The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-07-28
OUT IN THE MINES.
Early Days in Colorado as Remembered by a
Pioneer.
(From the Denver Tribune }

puSS us hcHltHuUCEtu ny IL
(From the Denver Trbune)
"Ihat only leaves two Of u.s." and with
a sigh man of medium height, bronzed
features and general appearance of
having had hard experience, limped to
to chair and laid on table newspa-
per, pointing to an item concerning the
death of William Lowell, known in the
mines of Colorado as "Chicken Bill. )"
After hcaving few sghs the visitor an
nounced that he was Thomas Gillespie,
or "NIountain Tom"
''ThCrc used to be six of u.s." he con
tinucd, ''who prospcctcd 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; Buckskin Joo,' I
found bis pony, but his body and his
rifle had been taken by Grcascrs; Col
orado Bill, who was hung at Fort Smith
Tor shooting u 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
he was only seven years old the redskins
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 brcech of his long
rifle when / saw it last and every one
meant an Indian. l gave Chicken Bill
his name when he was u tcndcrfoot i
persuaded him there was q fortune in Il
hcnncry 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
"Bill was a great prospcctor and
located the Deadwood claim, which after
ward was known as the Little Pittsburg
mine. The greatest sell he eve. made
was when he located tho Chrysolitc
mine, in the earlier days of Leadville.
tic did not think much of the claim and
decided to salt it and sell it. He did
that, and Lieutenant Governor (after-
ward Scnator) Tabor bit and paid 81, 900
for the shaft. Tabor stocked the mine
ut $40. 100000, and after going down
fifteen feet further found the richest
mine of the lot
"Bill was horribly beat over that and
it cost two OF three men their lives to
call him 'Chrysolite.' We were in pap
Himan's, in 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 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 i'll IL moose one
time. a horSc-thicf had escaped from
Lcadviltc jail by downing the sheriff,
and i'll the scrimmagc there had been
two shots fired, one OF which went into
the cciling. Tho hole showed it was a
30 pistol | was the only man in camp
who carried n 81 and Bill knew it and
started the gang after me. | had gone
up Musquito 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 nippcrs were on my wrists. |
couldn't say word, and was hauled
into town and chuckcd into the cooler.
could hear them talking of lynching
me, when suddenly the sheriff appeared
and he let me out and vouchcd for me to
the boys You see some fellow had left
his valise near the cooler and that thief
drew 1t in, and, breaking it open, got out
the gun.
Owe all made big fortunes there.
Broken Nose Scotty' went to Paris,
France, and sold 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
mounta!ns 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 tie police
and next morning sends him dollar =
get out of town on.
"Ihcrc used TO be lots of fun out there
for the boys, but they keep us moving
now, for when good mine is struck the
tcndcrfoOts come i'll and run it.
"We had lots of big visitors, too. |
helped to show 'Too-Do-It' Talmage, the
great preacher, around Lcadyillc once.
He wanted to see the town and the COPS
knew they couldn't take him unless there
was q miner along, and they got me and
several other fellows. We steercd him
through several places and into the Mil
waukee beer house. / put one of tie
girls up to claiming tho preacher for n
dance. She didn't know he was q COS
pcl-slingcr, but when the dance was
ready she ran up and grabbed Talmnge
and said, This is my partner The 20
lice tried to drive her away, but she hung
on until she said | put her up to it.
Then they fired me and got .51otty to go
around with them, but he got them in as
bad d snap as / did. When Talmage got
back to New York nc sent about 500 pa
pers with his speech in it to u.s. and his
health was never drank heartier or deep
er than 1T was when that speech wGs first
read"