The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-07-29
OUT IN THE MINES.
Early Days I'm Colorado ns Remembered by n
Pioneer.

Early Days in Colorado rs Remembered by n
| Pioneer.
(From the Denver Tribune)
"Ihat only leaves two cf u.s." and with
a sigh q man of medium height, bronzcd
features and n general appearance of
having had hard experience, limped to
to chair and laid on table n newspa-
per, pointing to an item concerning the
death of William Lowell, known in the
mines Of Colorado as "Chicl1en Bill "
After hcavng few sighs the visitor an
nounced that he was Thomas Gillespie,
or "NLoumtain Tom"
"Thcre used to be six of u.s." he con-
tinucd, "who prospected before Lead
vile was founded. There was Chicken
Bill, he's dead from too much booze;
Arizona Bill who was shot dead in
Shoshone, Arizona; BuclIslin Joc,' 1
found his pony, but his body and his
rifle had been taken by Grcasers; Col
orado Bill, who was hung at Fort Smith
for shooting q man; Broken Nose Scotty'
and myself who are still living. We
were always together and knew every
pass and peak of the mountains from
Montana to Texas. Joe lived as much
to kill Indians as anything else, for when
y
killed his father, mother, two sisters and
one brother, and he only escaped by be-
ing hid away. He had seventy two
notches cut on the brccch of his long
rifle when l. saw it last and every one
meant an Indian. | gave Chicken Bill
his name when he was tenderfoot. [
persuaded him there was a fortune in q
henncry and he sent rs far East as BoS-
ton for eggs, but he never could get one
that would hatch. 1t cost him lots of
drinks.
"l}lll was great prospcctor and
located the DcadwoOd claim, which after
ward was known rs the Little Pittsburg
mine. The greatest sell he ever made
was when he located the Chrysolitc
mine, in the earlier days of Leadvillc.
dc did not think much of the claim and
decided to salt it and sell it. He did
that, and Lieutenant Governor (aftcr-
ward Senator) Tabor bit and paid So, 600
for the Shaft. Tabor stocked the mine
at $40, 600, and after going down
fifteen feet further found the richest
mine of the lot.
"Bill was horribly beat over that and
1t cost two or three men their lives to
call him 'Chrysohte.' We were in Pap
Himan's, i'll Lcadvillc, one night, and
some fellow called him 'Chrys.' Bill
didn't say anything, but, while we were
up at the bar jostlcd him. The fellow
struck him and Bill pulled his gun and
bored him. There was Il jury in five
minutes, but when one witness said the
other fellow struck him they were all
twelve for acquittal. He came pretty
near getting my neck in moose one
time. a horsc-thicf had escaped from
Lcadville jail by downing the sheriff,
and III the Scrimmagc there had been
two shots fired, one of which went into
the ceiling. The hole showed it was u
~ pistol. L was the only man in camp
who carried 81 and Bill knew it and
started the gang after me. [ had gone
up NlusquitO Gulch to go over the noun
tain. | stopped to help the old man Get
his goods out of the water, for the water
was up, when / felt grip from behind
and the nlppcrS were on my wrists.
couldn't say word, and was hauled
into town and chucked into the cooler.
L could hear them talking Of lynching
me, when suddenly the sheriff appeared
and he let me out and vouched for me to
the boys. You see some fellow had left
his VallSc near the cooler and that thief
drew it i'll, and, breaking it open, got out
the gun.
"Wc all made big fortunes there.
Broken Nose Scotty' went to Paris,
France, and sold n claim for 5000, 600.
lie spent some of it before he got back
and then ran away with another fellows
wife and gave her nice house in Den
Vcr and 100000. He's working in the
mountains yet and when he goes to Den
yer and rings the bell at that house the wo-
man looks out Of the window and when
she sees him she whistles for the police
and next morning sends him Il dollar to
get out of town on.
''Thcrc used to be lots Of fun out there
for the boys, but they keep us moving
now, for when q good mine is struck the
tcndcrfootS come in and run it.
"Wc had lots of big VISITORS too. |
helped to show "Too-Do-It' Talmagc, the
great preacher, around Lcadvillc once.
lie wanted to see the town and the COPS
knew they couldn't take him unless there
was miner along, and they got me and
several other fellows. We stocrcd him
through several places and into the Mil
wallkce beer house. | put one of the
girls up to claiming the preacher for q
dance. She didn't know he vas q Cos
pcl-slingcr, but when the dance was
ready she ran up and grabbed Talmagc
and said, This is my partner The po-
lice tned to drive her away, but she hung
on until she said | put her up to it.
Ihcn they fired me and got Scotty to go
around with them, but he got them in as
Dad snap as | did. When Talmagc got
back to New York he sent about 500 Da-
pcrS with his speech in it to us, and his
health was never drank hcartier or deep
cr than 1t was when that speech was first
read"