Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-08-27
llL.FAreD DISCOVERIES.
uard Fate OF the Men Who Located Some
of the Great American Mlnet

uard Fate Of the Men Who Located Some
of the Great American Mines.
Tho superstitious belief is an old one,
that unless the discoveror Of camp
meets IN untimcly or bloody end his
find will never amount to any thing;
and this seems borne out by facts,
s'ucc all the discovcrcrs of the great
gold mines in the United States, with
but few exceptions, have, as the saying
goes, "died with their boots on" OF
thirty-eight booming towns in early
days. tho locators Of twelve were
killed by bullet, three were burcl in
their creations By cavc-ins and the rest
driftcd away with tho tide OF immigra-
ton, have become lost in oblivion or
died aud were buried in pnupcrs'
graves George II. Fryer, from whom
the celebrated Fryer HILL" OF Lead
Vile, derives its name. died at Denver
not long ago from an overdose of NOR
phine administered by his own hand.
Two years previous to bis death he was
-WGti j l4iiii0h0f 50, BIT Ri ,iitid :.
paupcr and almost without friend.
Old Virginny, after whom the Con
solidated Virginia was named and
who sold his claim for twenty-five dol
lars, pony and bottle of whisky,
came 10 his death by an overdose from
bucking mule near Dayton, New.
Bill Bodic. the discovercr of the
great Standard mine in Mono County.
Cal, slept his life away in snow.
storm, while making his way to the
mines.
Colonel Story, who gave his name TO
the county in Nevada where the Com
stock is situated was killed in battle
by the Pyramid Lake Indians.
Thomas Page Comstock died q beg
gar in strange land. "Old Pancake"
as he was known in the mining camps,
committed suicideSat Bozeman, Mon,
on September q, 1870. by shooting
himself. He was the leader of the
famous Big Horn expedition that was
sent out by Nevada capitalists in search
Of the Lost Cabin mines, supposed to DC
somewhere among the Big Horn noun
tains. The expedition was . failure,
and COmstock. whether from disap-
pointment or from some other cause.
while encamped near Bozeman. drove
pistol-ball through his head and died
instantly Ho was buried there, and
his grave is unmarked and unknown.
Near the wild spot where twelve
years before the hidden treasure of
Alder Gulch was first revealed TO him,
William Fairweather was laid down to
rest. Like poor ''Old Pancake" :" this
crratic soul stranded on the shoals of
dissipation. although each in his day
had turned key--the one silver. the
other golden-which unlocked millions
for others but nothing for themselves
William Farrell, who "struck" Meadow
Lake, died victim to remorse in one
Of the leading hospitals of san Fran
cisco, "haunted by the spirit of one
thousand deluded pioneers and pros
pcctors passing and repassing his dying
bod" The locator OF the famous
Homestake, in the Black HIS, is said
10 aftcrward have Mrncdroad agent.
Times going hard with him, be at
tempted 10 stop stage loaded and
prepared for Just such emergencies,
and he was planted alongside the road
by the tcnder-hearted express agents
whom he had tried to rob and kill.
Homer, of the Homer district, followed
in the suicidal tracks OF Comstock.
After sluandering a small fortune
he shot his brains out on the streets OF
Snn Francisco. Doughnut Bill. "0ld
Eureka. Kelsc Austin, Lloyd Magrudcr,
mine Mile Clark George Hankin-
son, Henry Plummer and scores OF
others died violent deaths in one way
or another and reaped nothing from
the rich mass each had made in his day.
Doughnut Bill was planted in the Lone
Mountain cemetery in Utah, in 1868; a
lone grave under white pino tree in q
frontier mining town of California tells
where poor "0ld Eureka sleeps his last
sleeps" Kolsc Austin was killed and
buried in Elcho County, New, fifteen
years ago.
Lloyd Magruder, while conducting 8
number of wagons loaded with treasure
from Virginia City to the nearest rail
road, was murdered and robbed by his
tcamsters, who were Plummer's out
laws in disguise; George Hankinsor
and Henry Plummer were hauled W
by vigilantos and strung up without the
delay and formality of trial. Plum
mer was great rascal. In the early
days of the mining camps Of Montana
Plummer was elected sheriff of thl
camp about Virginia City. He was tn,
first locator Of the rich ground abou
Virginia City, but thought no coul,
make moro money and quicker, too, by
taking what was already mined thar
by laboring in the gulch day after day
aud getting it by hard, honest toll. But
he was tripped up at last and died s
cringing. miserable coward, on thu
gallows of his own construction. For
Keogh (M T.) Cor. Mittcaukee Sentinel