Wichita eagle., 1889-12-29
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Daily eagle
DIDN'T KNOW WHO HIT HIN
STORY OF A QUEER ENCOUNTER AT
THE MOUTH or AN OLD NINE.


Am Unknown Man Eexs ca hurder Ii
Himself Put Out Of the Way by an Ac-
cideot-But Before the yics C. Dies He
Asks Who It Was That strock Him.
"a man gets some queer idees in his head
when he's out al alone in Unc MOUNTAINS"
s,id John Saucersoe, an Old proil-sctof who
has his hessl.y!sz-azrs at FL Paa3, lat who
makes several .1csTsions to the naming dis
tricts every year.
s.The Mirr.nres mountains lie in New Mex
leo down below 9ld F1rJ 1ule Rosa. and they
must be full of god somewhere, because the
beds of the crheas Js.at cid Uneic Way down
the sides are 50 rich ia placer digsEngs tna1
YOU can't pal -io a ss<ae lrlish artSlnd there
without seeing bright sp"cEs aFioThs tho roots.
What wantez rrss . 1s.d the nes'hef mine
81 talked the taing Up 10 Charley Burke,
.ro4her r,roS,aeclor ard friend OF mine until
he agreed 10 pat 10 aa.f the oEttis and JOIN
in the search. ae eos a couple OF ourros,
the uecessaIv toq3s, assi started early In the
spring.
TEE VISITOR
ct, make g loiig story zbo-t, We struck
ledge one -.zo.1izg EiUn o1ScToppings that
crrrr,bied un&er NY pick aga showed quartz
all streaked with yeiow tEr@asls. Charlie
Iyelled cut, ali afre at once, we have struck
itP
"But before we sunk q shaft we found some
thing else that sent our hearts to our mouths.
Tt was an old shaft. back A lisiis ways and
in claim properly stakeG out, that covered
that very ledge. There was a notification,
according to law, on one of the posts, that
Peter Sumner and Joseph R.lautzy had taken
POSSESSION Of the Big Six and done the legal
assessnasat work
Eve measured it. and it was only down
about half the required distance SO we took
possession of tbs property, changed Its name
to The Treasury and went TO work. What
had become of the two men was mystery.
They had loft no trace except the notification
beard and shaft. and it gave NE the creepS
now and then TO think that they might DO
dead. But we We're nosSan frame OF mind
. TO letssentsmenf irterfere with business.
II SUPPOSE we Rad been there for couple
of weeks when provisiens began 10 run short.
We didn't vs,4rt TO both leave the claim at
once. 80 IL was finally arranged that Charley
SHOULD 20 doxT, the creek to a camp about
fifty miles away apd bring a supply. He
took both hurrps and started of.
"As about noon Of the second day after he
left I was STARTLED at what L thought was
man crossing a little gulch half mile away.
onIv had 8 view of it between two rocks,
and. whatever it WAS, it passed 50 quickly
that was not sure However, | waited a
co11ple Of hours and then, seeing nothing
further. concluded was mistaken, and went
stovn into the shaft. | filed the bucket with
yerv heavy ore, climbed up, and had 1t about
half raised when man came walking up the
creek bed toward me. Then l knew was
right before.
aHe was an ugly looking customer, big
and brawny, with fat, Scandinavian face,
and carried Winchester on his arm. had
q little stick that slipped into the windlass
handle near the axle to keep it from turning
backward and, leaving the bucket just where
it was, suspended half way up, 1 started to-
ward the cabin to get my arms. He covered
me with his repeating rife, and ordered me
10 halt.
what are you doing ON my claimp he
said
81 reckon you can see,' replied, putting
as good face on it as possibly could.
"sYou mean you've jumped it, you cursed
thiefp
"'No, don't There wasn't enough work
on it to hold 1t, and it was as much mime as
anybody's.'
a"Eeu Ger
HE looked at me over the sights with his
wicked. greeelish eyes for full minute.
Then he said:
"'Did you ever pray?
Eyes, 1 faltered-
"'rhen pray now. IN give you two min
utes to doit.'
"'Oh, for heavens sake don't murder me!
] cried 4 VIII 60
THE wINDI.Ass SETTLED HIM.
1.-The man made no reply For a moment
nv head swami and then, with sudden re-
turn Of vision that was excruciatipg in its
clearpsss, saw him stoop slightly, rest the
gun barrel over the windhss handle, and
marked even that slight contraction of the
eyelid that Just preceSles q shot. The nex1
moment there was crash, an explosion, ano
a cry ali mingled into one. | SAW the maj
turning head over heels down the embank
lnent, tho Winchester flying through cloud
Of smoke UP into the ala, and all the while
heard n loud, monotoqious, whiTDg noist
that was like some gigantic clock running
down.
~ did not realize il at the time, but this il
what happeaod: When he rested htl gun
across the yirdlass he drsnped the barre
Ire L Gio uSb Hi u
prSvenS il from turning, and knocked it out
I suppose the hrchot of ore weighed Isl
pounds: and the great iron handle, swinging
clear around, gained such terrific momentum
that when ii struck him fair in the face
which it did, 1t lifted bin of his feet like
cannon ball The gaR was discharged by tn
shock, but the bullet was nowhere near me
Before ] regaiHeG my senses l heard tn
bucket strike the bottom with a smash
when picked no the man he was uncon
scious, bat meaning little, and the bloo'
tricllled ont of his ear Re lay at the cabil
for week or two, and after Charley 60
back we managed TO get him 10 Silver City
There the doctors PIT his face in sort 0
plaster Of Paris cast. but. although the woun
healed. he was out of his head, and eventual
died. The night before ne passed away b
motioned for n bUtle slate he used 70 writ
on. for he couldn't speak He was very weak
and it took him some time, but at hast b
scrawled:
"'Who hit mef
''But before we could tell him he fainre
away. The mine. Oh, the mine pinched GU
after swhiis. and disappointed us. l sold II,
interest To Burke, and I think after wordn
it year he ~ere up in disgust and move
away. n-Ea PaSo lnter-Repubhcs.
oaious Comparisons.
The size of TIE great western lakes IS se
dom appreciated by peopie who have nc
Travelled for days cut of sight of land O