
business, and even the busy Trumbo shut
up his auctioneer stand, and forgot TO say
Don't mention it. Shake EN- up |" Doc
Sanborn brought out a table and placed it
in front of his saloon. From this table
Rev. W. G. Shipper delivered the first SER
mon ever preached in the new mines. 1t
was q sermon full Of touching pathos and
tender christianity, a sermon suited TO the
rough, wild camp, yet full Of religious
fervor. The boys stood in the hot sun
with uncovered heads, and listened pa
tiently and sttentively to the close. A
more orderly assemblage never was seen.
When the services were ended, the pail
bearers carried the coffin up the snowy
trail to the grave dug in the hillside. The
clergyman sang a hymn and performed the
concluding rites. The coffin was lowered,
and the boys returned to their usual avo-
cations. But the day was sadder, and
voices were less boisterous. A spirit Of
solemnity had crept over the camp, and
its influence outlived the day. Mr.. Pierce
was q native Of Pennsylvania, aged about
50 years. He has no living relations, SO
far "a can be ascertained,