The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-29
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STORY OF A SKULL.

One spring morning twenty odd yearl
ago, q white horse was browsing on the
short green blades oil grass that grew in an
Enclosure in Valuation Valley. The morn.
ing was fair, and the suns genial warmth.
the balmy air and the succulence impart'
cd to the new grass by the dew aroused
within the horse a feeling Of risky re-
juvenaton which it had known but
seldom since the days OF It's birth. Will
this feeling predominant, 1t was naturally
inclined to pranCe around and kick W
showers Of dirt and grass with It's iron
shod heels. Through the lot ran and rune
to this day a small stream Of water be,
tween marshy banks sblszs with yellow
flowers. 1t was while capering through
this marsh in his lively mood that the
horse cast out OF its muddy bed a round
white object the size OF an ostrich egg. 1t
rolled over upon the sWard, and the horse
went on with his playful antics. Little he
reCkoned that the round white object cast
up was q human skull. Yet such 1t was,
and the equine Caperer had by one blow
Of his hool brought to the light OF day the
evidence OF human crime,
Soon after the skull had found a resting
place on the grass, and ere the drops OF
marsh water had dried upon its polished
surface, q party OF truant boys wandered
through the lot and discovered the ghastIy
object. The find became q matter OF in
terest in the neighborhood, and a further
search being made in the marsh, several
bones that had once formed q human
frame were found embedded q lew feet
beneath the surface. Interest then became
intense, and many were the surmiGes
made by the residents as to the mystery
OF the bones. Some OF the stories were
plausible and only lacked complete veri-
H%Cationi but this being lacking, the gen.
orally accepted theory was that the bones
were those Of some wanderer from the
mines who in early days had died and
been buried in this out Of the way place
by some companions.
In the years that have followed this dis
covery by the boys, the subject OF the
skull has long been forgotten, v . by
those who yet live in the valley enCircled
by the Mission Hills,
The matter was recalled, though, the
other evening In the course OF converse
ton between a party Of old.timers in
Pioneer Hall. Many phases OF the per-
petual subject, when pioneerget together,
early Days" had been touched upon,
and incidentally some one mentioned
the skull mystery Of Visitation Valley.
An aged gentleman, stopping here on q
visit from Butte county, inquired par
tiCularly as to what the mystery was,
stating that II it referred to the finding OF
a skull by a party Of boys, he could prob.
ably give some information about 1t. He
was assured that the skull mystery was
identical with the skull discovery.
"Well, he said, alter o pause, II was
in FrisCo at the time Of that discovery and
remember the talk 1t oCCasloned. You
call 1t q mystery. | do not know why. 1t
Is not to me-"
He was pressed to unbosom himself Of
any circumstances he might be aware Of
in connection with the skull.
~ will tell you this" he said, that
when | was here then an old miner friend
OF mine, whom l met one day on Mont.
gomery street, called my attention to the
skull and said he could tell me all about
1t. lie told me his story as we stood there
In q few minutes. | didn't take much in
terest In 1t, as | had business troubles on
my mind, and 1t was not long after that l
lett the city and settled in Butte; 30 tho
story oil the skull was forgotten. As 1t ap.
| FNauRu IN In a m NVakaRB nNrar FOEry naa coll
You what my friend told me. He lives In
Denver, and as | know him to be man Of
integrity, bis story is unquestionably true.
"My friend Jake Albright came 10 Cali.
fornia In 1852, and in 1858 he was located
at Jlm's Bar on the American river. II
was there l first met him, and we became
well acquainted, We were pards for a
long time, but at last we fell out on &C.
count Of a third party.
"This was a tall, awkward fellow we
called slabsides; his name, II l recolleCt
right, was Minton.
"Well, Jake and Slabsides formed a fast
friendship, and one morning they left
camp together. That was the last | saw
Of Jake until l met him, and he related
his adventures. When he and Slabsides
left Jim's Bar they started across the
country for Tuolumne. Here they got
hold oia paying claim and worked 1t to.
gether until they got quite a pile slowed
away. In everything Jake always found
his partner square, and said he would
have trusted him with his life. But the
sight oigold gets away with the conscience
OF some Of the best Of men. At any rate
1t did with Jake's partner. The miners
found Jake lying In his tent n morning
all cut up and bleeding. His partner was
gone and 80 was the sack Of dust.
"The boys cursed the sCouDdrel, and he
was searched for, but he couldn't be found
in a radius oil ten miles about camp.
Jake'a wounds were serious and he could
not get about for some weeks, but when
he did get well he got q thirst for ven
geance on slabsides.
"He worked Q while I oget some dust and
then struck out. Frisco was the first
place be headed for, ia he felt sure Slab.
sides would be there II he he'd not already
shipped for bis home in the East. The
chance Of finding him In the town still
was worth z chance, however, and 10
Jake. took to the road. He tramped bis
possibly 81 he hear soinStRins d Els old partner
on the road.
"Nothing transptrod on his journey,
and at sunset on o warm September day
he saw the rugged Mission hills basking
like sleeping levlathans in the gauzy glare
OF the departing god OF day, now slowly
sinking behind them. He pushed on
sturdily, hoping 10 reach the town, which
he knew was on the other side otthe hills,
before night came on but all too swiftly,
the crimson Of the sunlight melted into
blue, the blue into purple, and the purple
into gray Of the twilight. The shadows Of
night began 10 marshal their gloomy
array III the depression Of the hills. IA
"He reached the bank Of a marshy pool