The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-03-17
A Peculiar People.

correspondent gives some curious
FACTS concerning the bumpers among
he French Canadians. He SAYS: Thev
attracted nv attention as presenting
-one points of interest bearing upon the
nervous system, showing TO what by
condition it may be
brouoht bv certain Influences early be
on1n and long continued.
I had from time TO time heard lum
barmen and others whose invocations
led them to spend much time among
the French camps speak cf these Jump
e,.S = but had given NO credeDce to the.
a. THOUGHT. absurd stories they related
in REGARD TO them. until one day. While
attending 10 my duties in the waiting
room Of my fumiCating station. / Inci-
dentalIv let fall the window near INV
desk by turning the button suddenly.
tbus letting the frame fan a short d.-
fence. making n quick sharp noise
,rben three out of seven Erehch-CaHa-
dams who were sitting near, awaiting
their certificates of inspection, leapeG
into the air as if they had been Shot st
the same time uttering a yell which
would have done credit 10 a North
American Indian. From that tine I
was ON the watch for these strange
characters. and, when possible, made
INQUIRIES of them through my integqre-
te,. in REGARD to the cause OF their con
| dition.
BEFORE speaking of this, perhaps il
vr;II be well to enumerate some of the
manifestations which give them the
| characteristic name of Jumpers. One
Ia la.
! centlv one of them. a FrenCb-Cauadjar
| of small stature, came out from an ad-
| iacent camp to the postotlice- just as
he was about To ask the postmaster for
his mail, he being total stranger 10
| the official. a man of 90 years of age.
| someone knowing the fellow TO be
GUNNER mischlevously erred out.
..i,rab him by the throat The fellow
snrapo like a eat and graSped tle Old
man bv the throat, and held on until re-
moved. the irate postmaster pouring
forth torrents OF invectives on the poor
fellow. who really was perfectly guilt
less.
Another unfortunate woodchopper
had lust come into camp from two days
work. and was standing near the large
camp-heater, in which was % very hot
fire. when somebody cried. Grab the
, furnacer' No sooner were the words
said than the poor fellow ubeyed the
/ order. and as result lett % scQrched
r. nattcrn of each hand on the nearly red
hot pipe. thus rendering him unfit for
v his work in the woods for some weeks
As stated above, l have endeayored.
e when possible to investigate as TO The
cause of this peculiar and distressing
p condition; and while / find, wltd0a.
+ doubt. that primarily It is due To an liz
i herited nervousness, the immediate
!. cause is in taking such children, when
small, and while firmly held Uckln.
# them until convulsivc symptoms appear
!. -Medjcal Record.
i An Old Prospector.
e The Chicago Herald in fits "WslE,
and Talks. says: There came 30 The c.t7
Yesterday and slapped his name on ons
of the hotel registers one of the simon.
!" pure originals of the wild west It wa.
Jim Whitlach, of Nevada. Jim
Whtlach is a character. lie has b5e1
n miner and prospector i'm the far YVES,
81 for more than twenty years. Tie is ons
Ie of the best unScientiEc miners in The
=, country. and next TO Senator Fair and
y George Hearst, OF California. The baS
i Judge of mineral prospect the mimi.
= regions have ever known. When jim
hs WhitlaCh looks down g shat. or 'ssin,
his eve along n hanging wall Dee seem
nd TO know iutuiively what is behind Il
he When the great bonanza was dSc1vge
n in 1874. in Virginia City, Nh.taea wen
be into the mine and made f. closes
Mt guess OF all as to the Ntcutaua value
OF the deposit. And there were many wi
as guesses made by very scientific persons
Pr. \ Yale professor said the great youanz
al was worth 100000. 900. Phil Diede
ng heimer. a German mining expert au
Id geologist. went nearly crazy over d
re- find, and widely asserted that the bot
% ANA was worth 81 .j0o.01N,u10, Heb
40 bought little stock. and ou the StTenL
Vi OF the millions he was going t1 maaeI
~ went to 4 big hotel i'm san FCaucss
H. hired a suite of eight rooms, sloekl
them with champagne and cigars, en-
=, kept open house Tor % week. EseTDo.
~ laughed at the crazy German. Eve
M John w. Mackcv guessed wide of {.
~ mark on the value of the lind lie V
81 it at $500, 600. 900, and declared that
on mine. But Whitlach guessed within
few millions of the truth. He said the
lg- was 1925, 100000 in the bonanza al
, , that 120 stamps would use up the ore
/ five years. The actual yield OF the NH
was S116,00O,000, and the pay orc 81
in exhausted in four years and ei ght mont
, : after the mine was opened.
In 1861 Nhitlach himself made d
var covery in White Pine, Nevada, VIII
rs. showed some of the richest silver q
ever found in this country. His ma
IN contained ore worth Sl4.0JJ ton.
sold it for $4,000, put the money IN
a, a. the San Francisco stock market, and
~ two months he was again in the 'add
ton and with a little pack mule trailing
he hind. en- route for the mountain
Whitlach is now securing Colorado
q new mines, with Leadyille as his be.
cts quarters. He says there is more mon
cts Underground at LeadyilIe thau has ey
been taken out. Tho camp hasn
sh- gun to boom yet" he says.