The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-15
RoMANcEs OF MINING DAYS.
How Some of the Famous LeadviIIe NIInee
Were Brought 20 Light.

So many misconceived lotions are enter.
@ined about frontier mining towns and the
bloodthirsty disposition of the inhabitants
says writer in the Philadelphia Press, that
l have recalled from memory scenes that,
while they may not counterfeit this belief.
will, to certain extent, show that romance
and fate have great deal TO do with the
PRONUNCIATION of this notion. In 1867 one
of the most productive mines discovered
near Leadville, Colorado, was found by
Mr.. Long, who, hungry, emaciated and
with large old English penny in his peck
1t, for luck, as he called it, went ont
shooting for breakfast. deer was his
drst shot /; the animal died hard, struggled.
kicked up the earth and eventually subsid-
ed in particularly rocky spot. Long hast
ened to its side, and, instead of dead deer.
he discovered evidences of gold dust. Long
informed his partner, Mr.. Derry, and
they possessed themselves of the spot and
became rich. That was before Leadyille
had become what it is to-day. Hardly six
months had passed, when the news rehashed,
magniied and made sensational By Eastern
journalists, went travelling over the coun-
try that two gamblers, notorious characters.
had waylaid party of travellers, composed
of lady and three men, assaulted them
and killing them, found in their pockets
evidence of rich gold mine and pre-
empted it. Wilbur F. Storey then in the
height of his power as q journalist, had seen
the story. He knew Long, examined into
the truth of the tale and gave true version
of it.
The Eberhardt Silver Mine was discover
ed in 1868, near Elko, New, by boy who
was working for gang of men cutting ties
for the Central Pacific Railroad then in
course of construction. Elated with his
success he disclosed his secret to man who
was foreman of the gang. The foreman
pre-empted it and sold it, as guardian of
the boy, to an English company of capital
lists, for large sum ofmoney. Some friends
of the youth, who were Germans, became
interested in the matter and found he had
been defrauded of his rightful dues and
they instituted suit against the company to
test their claim. The company compromis-
cd with them for some $500, 900, and an
other sensational story came East, was pub
lished first in Boston, of the kidnapping of
boy by bloodthirsty cowboys, who asked
ransom for him, as he was the owner of q
wealthy silver mine, and what gave addition
al color to the matter in Massachusetts, at
the time was the death of an immensely
wealthy gentleman, who left his entire
property, amounting to millions, to his
son, minor, who was missing for few
days. l believeit was through the effort,
of a Mr.. Bacon, Boston journalist, that
The matter was investigated and the truth
proclaimed
Some six years ago Mr.. Ernest Ingersoll
published in Scri6ner's Monthly very long
article on Leadville, and l remembea he
mentioned the finding of the Camp Bird
Mine there by the Gallagher brothers, two
illiterate sons of the Emerald Isle, but, as
he never told how they dissolved it and the
sensation it produced East subsequently,, I
will relate it. These Gallagher brothers,
Dan and Michael, were exceptionally Irish
in everything, very poor, but honest,
shrewd, and, to a certain extent, superstiti-
GUS. One day, together they started out
with q hope of getting employment, and, in
crossing piece of country contiguous to
the silver mine, Dan stopped to tie his bro
Cans, or army shoes.