River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-08-06
POCKET-BOOK SAM.

Il ne maroon lakes ABOVE aspen are
reputed to be full of fish and the coun-
try around alive with game. There
was, accordingly, no difficulty in max
ing up party of half dozen last fall
to put in a week there fishing and
shooting. We all enjoyed the trip, yet,
it must be confessed, not solely for its
sporting pleasures. Fish were few and
hard to catch. though what we did get
were those nimble brook trout found
nowhere but in the clear streams of the
Rockies. Game was even scarer, and,
in fact, we got barely enough to stock
our larder The joy of the trip came
in when, after hard days tramp over
an abominably rough country in search
of deer or grouse, or after fruitless or
rather fishless polling expedition on q
clumsy log raft over the lakes without
even bite, we sat after supper around
a camp fire, with back against a tree
or stump, and tired legs stretched out.
The fragrance of the pines comes back
even now, and emphasizes the memory
of the time.
One night we were sitting thus and
watching the four or five jacks which,
good, patient animals, had packed up
our outfit. One of them had just de-
voured an oily old newspaper in which
some bacon had been rolled, and we
were laughing over it when rugged
old prospector, as taut and trim as an
Indian, and jolly good fellow, spoke
| up.
Boys" said he, you've often asked
me how | come to be called Pocket
book Sam. Wen, I'll you. 1t is all on
account of the omniyorous appetite of
a jack, or rather of jenny, for it was
to one of the latter that l owe the
name. There's precious little romance
in the life of prospector; it is all
downright hard work, and poor pay for
it, too. Now and then, however, we do
have something little strange happen
to us, and once in long while we do
strike a rich mine. Both these things
happened to me together once, and out
of it grew my nickname. Some of you
know, perhaps, that l was the locator
of the Russian mine over on Mount
Lincoln, near Alma, III Park county. |
| hadn't been in the State above six
months when ran across it. When |
came to Colorado some eighteen years
ago, went first of all to Fairplay, in
Park county. 1t was a pretty rough
place then, and | was well enough
pleased to 60 on up to Alma, where an
excitement was just beginning. My
partner at that time was man named
Steve Cutter. 1t was well on in winter
when we went, but we hadn't been
there very long when one day, as | was
working my way round ridge on
Mount Lincoln, | came across an out
crop that looked too good in my eye to
let pass. Steve had look at it next
day, and laughed at me as a tenderfoot
for paying attention to such showing.
/ had faith enough, however, to go to
work at it, though the snow was very
deep. Before the end of January there
was as pretty a show of mineral as a
man could wish. / had got about
twenty feet unde. the grass roots by
that time, and it would have done yolr
heart good to see how Steve, and, in
fact, most everyone in camp, changed
their tune about the Russia.
II determined to take jack load of
ore over to Fairplay to see if | couldn' t
interest moneyed men in the property.
l went to Mr.. Birge. who was the prin-
! cipal merchant at that time, and he
lent me jenny to pack my ore, and at
| the same time asked me to get $1,000
for him at the bank and bring it over.
1 agreed readily enough, and started
out. made one grand mistake here.
| hadn't the Russia recorded yet. The
only thing to show who the owners
were was the location stake at the
/ Of haf ha1f nd
/ half to me and Steve If | had taken
the trouble to record the certificate
while in Fairplay, half would have been
mine in spite of anybody. As it was,
| if | were out of the way Steve could
get the whole mine by simply rubbing
my name off the stake. But | trusted
him too fully to think of such a thing.
II left my ore to have assays made,
got the money in the shape of roll OF
| bills, and started b,1c-. through a heavy
storm of wet snow. BY the time
| reached our cabin at Alma it had clear
ed off and bright sun was shining, bu
l was wet through. laid my coat il
the sun to dry, and on top of it spreaC
the bills, for they were damp. | ther
went to get something to eat Steve
was outside smoking, and the jenny
was picking up what it could find neal
the cabin. On coming out went tC
my coat, and to my horror the money
was gone. AT first l thought Steve
was trying to play trick or me, but
he assured me that he hadn't seen the
money; that either it had blown away
or else the jenny had eaten it. There
wasn't breath of wind stirring, and
so finally concluded it had gone down
the jenny's throat.
Il went over to Birge's and told him
had lost his money, and the whole
story. He didn't seem inclined to be-
lieve it, but said very little at the
time. l went to bed pretty early that
night, feeling tired. l had hardly got
asleep when gang of fellows with
Birge at their head, broke into the cab
in. Almost before | could speak they
had a rope round my neck and the 9TH
err end over beam in the roof. The
rope frightened, and fellow called out
that had just five minutes to give ur
the money or die. Good God! | was
choked, l could hardly breathe. | don't
know what | did. l tried to tell them
l hadn't the money. that it was really
lost, but they only jerked the rope and
bid me hurry up or they'd string me.
broke into a cold sweat. | fell on my
knees and begged and prayed for life.
Those few minutes were years to me,
and had given up all hope, when
| heard Birge's voice: