Montgomery County sentinel., 1888-06-22
MiscellamenMs.
CONFESSION AND WILL.

NOU many yours ueo group VI iuVh-
lids and gamblers were seated about an
evening fire in the Office Of Colorado
hotel, says the St. Louis Democrat: !:
The institution was in the center of a
region where nature had launched her
gifts Healing springs and invig gorating
mountain breczes attracted invalids from
every quarter, and the proprictor of the
sanitarium was reported rich man.
He had been in the country for thirty
years. He was silent, uncommunica-
tive man not morose or sullen but sim
ply uncommunicativc. lie never spoke
of his family or of "the States" aud
were it not that he was man of evil
dent refinement and education, he would
have passed as ono born in the life Civ
ing valley, which he, above all men,
had developed, for anything he would
ever say of the world outside Of its pine
fringed confines.
On this particular night an old man
in the group told, with the simple pathos
of an unlettered mind, the story of the
great grief of his life. He had gone to
California in 40, leaving u wife and
child behind him He prospercd in the
land of the Argonauts, and kept up a
regular communication with his family,
sending them sufficient sums from time
to time to keep them in comfort, but
saying nothing about the "pile" he would
have within year or so. He wanted
to surprise the folks at home with his
good fortune. At last he had accumu-
lated $4,000 and the longing came
over him to go home. His dust was
converted into ten crisp bank notes and
he started homeward.
"You sec, boys, | didn't rig up in
new togs, or anything like that A
fellow likes to go back home 10 his old
camp togs, and knock around II few
days, letting on as though he had come
home broke, and when every one has
about made up their minds that you
never were any good anyhow, spring
your fortune on them, ard give them
the laugh that had bccn giving it to you.
| made the trip overland all right, and
was on the train within three hundred
miles of my wife and baby, when |
dozed off for few minutes. When |
awoke had been robbed Of my pile. !
always was fool about telling my 'busi-
ness to strangers, and there wasn't a
man on the car that didn't know | was
miner going home with fortune.
When | awoke and found that had been
robbed gave the alarm. No one had
left the train. There was great excite
ment, and one man proposed that every
body in the car be searched. No one
objected, and the conductor and myself
went through every man on the car, and
examined every valse and piece Of bag
gage in it. felt just as though my
heart would break, not for myself
was used to hard luck--but for wife and
little gal. | couldn't 60 home and face
them, so got off at the next city, and
the next day ! was off on my way for
tho coast to begin all over again. |
was just getting on my feet once more
when got a letter one day with blac k
border. My little gal had been taken
sick with typhoid fever and died, and two
DAYS later they laid her mother away with
her. That settled it, have been no
good since, and am only waiting the
time when | can join them up there if |
can get in
The silent partner of the sanitarium
had listened to this sad story with his
face buried in his hands, Il common atti-
tude with him When the old man had
finished the proprietor had left the room
abruptly
The group noticed that be was deadly
pale and one Of them remarked that it
appeared as though Jim had been taken
bad
Two hours later pistol shot rang out
from tho hotel mans private Office.
When the group ran into the room Jim
Law on the floor with bullet hole in his
head. On the desk lay two documents
freshly written. One was marked my
will" the other "my confession. The
will left everything to the old miner who
had told the sad story. The confession
was to the effect that he had robbed the
returning miner as he slept. Returning
to closet be had with knife scooped
out the inside of cake of soap and So
creted the roll of bills and replaced the
cake, which showed no sign Of having
been cut in two pieces, in the valise.