Morning journal and courier., 1886-04-20
EuE ROM ANeE OF GOLD.
Fate of the Men Who Discovered Som 6
 of the Great American Mines.

From the Fort Keogh CMon.) Letter. The superstitious belief is old one, that unless the discoverer of a camp meets an un- timely or bloody end his find will never amount to anything; and this seems borne out by facts, since all the discoverers of the great gold mines in the United States, with but few exceptions, have, as the saying goes. ''died with their boots on.n Of thirty-eight booming towns in the early days, the Ioca- tors of twelve were killed by bullet, three were buried in their locations by cave-ins and the rest drifted away with the tide of immigration, have become lost in oblivion or died and were buried in paupers' graves. George H. Fryer, from whom the celebrated ''Fryer Hill,' of Leadville, derives it's name, died at Denver not long ago by an overdose of morphine administered by his own hand. Two years previous to his death he was worth million or so, but he died pauper and almost without friend.
 Old Virginny, after whom the "Consoli- dated Virginia was named, and who sold his claim for $25, pony and bottle of whiskey. came to his death by an overdose from bucking mule near Dayton, Nev.
 Bill Bodie, the discoverer of the great Standard mine in Mono county, Cal, slept his life away in snow storm while making his way to the mines.
 Col. Story, who gave his name to the county in Nevada where the Comstock is sit uated was killed in battle by the Pyramid Lake Indians.
 Thomas Page Comstock died beggar in a strange land. 'tOld Pancake" as he was known in the mining camps, committed sui eide at Bozeman, Mon., September 27, 1870, by shooting himself. He was the lead CT of the famous Big Horn expedition that was sent out by Nevada capitalists in search of the Lost Cabin mines, supposed to be somewhere among the Big Horn mountains. The expedition was failure, and Comstock, whether from disappointment or from some other cause, while encamped near Bozeman, drove pistol ball through his head and died instantly. He was buried there, and his grave is unmarked and unknown.
 Near the wild spot where twelve years be- fore the hidden treasure of Alder Gulch was first revealed to him, William Fairweather was laid down to rest. Like poor "Old Pan cake,'' this cratic soul stranded on the shoals of dissipation, although each in his day had turned key-the one silver the other gold en-which unlocked millions for others but nothing for themselves. William Farrell, who ''struck" Meadow Lake, died a victim to remorse in of the leading hospitals of San Francisco, "haunted by the spirits of one thousand deluded pioneers and prospec tors passing and repassing his dying bed" :"
 
 Black Hills, is said to have afterwards turned road agent. Times going hard with him, he attempted to stop stage loaded and prepared for just such emergencies, and he was planted alongside the road by the tender hearted express agents whom he had tried to rob and kill. Homer, of the Homer dis trict, followed in the suicidal tracks of Com stock. After squandering small fortune he shot his brains out on the streets of San Francisco. Doughnut Bill, Old Eureka, Kelse Austin, Lloyd Magruder, Nine-Mile Clark, George Hankinson, Henry Hummer and scores of others died violent deaths in one way or another and reaped nothing from the rich finds each had made in his day. Doughnut Bill was planted in the Lone Mountain cemetery in Utah in 1868; 8 lone grave under white pine tree in a frontier mining town of California tells where poor Old Eureka sleeps his last sleep; Kelse Aus tin was killed and buried in Elcho county, Nevada, fifteen years ago.
 Lloyd Magruder, while conducting mum | Der of wagons loaded with treasure from Vir ginia City to the nearest railroad, was mur dered and robbed by his teamsters, who | were Plummer's outlaws in disguise: George l Hankinson and Henry Hummer were hauled | up by vigilants and strung up without the | delay and fornality of trial. Hummer was
 great rascal. In the early days of the min | ing camps at Montana, Hummer was elected
 sheriff of the camp about Virginia City. He | was the first locator of the rich ground about Virginia City, but thought he could make more money, and quicker, too, by tax | ing what was already mined than by labor l ing in the gulch day after day and getting it | bv hard, honest toll. But he was tripped uI | at last and died cringing, miserable cow l ard. on gallows of his own construction.