Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-09-04
IKE SAMSON.
How the Vagabond of Rockrift
Was Disposed of.


The little mining camp of Rock
rift, up 10 the Rattail gulch, was never
particularly noted for its piety and
morals: yet, taking it all in all, it was
a fair average Western mining-camp OF
its time.
There was. OF course, the usual
amount of drinking and gambling,
with the nightly carousalsoand fights,
and the occasional and semi-occasional
shooting scrape. 1t was typical in
other respects; there were men comm g
and men going every day; men making
fortunes and losing them within the
same week; a mixture OF the good and
the bad as they are found every where.
Among the characters of Rockrift
was old Ike Samson, tall, raw-boned,
leathery featured man of generally
neglected appearance. If he had ever
had any pride in his personal looks, he
had long since outgrown it. His hair
hung we'll down his back, while his
coarse beard had SO long run wild as
to give his face more the appearance OF
a hazel-bush patch than the visage of a
human being.
Old Ike had been in Rockrift from
the first He was one of the pioneer
settlers. and had driTted from some
where over the range: and from that
day he had remained there, not be-
cause he had any reason for staying,
but because it was easier to stay than
it was to move on, and because he had
so far had no incentive to move on.
Old Ike was man who never did any
thing without an incentive, and the
only incentive that ever Influenced him
to move was an urgent notice from his
neighbors. He was the vagabond Of
Rockriit-
It WAS we'll along toward the latte,
part Of June when one morning the
miners went down toward the lower
end Of Ratta'l guleh to collect the gold
dust that had accumulated from the
wa5hings of the day before. But wha,
was their surprise and indignation
when they arrived at the diggings te
find that the sluioe-boxes had beer
robbed during the night OF course
this discovery created no little excite
uent in the camp, aud, Of course, every
one knew, before a word had beer
spoken, what would be the fate of the
offender if he was ever caught
In those days and in those places a
man might kill another, and if he ha6
a shadow Of provccution for the act ht
would not be molested, bus if he wen
so far as to rob sluice-box or engage
in any theft whatever, he brougE
down on his head the seyerest penAlt,
OF pioneer justice and was prompt,
hung to the nearest tree
For some time the Rockrift miner
were at loss to conjecture who tn
offender could be, but finally some on
made the discovery that old Ike wa
absent from camp, ADd suggested tina
he might be the criminal.
That's jes' who it is, boys sail
Brandy Smith, after he had mentally
digested the suggestion for full min.
ute, at the same time energeticall'
munching his quid of tobacco. 1T
ole Ike. an nobody else.''
Il amt SO shore Nv that" Sam Sloa,
replied, thoughtfully, rasping hi
grizzly jaw with his fnger-nails. II
mout a-been Ike, and it mount
wal, who else is it ef it amt him?'
Brandy asked. who else could i
be? That's what want ter know
''Wal, es fer that Sam replied
''it'ud be purity doggoned hard tel
ell. / know 1 hain't no lice who i
isl
''Don'tit pear right smart like es e
Ike is bout Their only Teller that coult
acdone its" Brandy asked.
''Wal,'' Sam admitted, Il low pear
ances do seem right smart agin Ike
fer sartin Still, somehow, I sorte1
feel like mebby it warn't him.
However much Sam doubted The
guilt of old Ike, yet it was apparen
that Brandy Smith WAS settled in hi
mind on that point, and that nothing
short of positive evideLce wouls
influence him 10 believe in Ike.