The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-05-15

a CaIifornIa Iiner whose Comrades
Finally Put a Rock on his

A CaIifornIa FIfner whose Comrades
Finally Put a Rock on HE
Grave.
/ Many of the quicksilver miners at New
/ Almaden, Cal, tell a curious story. Some
time ago Augustine F. Gabrielson, who
| had long worked in the mines, fell sick
/ with what appeared to be some form of
/ fever. and after three or four days illness
/ he apparently died. Two or three Of his
associates were with him at the time. and
they, with some others, put him in his cOf
fin the next day. That night two miners
sat up with the corpse, going on duty at
about O'Clock, They had a bottle and
some pipes, and along toward midnight
they began to tell stories OF early days in
this section. The men had their backs to
the coffin, and had just enjoyed a good
laugh over one of their yarns, when there
was chuckle in the gloomy corner where
the coffin lay which caused their blood to
run cold. Turning around quickly, they
saw Gabrielson sitting bold upright in
mis- coffin, and heard from his own lips, us
they sat speecbless the following story:
That reminds me, boys. of story they
used TO tell here twenty-five years ago,
when first came into the diggin's. There
wasn't any such crowd here then as there
is now. but nearly everybody who came
here had an idea that there was silver
here. one day a party Of smart chaps
came along and said they knew that the
SpaniRrds had mined here for silver and
got it. I knew they hadn't, and SO did
lots Of other people, but nothing would
convince them. They had to inves-
tigate They roamed all around
for few days, pretending to
be locating certain points, and then they
drew angles and made measurements in a
mysterious sort Of way. At length they
got curiousIy aroused, and we half came
to the conclusion that they had got
pointer somewhere and that maybe it
would be just as well to stand in with
them. From that time on they had
things all their own way. If they wanted
us to turn our backs we would do it, and
If they had invited the whole camp to go
out into the mountains and leave them
alone guess it would have been done
After this thing had been going on awhile
they suddenly disappeared, and when the
camp came to investigate it was discov-
cred that they had stolen every ounce of
quicksilver that we had on hand A mad
der and a hotter crowd you never saw.
We followed them for forty miles, but lost
all track of them, and finally, after losing
three or four weeks time, we returned
and went to work. A slicker gouge you
never saw, but for ten years after that
time no stranger ever got more than the
commonest courtesies in this camp"
The two watchers asked few questions,
and then imagined a little, and the man
lay back in his coffin, as II tired and weak.
Then he seemed to notice that he was not
in bed, and on rising again he uttered
scream, and would have fallen to the
floor If his watchers had not seized him.
He was then conducted back to bed and
for two or three days he was delirions. and
apparently very low. At the end of the
fourth day he apparently died again, and
was once more lald out for burial This
time he was watched more closely, and a
few hours after he was placed in the
coffin second time il was noticed that
there were signs of returning color in his
lips, and after little rubbing he opened
his eyes again.
BY this time the miners were all deeply
interested in the case, and every day they
would call to the last man to hear the
latest news. Some of them grew super
stitious and declared that the trouble was
a warning to everybody. Gabrielson be
came quite lively on this occasion, and it
was thought for a time that he
would recover, but at the end Of the
fifth day he be Ian to fail again,
and on the evening of the sixth
day be apparently died as before. The
miners insisted that he be taken out in the
fresh air. but the doctor said he was dead
now for sure, and that it would be bar
barous to expose the body to the air
While no further action in this line was
taken, it was agreed that the corpse should
be left in bed two or three DAYS and watch
ed. During this time it was impossible to
get any work done Everybody hung
around and all the liars in the camp did
their best to entertain the loafers with
stories OF the supernatural On the second
day Gabrielson came to life again and
took medicine.
The news was promptly communicated
to the waiting croud on the outside, and so
great was the JOY that al hands, save one
or two watchers INDUCED in a celebration
which lasted until the sick man died once
more and thus brought the festivities to a
close. The strain on the nerves of the
populace had become terrific by this time,
and one Of the miners set up as q revival
ist, calling on all to repent, for the last day
was evidently near at hand While these
religious ceremonies were going on prep
arations were once more made to bury the
dead man, but on the day set for the fun
eral he came TO life again for the fourth
llnG. 90 eAClteu were b0e people InaC
they made up their minds that Gabrielson
was bewitched, and an effort was made to
discover some means of exercising the evil
spirit. Another doctor had been sent for,
and he, in company with the one first in
attendance, made determind effort TO
save the sick man, but without avail He
died again and it wa decided to bury him.
both doctors pronounced him dead beyond
hope, and the men themselves made up
their minds that all was over. When al
were agreed on this point the coffin lid
was screw ed on, and the remains of GAO
rieison were borne to the grave.
Subsequently one morning a man pas
sing by the cemetery found an enormous
rock on the new-made grave. and on re-
porting il to some ofths miners they ex-
pressed no surprise, but said
Its just as we'll to anchor him there.
You can't tell what might happen, you
know"
An Answer Wanted.
Can arv Que bring uS a Case of kidney or