The Opelousas courier., 1885-07-04
4 N E QUEER STORY,
How He Obtained the Name
Of book Sam"
d Jenny's Appetite for Greenbacks Nearly
Results in a Lynching.

An old Colorado miner told q party
Of listeners, among whom was a New
York San correspondent, the follow
ing story Of how he came to be called
aPocket-book Sam"
"When / came to Colorado some
eighteen years ago, l went first Of all
to Fairplay, in Park county. 1t was
a pretty rough place then, and l was
well enough pleased to go up to Alma,
where an excitement was just begin
ming. My partner at that time was a
asman named Steve Cutter. 1t was well
on III winter when we went, but we
Hadn't been there very long when n
day, as / was working my way round a
ridge on Mount Lincoln. / came across
an Putcrop that looked too good in my
eye 70 let it pass. Steve had a look at
II the next day, and laughed at me as
q tenderfoot for paying attention to
such a showing. l 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
chow Of mineral as man could wish.
bad got about twenty feet under the
grass roots by that time, and it would
have done your heart good to see how
Steve, and, in fact, almost every n
In camp, changed their tune about the
Russia.
II determined to take a jack load of
orc over to Fairplay to see if | couldn't
interest moneyed men in the property.
Invent to Mr.. Birge, who was the
principal merchant at the time, and he
lent me a jenny to pack my ore, and at
The same time asked me to get 81, 200,
for him at the bank and bring it over.
+ agreed readily enough, and l started
out ] made n grand mistake here.
Il hadn't the Russia recorded yet. The
only thing to show who the owners
we're was the location stake at the
mouth of the shaft, giving half and
half to me and Steve. Ii [ 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 mineIby simply
rubbing my name off the stake. But
TRUSTED him too fully to think of such
asthing.
II left my ore to have assays made,
got the money in the shape of a roll of
bills, and started back through a heavy
storm of wet snow. BY the time /
reached the cabin at Alma ii. had
cleared off and a bright sun was shin
ing. but / vas wet through. / laid
my coat in the sun to dry, and on top
81 il spread the bills, for they were
damp. I then went to get something
10 eat. Steve was outside smoking,
and the jenny was picking up what it
could find near the cabin. On coming
out / went to my coat, and to my hor-
ror the money was gone. AT first ]
thought Steve was trying to play a
trick on me, but he assured me that
he hadn't seen the money; that either
Il had blown away or else the jenny
had eaten it. There wasn't breath
oI wind stirring, 50 I finally concluded
II had gonedoWn the jenny's throat.
Il went over to Birge's and told him
hid lost his money, and the whole story.
lie didn't seem inclined to believe it,
but said little at the time. I went TO
bed pretty early that night. feeling
sired. 1 had hardly got asleep when a
gang Of fellows with Birge at their
head, broke into the cabin. Almost
before I could speak they had q rope
round my neck and the other end over
i beam in the roof. The rope tight
eaEed, and afellow called out that | had
just five minutes to give up the money
OF dle. Good Godl I was 80 choked |
could hardly breathe, | don't know
what. / did. I tried to tell them /
hadn't the money, that it was really
lost. but they only jerked the rope
and told me to hurry up or they
would string me. ! broke into 9 cold
sweat. l fell on my knees and begged
and prayed for life. Those few min
ltd we're years to me, and had given
ap all hope, when Iheard Birge's
voice:
Let the critter go, boys; let's lead
him out Of town like the thief he Is,
wifh d rope round his nec's, and II he
II i comes back we'll hang him
GO On with the hanging yelled
half B dozen; we don't want any
hleves In Alma.
NO; lost the money, and it's my
replied Birge
After d lot of talk they Let me
down and I breathed again. Then
lsd ms out Of town. made
YOU can believe. stopped IN
When I had been there