The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-29
A LOST NUGGET.
THE STORY OLA NINETY-POUND
LUMP OF GOLD.
Its Discovery in the Old California
Mining Days-Lost and RecoY.
cred Number Of Times
"A Long Search.

Referring to the fact that party had
left Colorado Springs to hunt for the
"Lost Nugget" writer in the New York
Sun gives the following account of this
remarkable lump of gold:
In the old mining days of California
five or six men who had come out to-
gether from Indiana had claim on the
San Joaquin River. They were doing
fairly we'll, but nothing to brag of, when
one of them, a man nam d Charles Y.
Tooker, whose relatives yet live in In
dianapolis, made the discovery of the
celebrated nugget. 1t was in the spring
of the year, and he was out hunting for
roots and herbs to cure sort of scurvy
which had taken hold of some of them.
In climbing up a bank he dislodged
a boulder, and as this rolled down it un-
covered the nugget. 1t was a chunk OF
crude gold, weighing about ninety
pounds. It is not likely that the mass
was as pure as the average of small mug
gets, but still it must have been worth
many thousand dollars. The entire bank
was afterward dug away, and the neigh
borhood for half mile around carefully
searched, but without another ounce Of
gold being found.
Tooker was a single man, about twen-
ty-seven years old, and up to this hour
it had been share and share alike with
the little band. His mind was instantly
made up to keep his discovery to him
self, and to get away with his treasure
or tho fret onnortunity. He dug hol @
and buried the find. carefully marked
the spot, and returned to camp and tried
to conceal his satisfaction and anxiety
1t was month before he made any move.
His object was to get the nugget to San
Francisco, and it must be carried on the
back of a horse or mule, He had to in
vent an excuse for separating himself
from the band, and this probably gave
rise to the first suspicious. Tooker pur-
chased a mule of an immigrant, hung
around until he believed it was safe for
him to depart, ond then dug up his mug
get one night and set out on Journey
which would not have been safe for half
a dozen men to undertake. Those were
rough GAYS, and men who had met with
poor luck hunting for gold in the earth
were on the road as robbers and assas-
sins. Tooker's companions felt certain
that he had made find, and his every
action was under surveillance for several
days before he started. He quietly with
drew from camp at night, led his mule
to the spot where the nugget was
cached, and loading it upon pack sad
die he started off. He must have known
of the dangers of the road, but the de,
sire 70 convert that big lump into gold
pieces overcamo his prudence. He was
followed by two of his companions, but
thew hardly knew what course to take.
tie had made find and was dumping"
them, but they had no legal right to
Tooksr was followed until daybreak,
and the men had about made up their
minds to halt him and force him to turn
back with his precious burden when he
was attacked by four or five iootpads. A
liyely fight ensued, and Tooker and one OF
his pursuers were killed, and the other
was driven off, He returned to camp
with the story, and this was the tlrst OF
q long series of adventures in which the
big nugget has figured. Tooker's friends
determined to overhaul the robbers. and,
five in number, they broke camp at once
and began pursuit. The footpads mad
a camp or rendezvous within few miles
of where the robbery occurred, and the
nugget was taken there for safety. This
camp was discovered by the Tooker
crowd, and in the fight which followed
two of them were killed, while only one
of the robbers escaped with his life. The
NUGGET had been buried, and although
the closest search was made for it the
yictors did not unearth it. The robber
who escaped made his way to San Fran
cisco. and six months later set about or
ganizlrg an expedition to go after the
lump. Une of the men who was to ac-
company him got the location of the
cache and set out with companion and
reached the place two days ahead OF the
others. The nugget was found, loaded
on the back of mule, and the two had
a start of day and half. They jour-
neyed about forty miles, buried the lump
near mining camp, and staked out
claim and went to work as a part OF the
programme to preserve their secret.
They remained in camp for six weeks,
and then left on foot, their mule having
been stolen. What happened to them
and the nugget is not known, or at least
has not been stated. The next time the
bio lump was heard from it was un.
earthed in the Hot Creek Mountains OF
Nevada, by three miners who had come
from California. The fact that they dug
it up and had it in their possessi o. was
known to a band Of sixty or seventy I'M
MIGRANTS, with whom the trio travelled
for several days. Everybody got look
at the lump, and its history was related
by one of the po'sessors.
Before crossing theli einto California
the three men and the nugget lett the
train secretly and were never heard OF
again. 1t was three years before the
nugget was heard of again, and informa-
ton of its whereabouts then came through
n half-breed Indian who was dying at
military post in Colorado. lie told
sergeant of cavalry where it could be
found, and the sergeant and two private
soldiers deserted and went to secure 1t.
They were tracked to a mountain about
fiftv miles away, and were found to have
dug up something and headed for Kan.
sas. They were followed for day and
q half. and then the bodies of the two
privates were found on the ground, shot
through the head. The sergeant had
murdered them in order to have the
pri, G all to himself. Civil officers all
over Kansas and Nebraska were notified
10 be on the lookout for the descrter and