Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1886-02-20
A TOWN WITH ONE INHABITANT.
He Takes Visitors Around and Gossips Con-
cerning His Former NeIphbors

writes as follows to The NeO 0rk Sun:
For five or six years old Pete Fergus
has been the only resident of this
town. He was here first and he is
here last. He saw the mining camp
develop, evolute, and decline. 1t was
he who welcomed all the newcomers
and bade all the outgoers good-by.
There are twenty or thirty houses in
the place, but only his is tenanted.
The others stand about rs they were
left by their last occupants. Some of
them are in good condition, with win
dows and doors in place, but others
are rickety and tumble-down.
The Comoville fever was violent,
and it soon faded away. OF the twen-
ty or thirty mines here none have ever
paid, and during all the time that
they were worked not enough bullion
was taken out of them to pay for the
tobacco consumed in the place. Pete
Fergus kept boarding house, and it
was not his business to worry over the
success of the miners. They came
and went, and as long as there was
one in town he had an open house.
When everything in the nature of
mining ceased he still tarried and en-
tertained an occasional prospector,
and when even the prospectors ceased
to come this way he remained, though
his "help" left him one by one until
he was alone. He now manages to
make his own living i'll some way,
and exists to a large extent on his
faith that there are great days in store
for Comoville yet.
Walking through the deserted camp
yesterday with this aged man, he en-
tertained a party OF tourists with
running comment on the history of
the place and on few of the more
important events in its career. The
day was brilliant one. The sun
shone bright and warm, the air was
delightfully."- soft, and the frowning
mountain peaks in the distance made
picturesque background for the
rambling and dilapidated village.
This here place." the old man said,
pointing to weather beaten shanty,
is where Tim Fuller lived. He came
in with $40, 900 in cool cash and blew
it up in this very room playing faro.
Do YOU see that hole in the board?
Well, that's where the bullet that
killed him went It's in there now.
guess. He didn't mean any harm. but
he ran across hard crowd one night,
and, being desperate, he attempted a
little shenanigan with the cards. Just
as he was raklng Off the pot in poker
game BIG Mexican pulled Oh him and
let him have it. That was in busy
times, and nobody had any time to
think about il much. A long while
after that ! got the idea that Tim
might have had a little money hidden
here, and the more thought of it the
more likely it seemed. Finally pull
ed up the floor, and after a thorough
search ! found under flat stone a
wad OF bills, about $1,000 l believe,
though I've forgotten. 1 spent 1t all
long ago.
''Over here in this long building
was where Tennessee Barker run gin
mill and a gambling house. He was
the best man that ever stood IN this
town. He could fight or shoot but a
gun fight is what pleased him best.
He had many of them. One time the
whole town pitched on him, and he
got four bullets in his chest. He's up
here now.
"Up where?" was asked.
Cup in the cemetery" answered
the old man without wink. Then.
continuing, &e said:
Just down the street here ways
is where mighty queer thing hap
pened. One of the first men in the
town was slm,young fellow named
Tomlinson. He had little money anc
could play a good game, and | an
sorry to say he took up with young
woman who was here at the time. One
day lady, one of the kind that yOr
read about, came in here and founc