Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-08-14
POCKET BOOK SAM
1he Queer Yarn oT = Rocky Noun
tain Prospsctor-
ozsalysrsas Appstlt~ oa the Part % .
gsas.s ehs C4a.s - tfls aAtssr-SE-
k4et Gosr4saasn-A fsr-
NssIsra story.


uartv II half a isxea last Tai y Pd@ 80 .
.-ek ao there hsh.ag and shooting. We
al enloyed ths tFip, gvt iE nass b o'h-
fs..sd aot slsly for Is sporting pi1@s-
mes. FISH we're fes and hard 70 ealeA'
taoogh ~has ~s diI zsS were those NM
III. book trout found nowhere but Ia the
clear streams % the kocktss Oane "As
.vs., ..,.rcsr. aad. ia at ~ got barely
snauzb - stock Cur lArdsr. Las Joy of
The "trip came "a wnens after nAri days
tramp over an abominablY rough country
Ia search OF deer or grouse, Or aftef
fruitlsss or rather fshiess polling expsda-
tin On a clumsy log raft over The iak7s
without even bite, We sat after supper
around a camp Grs, with back against
tree Or ,tumt. aud tired legs stretched
on The fragrance u the pines comes
back even now, aud emphasizes ths men,
ory Of the time
one nizht W. were sittiag thus, anu
uatenlag the four OF i've jacks which,
toor. patient animals. bal packed up our
oatit. one OF them had just deVoured an
[ oily old newspaper In which some bacon
had been rolsl, AMI Ne were laughing
over il when rugged old prospsetor, as
taut and trim as an Indian, and jolly
I good fellow, spoke up
/ .Bovs" sad he, you've often asked me
/ how came 70 be called Poeketbook Sain.
Well. l'll tell yon IL Is all on account OF
the omnivorous appetite OF jack, or
I rather. OF a jenny for it was TO one OF tne
latter that I owe the name There's
precious little romance IN the HE Of
prospector; its all downright hard work,
I and poor pay Tor 10. too. Now and then,
\ however, We DO have something little
strange happen 20 as. aud once In a long
while we do strike r.ch mine Both these
\ thinss happened 70 me together once, aud
/ out OF 10 grew my nickname Some OF
/ YOU know, perhaps. that was
/ tue locator Of the Russia mine over
oa Noun Lincoln near Alma, IN
/ Park County. / hadn't been in the State
above SIX months when l ran across IT.
When / came % Colorado some eighteen
wears ago, went first OF all 70 Fairpl ay,
| in Park County. Il was a pretty rough
place then aud was we'll enough pleased
20 20 on up 20 Alma, where an excitement
was lust leg inning My partner at that
| time was a man named Steve Cutter. 1t
/ wa. well on IA winter when We went, but
/ We hadn't been ther, very long when
| one day. "a / was working my way round
/ "A rid % On MOunt Liucoln, came across
/ an outcrop that looked too good Ia my eye
/ 10 Let pass Steve had look at u next
/ dav. and lau. he'd at me tenderfoot
for PAVING att ntion 70 such a showing
had faith enough, however. 20 90 70 work
AZ it. though the snow was very deep
Be, ore the end u January there was as
pretty "a show Of mineral "a man could
/ - f.af puH Hsar
the grass roots by that time. and 10 would
bave done your heart good 10 see how
eve, aud. in fact almost every one In
camp, changed their tune about the Rus
1 sia-
Il detsrm ned 20 take assjsck load OF ore
over u Falrplay TO see IL | couldn't inter-
esf moneyed men in the property. l went
% Mr. Eirge. who was the principal mer-
chant a. thu time, and he lent me a Jenny
q pack my ore, aud az the same tins asked
me - get - 20 for him at the bank and
bring IL over Iagreed readily enough, and
started out. made one grand mistake
here | hadn't the Russia recorded yet.
The only thing 20 show who the owners
were was the location stake at the mouth
OF the shaft. giving half and half 20 me
aud steve Il had taksn the trouble TO
record the cert fcate while in Fairplay,
half would have been m,ne IN spite OF any
body. A. il was. il I were out OF the way
Steve could get the whole nine by simply
rubbing my name OF the sta<e. Bu, I
trusted him too fully 20 think Of such a
thing.
Il left my ore 20 have assays made, got
the money in the shape 1t r)l Of bills.
and startel back through "a heavy storm
I of wet snoN Hy the time / reached our
cabin At Alma it had cleared OF aud a
bright sun was shiling. but I WIS wet
through laid my coat fn The sun % dry,
and on top q 10 spread the bills for they
wers damp / then went - get something
O. eat steve vas outside smoking. and
the Jenny was picking mp wha it could
fnd near the cabin. On coming out I went
O. my coat aud % my horror the money
was gone. A. first thought Steve was
trying 20 play a trick On me. but be as
snred me- that be- hain't seen he m ney /;
that either it bad blown away OF else the
fanuv hal eaten t. There wasn't a
breath og wind stirring. and 80 final y
concluded it had gone done the ienuy's
throat
Il went over to Birge's and told him ii
lost biz money, and the whole story. He
+ didn't seem Inclined 90 believe 10. but said
very little a. the time. I went % bed
prettv early Oh At night. feeling tired.
had hardly got asleep when gang 81 fell
lows. With Birxe At heir head. hr1 ke into
tba cabin. Almost before I could speak
they had rope round my neck and the
other eni over a beam in the roof. TIE
r1pe tixhtened. and a fellow called ont
that al Just I've minutes - give up the
money or def Coed God l vas
choked could hardy breath. I dom
know what aid. Itried 20 tel them
hsdn't the money. that ie was really lost
hnt shsy only jertsi the rrpe and BID me
! hurry up or they'd string ma hroks
2 into a cold svest fell on my knees and
J begged and prayed for iife Those few
minutes were years q me-, and hsd
: ziven az al hope. when I heard Birxs'.
voice:
Let the criiter 20. brvs; lets lesd b in
on of to~a Ike tbe thief he ia. with
p + rope raund ais neck. snd Z he evsr comes
q back wei hang hln.
Vso sn wirh the hanging. ve'ltd hss'