The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-07


mitted to get out of gun-shot of some member OF
the party, and it was the last occasion
on whic< they saw him. He was
gone on the mountain; he was
lost " the forest" but they did not feel his loss
muI at first They were now in the gulch, and
n/ning could prevent them from finding the
ZINE Sad disappointment! For weeks they
Iprospected the gulch and the neiShboring coun-
try but no trace of the great lead could be
found
In the meantime remarkable result had been
produced IN Deadwood The preparations of
Burkes party had been noticed, and local man
OF the Black Hills Pioneer on the scent of q
sensation. The party got away unnoticed, bat
their absence at once attracted attention, and
among those who knew anything about the Lost
Cabin Wetmores departure was conclusive evil
dence of their intent. Several parties started
out to trail them, but the reporter took a surer
method. Burke had left a ladylove behind to
whom he was almost certain to write. The re-
porter secured the aid of postoffice clerk to
learn OF the arrival and postmark of any letter
to the girl, and then devoted his time to mash
ing" her. He succeeded admirably In few
days letter came, with the postmark EFT. Der
thoud, and on the following day it was printed
in full in the Pioneer Then there was excite
ment The letter from Fl. Berthoud gave quite
a full statement of Burkes hopes and plans, and
the information that the mine lay in the neigh
bornood OF the Bear~paw mountains, in eastern
Montana. Thither the miners started and each
day added to the number gone until half of Dead
wood was strung out across the plains and foot
hills, to the northwest, for nearly 200 miles
mining excitement is the most contagious
thing in the world. The first twelve hours
right sensible man realizes that it is the same
old story, and laughs at the simpletons who are
starting the second, he thinks over the mining
excitements he has known that were genuine at
the foundation; the third, he considers the prob
ability of gold existing in the direction talked Of
and it may be mentioned that ne knows gold is
as likely to be found in one direction as another;
the fourth, he feels that there is still chance of
coming up with the leaders of the rush before all
the ground is taken; the fifth, he is cursing him
self for sitting like bump log, while others
are scooping up wealth, and he is off after them
as quickly as possible. People whose heads are
not we'll balanced start sooner. So went the
Bear-paw stampede. Men were delirious over
the veriest gossamer of rumor. Vehicles and
draught animals doubled trebled and quadru-
pied in value in many days. Stocks of goods
were loaded and started for the new mines,
wherever they might be- Wooden buildings
were taken down and shipped in order
that the flush miners might have
place in which to drink and gamble away their
easily gathered dust. The first of the horde
went nearly two hundred miles before 1t oc-
they were going. Then they came to their
senses and went back. Those who had followed
them were in no difficulty about where to go.
They had only to follow the road made by the
others. When the first turned back, they fol
lowed and so the great line doubled on itself
and filed back into Deadwood again. They used
to swear about it at the first, but after awhile it
came TO be good joke, and when Burke's party
got back, after long tour'through Wyoming,
ragged, WORKOUT and busted" the others con
cluded that they were really In luck after all. l
met many of them afterwards, and. among
others, remote child of arid Palestine, who had
hauled load Of clothing away beyond the
Heeka Wapka or Owl river. He informed me,
with much popularity, dot wash de d-dest fool
stampede l efer seen"
And now, why may not this reported discovery
be the Lost Cabin in fact? 1t has the Cabin, the
skeletons, and the necessary air of mystery. The
reason is that the particulars are faulty just as
they are in every humbug that was ever
written, except few by Edgar A Poe
and such master hands The ore is not rich
enough. "Forty dollars to the ton" as reported
in this discovery, Of "gold and copper" in quartz
rock Is ore that a prospecter would starve to
death over 1t means less than two ounces of
gold in over 600 ounces Troy of rock and dirt
and that gold not free, but combined with a
metal from which it can be separated only by
an intricate chemical process. In fact the dis
covery of cheap process for the separation of
these metals would be worth more than any
gold mine found. Senator Hill, of Colorado
whose enormous wealth has enabled him to cope
single handed with all the other politicians in
the State and still hold his own made his money
from the discovery of such process, and it is
not very simple one, either. The discovery of
large quantity of giant powder" in the cabin
is a bad sign Prospecters seldom carry it at
all, and never in large quantities. The Ere
mains of q small ditch" and several shallow
holes on lodges do not go well together No
miner would dig hole a ledge while there
was placer ground near. The statement that it
will be opened lin the spring" in connection
with the statement that there is ranch near,
is very bad IF the Lost Cabin were foun DIFF
even valuable gold mines were found-you could
not get bad weather enough in Wyoming to keep
men away from them. Finally the discovery is
reported from district which the Union Pacific
Railroad Company has been trying to ''boom"
for several years, and has tried every known
method without success
There are still many persons who believe the
Lost Cabin will vet be found, and none more so
than Judge Burke. He never gave I'D his belief
that Wetmore knew the place, and that it was
fabulously rich. He spent many hours in trying
to coax Wetmore up for another expedition, but
never succeeded Wetmores whereabouts are
unknown now, at least to the world at large. He
is variOusly reported from time to time as dead |
or in insane asvlums III various parts of the |
country. Burke was at Custer City Dakota at
a recent date, and is probably there now, as he
was postmaster, justice of the peace and pres
dent of the vigilance committee, besides holding
several sinecure Offices. The reporter who orig-
mated the stampede has quit writing and enjoys
''soft snap" as business manager of a prominent
Western paper And the Lost Cabin we'll |
if you find it, you can have it.
Funerals.
Writ fnrt ha Journ OF Inv