The Brookhaven leader., 1885-07-16
OLD JIM BEATY'S NINE.
FOUND CEk0 IN THE C RAW: H= DUG.
Jim Bcatty's Melancholy Experience nj
Eagle City, Iiah9--The Fortuue Whirb
Jus, EIuIed His Grasp. starved
TO Death.
TEag.e CITY C,r. y 7. Times. !

Old Jim Beatty came in here with TIE
b. rush last spring. He was ont ~
money when he got in o camp, and, as 10
could not pick up gold in the street, lie
went cra1y. His insanity was of the harm.
less kind. lie wat quiet, AMI never
troublesome. Some limos he seemed to for
get to eat. All the other unfortunates
were always hungry. Whether -four was
50 or 500 a barrel made no difference.
they had to feed. Old Jun would GO around
looking pale and weak, with his j. n 5
working loosely and his clothes daily
growing too big for him. but he never
a,ked for anything. 1t was known that he
had nothing, AMI that he was not ris 4. in
the head, but everybody took it for grant.
ed that somebO iy else was feeding hlm.
One dag several Of the men were discuss.
Ing the best means OF ridding the camp OF
che BIAS when bvstandar said they ha
better not touch oil Jim. He did no harm,
and he never asked for Cub. 1t was
agreed that he should no. be mole Sted.
Then somebody expressed q curiosity to
know how and whore he got his meals. No
one in the crowd knew anything abou
him. One Of the men sail be would make
low was starvn. Just then old m , am :
along, walking feebly, and looking weary
and haggard. Onc otthe bows asked him #
he was hungry, aud he went Off in o a long
AM weird story about discovery that he
had made, The boys gathered around him
and listened, plying him with questions
occasionally.
"Gentlenen," he said. I've got a claim
up the creek here a ways that VIII make
Us all rich. haven't said anything about
It, for / wan,ed TO make sure. | dreamed
it ali out one night when | was asleep on
the noun, ain. 1t came to ne just as pla. n
as anything, 1 know there, gold there,
and want to get you boys to help me a
litsle with it and we'll dIvi le. There's a
mountain Of it with jus, crust of rock o.
tie outside. Il l can get through The crusi
that is a l want. I'll run tunnels all
through it, and you can help yourselves D.
"Touchei," SAID one OF the boys, pon :.
ing to his own head. and the rest of the
crowd nodded.
ave located it all' said oh Jim slow
", "hut | can't seem to do mucl work on
it. Pm getting too old. CAM you help
me a bit?"
The Old man appeared to be almost gonn,
and enc OF the men banded him flask of
liquor, of which be partook spar.ngly.
Tnen another offered some bread, and he
devoured it with wolfisn avtdity.
"I,'s shame TO let an old timer like Jim
starve in that way" observed young
and stalwart prospectOr. "Let's fill him
up"
They took him to cabin near by an |
made him a meal, and when he had slept
a while they gave him more to eat. Thea
ii ey told him to come there when he was
hungry and they would see about his mine.
rwo or three days later a party Of them
went with him t0 mis- gold noun ain, as he
called it. IL was just like thousands OF
others, with no more sign of gold in its
composition than of diamonds. Blu they
humored him with his notion. They led
him and gave him siren 9Th, AMI told him
to dig away. 1Ley would help him af er
while.
Every day the old man would sos out to
his work with some cAeeTy remark. He
had got almost to the gold. One or two
days mo-e would reveal il. Then he be-
gan to bring home han lfuls of earth and
rock and gravel to be examined. The boys
looked at the stuff patiently and said 1t
appeared promising. After awhil. he
grew d scouraged and said they would
have to help him. He knew it was there,
tus he fesre he coull not reach it. A day
was set on which two of the men were to
g0 with him and see what he ha accom-
ph.aed. This sari,ti 81 him, ami he start
ed out happy. Thai night he failed to ap.
pear. the mex. day came AMI went with {.
out him, an the men 70 San to wonder
where he was. On the third day two of
them volunteered to so ous and sea ch for
him. They found the place a. last where
he had been Dig ring. A cav3 in ha / oc.
Cured, and OH jim was i'll there bCvoui a
doubt. They got others to help them, AMI
after little patient digging they cams
u pom the old fellows body, H had been
killed in his first drift.
Funerals are expensive in this county,
and none too elegant at best. 1t wa, agreed
that a fuEeret would do him no good. They
left him in the hole he bal dug, covering
it up once more, and on a big stone which
was rolled in place on the noun ain side
they scratched the inscr paon: "Old Jim
Beat US mine"