Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-09
HIDDEN TREASURE.
The Bonanza That Two Men Are Waiting
for the Statute of Limitations to Give
Them.

Ah0 4WO IMCH, AEc WalGku
for the Statute of Limitations to Civ
Them.
WooDvILLE, Mont, March Ito tn
Editor Of the Miner.]-One evening las
week. alter u long ramble over the hills,
had about reached the conclusion to retur
home, lest night should overtake me il
that locality. when / came upon a trai
which had evidently recently been Travelled
1 followed it up the mountain for som
distance when / noticed a dump right il
front Of me. Being a prospector, as
matter OF course, l climbed right up I,
it. The shaft out Of which it came wa
about forty o. fifty feet deep, timbered t,
the bottom. l saw nothing Remarkable
about the dump or shaft and might hav'
passed on but for the great disproportior
between them, the dump being more thai
sufficient to have filled two shafts the sizs
OF the one beneath me.
Notwithstanding the night was fest
approaching, ] descended the broken lad
der to the bottom Of the shaft. [ took
from my pocket q piece OF caudle which ]
usually carry on euch expeditions, when
by it's aid l discovered q crosscut runnius
from the bottom OF the shaft. The cross,
cut had been Jagged up 30 rs to conceal it,
but some OF the tagging had fallen to one
side. Upon exploring it ! found it was
perhaps so feet in length and had crosscut
the finest body Of ore that I ever saw. The
vein was nearly four feet in width and
seemed to be widening Specimens which
l broke from the ledge showed native gold
and native silver.
i had stood there examining and admir-
ing the jewel for some time when I heard a
noise in the shaft. I looked, and my heart
stood still, for there in the cut were two
pairs Of fiery eyes glaring at me. I knew
In q moment they were mountain lions. I
reached for my revolver, but l had left it
at home, and my gun was on top. One
who has never been in such q predicament
can hardly imagine the feelings, thoughts
and emotions OF q man in such peril. I
shouted and advanced toward them, but
they only growled defiance. 1 have heard
old hunters say such animals are afraid of
fire, SO kept my candle in front OF me, but
that would soon be zone, for it was only
q few inches in length, and then I would be
BY the owners OF those four fiery
eyes.
The lions kept growing and threatening
every moment to attack me. My candle
was growing shorter. Something had to be
done. / picked a piece Of rock from the side
OF the cut aud tied q letter to it which l
CHANGED to have in my pocket. I then set
the letter on tre and threw the rock with
the blazing letter at the ions and CAV a
yell, and the way those lions got out of
that shaft was amusing to me even under
the circumstances. For it seemed to me
that l had been down there q Thousand
years, though in reality it was about two
hours. When / reached the top, which l
did immediately after the retreat OF the
/ heard some one coming up
The trail. waited. It was the
men who struck the bonanza. They
we're astonished to find me there at
that hour and were inclined to be cross, but
when | told them what kind OF an ex-
l had, they had a good laugh over
t. When ! asked them some particulars
Is to their find they said there was a cloud
IN their title to the property which the
Of limitation would dispel, bro.
'ided the other party was keptin ignorance
u the strikes and added they had taken out
few tons secretly which netted them over |
LOO to the ton. After the boys had se
ured the opening through which | entered
he cut, we all went down the hill together, |
Ia l believe in the right Of the discoverer to
cap the benefit OF his discovery I shall not
i've the boys away. Respectfully,
c. K. KINMAN,