The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-09
ONE COFFIN TOO MANY.

D. D. and an NJ. d. SARGE.
ONE COFFIN TOO MANY.
at was at the old Tuoumne camp when
| things had Just begun to boom. A few rich
| strikes that some of the lucky ones had made
| had encouraged the rest Of US to hang on. The
| Jumping Jehoshaphat claim had got in some
| OF the new tangled powder and was blasting
| away for all that was out. Most of US looked
| askance at the new powder, and when Uncle
| Billy Grimes prophesied that the camp would
! be blown up with the stuff or get poisoned
with its fumes, as his partner had at Red
| gulch, we made the Jumping Jehosaphat boys
| move it out of harms way. So when blast
| went off one fine morning when nobody was
| expecting it, and laid out five of the best men
! in the camp, we were all able to say, i told
| you so,' as we rushed up to the claim.
"The camp was intensely excited, for these
| were the first deaths since we came in, not
counting two sluice robbers and a horse thief
| that we had hung for luck. We stood off
little bit. for one but the five boys in the pit
knew whether there were half dozen more to
| go off. But we sailed in pretty soon and hauled
| out what was left Of the boys, and it was
| sight to make you sick. We were pretty badly
cut up about it, and when we had cleaned
| them up and laid them out decently in their
| cabin we went down in front of Dutch Dawes
| saloon, and 81 Hawkins called the meeting to
| order.
"Boys,' he said. in husky voice, we've
| got our first chance to start n graveyard and
and he ierked his thumb over his shoulder,
| would do any graveyard proud and we ought
] to start em off in style. It's rotten shame if
| we don't give 'em the best send Off the mark
| cts got, and d--n the expense
eve cheered the sentiment, in spite of the
| occasion, and he continued: What we want
| TO do is to send for collins, Amy man that's in
| favor of this sentiment, can just walk up here
| and plank down his DUST
"No one could refuse this appeal, and the
\ needed sum was soon raised. An order was
| written 10 the Simpsonville undertaken and
| given to the driver Of the down stage, with the
| verbal message:
| "1f they amt here by tomorrow night
committee Of ther boys'll be down thar ter find
out why, an they'll need their collins to hum
about sunset next evening wagon turned
off the main road and came into camp. 1t
brought the cofins. They were unloaded, one
after the other, and shone with all the SPLEEN
| dor that fresh varnish could give them.
| "'Thar's style for ye," said Hawkins, with
pardonable pride. "How the boys would en-
Joy EN- if they were here. By. the Lord
here. Who ordered SKIP
| Jim Davis was tho man that wrote the
| letter. lie turned deathly pale and said: by
-, there's bad luck coming. There's sixth
man in this crowd. / ordered five collins, an
| that extra one hasn't come for nothing
"There was sudden silence, and tho most
| of the crowd turned as pale rs Jim. 1t did
! look mighty plausible that that there coffin
| was looking lOr bOIl0 one, ana each ulan IBlt
an uncomfortable suspicion that he was the
| one. The only one that was bold enough to
resent the idea was Five Fingered Jack, who
had been born with five fingers on his left
| hand, and had evened matters up by shooting
| off his thumb.
"'You're good one, Jim,' he says, you're
| the scholard OF the crowd, but you can't write
straight yet
"'see here said Jim, getting riled, Il amt
no scholard, but 1 don't knuckle down to no
man when it comes to orderin' collins. J KEEP
a copy of the letter, soft the undertaken don't
| cut any shines with u.s. He pulled out the
letter, and he had written five as plain as
| life.
"'That coffin has come for one of u.s. he
| continued, AN it means business. It stands
to reason that when coffin travels twenty-five
miles it's goin' to git it's man.
1--WE gathered round, looking about as
solemn as we felt, and some of the boys kept
looking over their shoulders suspicious like
to the cabin where the dead men lay, as
though they were afraid the night might en-
! courage 'em to come out an pick their COM
| pany for the next days journey.
| Isl Hawkins tried to pump the fellow that
| drove the team up to the camp, but he didn't
! know anything about it. The collins had been
| loaded in by the undertaken, and he brought
them up as they were given to him. So Haw-
! kins told us TO come into Dutch Dawes, and
the boys began to get their courage out of
| bottle, in the natural way. AS they got
| livened up they began to joke about their fears
/
| honor.
"'Mebbe it's after the Teller what stole
| Simpsons horse, said Five Fingered Jack, in
| sort of bantering tone. Ell he's ketched
! hell need it mighty bad
"The crowd laughed-all but Jim. He took
| it seriously and tried to argue the matter. He
| won't GIT no coffin he said. He'll BIO lucky
| ter git buried at all. Ye can laugh all We want
| ter, but there's goin TO be six funerals tomor-
row instid of Ave-
! Others dead coyote little ways up the
| gulch. Mebbe ye'd like 10 plant him along
| with the boys continued Jack, mocking him.
! Jim began to get his back up. Thar
| Hear that he said. 1t was only the boot of
| the mountain owl, but it's enough to give
| dead man the cold shivers if he's feeling
| little off color. Hear that Eff that doesn't
mean bad luck I'm Dutchman.'
"Some OF the boys began TO look nervous
"'Shet up, can't ye p said Jack, contempt
uously Yere wuss nor boot owl yerself. a
scared fool like yon is a regular Jonah in
camp, Ye'd break it up in a week eff ye had
"'Who's a scared fool?' says Jim, firing up
| like fighting cock.
"'You air. says Jack.
eyer liar says Jim.
1.-THE boys began to climb behind boxes and
anywhere else they could TO get out of the way.
| There had been bad feeling between the two
/ ever since they came into camp, and we knew
! IL meant business when they began passing
| compliments like that. About as soon rs you
| could say Jack Robinson the popping began.
/ The two men walked toward each other firing
rs fast as you could count Jim dropped to
the floor. Five Fingered Jack wavered a
moment and then fell across Jims body.
1--WE crawled out Of our hiding places to
| view the remains. 81 Hawkins was the first
| 10 get 10 them, and he looked down mourn
fully as we gathered around
Cad, boys he said, regretfully, were
| one coffin short"
CONSUMPTION CURED
| An oldplysician, retired from practice, hav-
had rianal IN hfS bandu hv Fast India