Wichita eagle., 1889-03-06
CONFESSION AND WILL.
A Sad Story Told in q Mining Camp and
Its Sensational SEQUEL

Its Sensational Sequel.
Not many years ago a group Of invalids
and gamblers were seated about an evening
fire in the Office of Colorado hotel, says
the 81. Louis Globe democrat. The lnstitu-
ton was in the center Of a region where
nature had launched her gifts. Healing
springs and invigoratlng mountain breezes
attracted invalids from every quarter, and
the proprietor Of the sanitarium was re-
ported a rich man. He had been in that
country for thirty years. He was silent,
uncommunicative man, not morose or sullen,
but simply uncommunicative. He never
spoke Of his family or of g the States" and
were it not that he was man of evident re-
fnement and education, he would have
passed as one born in the life-giving valley,
which he, above all men, had developed, for
any thing he would ever say Of the world
outside Of its -fringed confines.
On this particular night an old man in the
group told, with the simple pathos Of an un-
lettered mind, the story Of the great grief Of
his life. He had gone to California in 40,
leavinga wife and child behind him. He
prospered in the land of the Argonauts, and
kept up regular com munication 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 sur
prise the folks at home with his good fort
une. AT last he had accumulated $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 see, boys, l didn't rig up in new
toys, or any thing like that A fellow likes
to go back home in his old camp toys, and
knock around few days, letting on as
though he had come home broke, and then
when every one has about made up their
minds that you never were any good any
how, spring your fortune on them, and give
them the laugh that had been giving it to
you. | made the trip overland all right, and
was on the railroad train within three hun
dred miles Of my wife and baby, when |
duzed off for few minutes. When awoke
l had been robbed of my pile. l always was
fool about telling my business to stran-
gers, and there wasn't a man on the car
that didn't know that was miner going
home with q fortune. When l awoke and
found that l had been robbed l gave the
alarm. No one had left the train. There
was great excitement, and one man pro-
posed that every body in the car be searched.
No one objected, and the conductor and N.Y.
self went through every man on the car,
and examined every valise and piece of
baggage in it. l felt just as though my heart
would break, not for myself was used to
hard luch-but for my wife and little gal
| couldn't go home and face them, so got
off at the next city, and the next day l was
off on my way for the coast to begin all over
again. was just getting on my feet once
more when l got letter one day with a
black border. My little gal had been taken
sick with the typhoid fever and died, and
two days later they laid her mother away
with her. That settled it. have been no
good since, and l am only waiting the time
when I 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, common attitude with
him. When the old man had finished the
proprietor had left the room abruptly
The group noticed that he 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 the hotel mans private office. When
the group ran into the room Jim" lay on
the floor with a bullet-hoe in his head On
the desk lay two documents freshly written
One was marked my WILL" the other my
confession" The will left every thing 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 a closet he had with knife
scooped out the inside of cake of soap and
secreted the roll Of bills and replaced the
cake, which showed no sign of having been
cut in two pieces, in his vaise.