The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-10
THE DEVILS GOLD.
Story of the Biggest Lump OF the Pre-
cious Metal Ever Found in America.
From the WASHINGTON Post

cious Metal Ever Found in America.
From the Washington Post
How many know where the largest single
lump Of native gold ever seen in America
was founds In California! No. In Colorado
No. In the Black Hills, Ceur d'Alene. Ne
vada, New Mexicol No. In old Mexico, P eru,
Bolivia; in Potosi, the Calao of Venezuela?
No. Where, then? In North Carolina.
And its story is as weird and fateful as the
Rhinegold's.
A poor aud ignorant Irishman, living in
the mountains solitary aud lonely, propped
open the door of his cabin with a lump Of
metal. He had found it sticking out from
water-washed gully and carried it home
as curiosity. Though no larger than a
small cymling, it was a weighty lug for a
mile. 1t was dub yellow, irregular in
shape, and pieces of stone were imbedded
IN 1t. For over two years a fortune lay
upon the floor of his howell while he toied
early and late, making a little whisky and
digging ginseng root to earn a scanty
living. A companion mountaineer.
who had known more of the outside
world, thought this strange stone might
be sold at Asheville as a curiosity for a
lot of money-$10 perhaps. This was in
quartz crystal from Roam Mountain bring
that much. A third mountaineer was
called IN consultation. Ten dollars was a
lot OF money. The third man had been a
traveller, regular globe trotter. He went
to Asheville four times year, and he had
been clear to Washington.
Walking around the lump, he gazed at it
from every side, touched it with his toe,
spat on it, and breathed heavily.
Hit air with ft1thip1 or \ ,;r ,v-,, =.
pile" said he. "HiJ air nuthin' but brass,
er hit air." He looked around on the
other two with queer eXpression-"goold. y
EFF hit air brass"-he Dire v "a clasp-knife
and scraped the dull metal till new surface
"vinegar'll rust hit. Eff it air
goold hit won't"
He poured some vinegar from a Jug
which was brought him upon the fresh
facing of the lump. The three men hung
over it intently. Five, ten, fifteen minutes
passed, and still the metal shone clear and
untarnished.
Hits goold!"
And I've heerd goold was wuth moren
$500 pound, said the second.n
What - fool I've been," groaned the
| owner of the cabin. "For two years I've
worked, an wealth / never dreamed of
kickin' under my feet"
II claims a third, +" broke in the assaver.
"Ye'd never knowed what it was but for
me-"
AM third for me" said the other.
The owner of the gold gave a sullen
and weighed gold. 1t turned the scale
at over 100 pounds avoirdupois, and they
| roughly estim ted it to be worth S25, 600
over $4,000 apiece That night all three sal
| up and watched the treasure, unable tc
| sleep from excitement and thoroughly sus
piciouS of each other. The next day thew
rolled it securely in a cloth and started for
Asaeville afoot, with the gold slung to a
| pole, and carried between two.
1t was the DEVILS gold. At the first halt
| ing place the Irishman and the second mount
| aineer conspired to kill the third, and he
was shot dead from behind. Hastily throw
| ing his body into clump of bushes, the
| murderers faced each other in the road
Suspicion reused in each breast saw treach
cry in the others glance
Here" said one, forcing an uneasy
laugh, there's only one way to settle this.
Let's divide the gold and each go his Wav. -
agreed" said the other.
The lump was laid in the roadway and
chopped in two with Ratchet.
Take your choice" said one AS the
other bent TO lift his half his companion
split the head of the stopping man with his
Ratchet. The gold was his. With blind ratui-
ty ne dragged the sec md victim to the side
OF the road, lifted the blood-stained treasure.
and went on. At Asheyille he took it to
the bank and had it shipped to the United
States mint. In less than week. and be-
fore any return could be made from the
mint, the bodies of the murdered men had
been discovered and the crime traced
directly home. The miserable wretch was
placed in jail, and there he died within a
year. The witch gold fortune never crossed
his hands, remaining, believe, in the
federal treasury for lack of ownership
The region where the lump was found has
been secured foot by foot, but not another
lump like that has ever been discovered in
that or any other section of America. 1t is
said that few weeks ago an English COM
pany, which is working the Nacoochee mine
in Georgia, took out a nugget weighing
1900 penny weights, yet the North Carolina
lump weighed over 1,500 ounces.