Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-08
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"He looked at me over the sights with
his wicksd, greenish eyes for full a min
ute. Their he said:
Did you ever pray?'
eyes, Ifaltered.
"'fhen pray now. I'll give you two
minutes to do it.
"By that time my mind was clear
enough to take in the whole situation,
and l had no doubt but he intended to
murder me then and there. With me out
of the way, there would be no one to test
| ify to the insufficient work and I would
simply be regarded, if the story of my
| death was ever told, as claim jumper
who had been justly dealt with. 1 felt
nv knees begin to tremble and tried an
other rock.
IF you kill me- I said, my partner
will be back and see that you hang for
it,
I'll fix yer partner the same way, you
claim jumping cur
"True enough. Nothing would be
easier than to assasinate Burke on his re-
turn, and we had so jealousy guarded
the secret of our trip that no one would
know where to search for Us. We
would simply disappear, as hundreds of
prospectors do, never to be seen by men
again, and speedily to be forgotten.
had no hope of mercy from the instant
1 looked into that mans cruel face.
felt with sickening qualm and wild
drumming in my ears that my time had
come.
ooh, for heavens sake don't murder
me' cried. I will co.
''The man made no reply. For mo-
ment my head swan, and then, with a
sudden return of vision that was excruci
ating in its clearness, l saw him stoCp
slightly, rest the gun barrel over tbs
windlass handle and marked even that
slight contraction of the eyeljd that Just
precedes a shot. The next instant there
was crash, an explosion and cry al
mingled into one. l saw the man turning
head over heels down the embankment
the Winchester flying through u cloud OF
smoke up into the air, and all the while
heard loud, mOrOtonOus whirring noise
that was like some gigantic clock run
ninS down.
81 did not realize it at the time, but
this is what happened: When he rested
his gun across the windlass he dropped
the barrel right against the little stick
had thrust in to prevent its turning, and
knocked it out. [ suppose the bucket OF
ore weighed $50 pounds and the great
iron handle, swinging clear around.
gained such terrific momentum that when
it struck him fair in the face, which ii
did, it lifted him off his feet like can
non ball. The gun was discharged by
the shock, but the bullet was nowhere
near me. Before [ could regain my
senses l heard the bucket strike the bot
tom with smash.
"When [ picked up the man he was IN
conscious, but moaning a little and the
blood trichling out of his car. His gun
was broken. He lay at the cabin for a
week or two, and after Charley got back
we managed to get him to Silver City,
There the doctors put his face in sort
of plaster of paris cast, bat although the
wound healed, he was out of his head and
eventually died. The night before he
| passed away he mOtioned for little slate
he used to write on, for he couldn't speak
He was very weak, and it took him some
| time, but at last he scrawled:
who hit me?'
"But before we could tell him he tainted
away. The mine? Oh, the mine pinche6
out after while and disappointed Us.
sold my interest to Burke, and think
after working ii year he gave it up il
disgust and moved away."-El Paso In
ter-Republics.