The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-21
A GOLD HUNTERS DEATH.
Els SKELETON AND GIN FUND
AFrEEWARD IN A TREE.

Fate of a Seeker After Wealth la the
Wilds OF Flight OF g alse
Friend.
FToHi TIE 81. Louis Gl bs-Dspsoe at
Henry Gormlsy has in hi, pc session q
map and travellers Tide Of tn. Uai,sd
States, Printed in the year 1892. Mr..
GoImley las hal the mp framed for pres
ovation. Who the original owner OF ths
guide vas d how he came y leave il In
the wilds Of Montana, where Mr.. Gormley
found 1t, is a subject for speculation. Mr..
Go.nley, hoWeve'. believes that be can
AGO |. To an unfortunate miner who died
in toe early '50a while engaged IN trended
huut Tor a lost mine. Yesterday afternoon
he snd the following interesting story OF
the find and tragic death OF Horace Tho1np-
So;
1T was last May" began Mr.. Gormley
a q was ch1pping tmuer IN CAouJsal
county, Montana We had mavet our
camp several Tins during the spri &. each
1ime plnag a. deeper into the pine wood.
and ge.tiig ia tn AMI farther awAv from
civllizition. ga tie day that | made this
discovery we must have teen a. least
twenty-five miles r. IN a house | had
star,ei On my thi d tree sincs jinner.
IL was a plue, ike all the o. hers, aud
slme hing over four feet til olgu.
As | stepped up ahl scan ed it I
failed to notice that Z was holl w, bit
at tue first stroke a fou d That Out. But
ne rebevera non giveh oat was - dull that
judged the hoi.o = - be- very small aad OF
no cons 'queacs. l struck /, AK in, an az
the axe-blai 10 Bodied itself in ths WOOL a
fat ,ulrrel 10 ped out II the u K thr ush
an aperture about as big "a u < 'oi-slzed
bisc 1T "A nestr / exc aimed beneath nv
breath we'll SCI oo thatr d q. oacs set
TO work wildcat & the cavity. meanwhile
keeping q bright 20 ou:for Whatever mighs
csc pc.
" he chips flow lively. and the hole grew
large enough % intr, duce ones lead.
noticed then tlnt tie wood clt OFT was
nothing tut bark grown inward with tho
aging of the Tree, which, duub less, would
have conpletely covered the W ole IL given
years enough. Suddenly dropped my ak
10 the ground and thrust my haad Int the
holloN. There, lying at the bolt nm, on q
soft bed OF decaylis wool. was q sheet OF
paDer. neatly folded. In 1t was tho map
and < hide. exactly as you see it no =. ami
they had surely been In that tree forty or
ilfty years But lhs papsrs were not tae
only ticles locked in that natural safe.
Leaning against the wooden wall, muz-
z!e up, as tough pl .ced there by Us owne-.
WIS hu blu ulult OK iSk6ss hsCu as our
grandfathe sighted a. New Orleans. And
clingiag To the barrel was so netning Winter
than the papers This object ratti5d as
grasped the gun, and slid doAn the iron
lube until 1t Eel, over my II igerA
1T wa the skeleton Of u right hsndi
IL dnnt d. much more wOrS that after
noon. i DO emy Lfea,ures OFF 70 ca mp and
there exami seI them. You see Tor ,urseif
what tie travellers guide il, aad as for the
M u III q .stffa- afa all r.,
thousands Of other III shooting irons.
However. filed into the barrel. MOI many
inches from the muzse. were the letters IL
X. T., evidently tie initials OF the owner.
His right hand bad gripped that weapon
unto death. AT least forty, and probably
fifty, yea taat hand. gun aud guide had
lain IN the tree. am sure of that. for the
ingrowing bark that covered tue hole must
have taken that length OF time to become as
| found 1t.
"Aud believe l know the unfortunate
who lost the hand AS told Of my friend
IN camp tat night. one Of the boys who had
boon In y ontaaa several years gave the fol-
10 Wing histor OF two meas search for the
Lost Devils Hoof mine
"'FeS knew IL the existence Of this mug
get pnckek, and as the early years OF the
gold times passed away, the people p,s-
scssing tho hecrsG died one by ono, until a
pa riarchal Indian was the last left he
dItd, aud In dying gave the frch-bark
map Of its locati IA 10 ung trapper VINO
wa ched at bis deathbet. Tn.s traoper was
Horace Thompson, who hai come to tho
sun OF land, like many others, for fame aud
fortune from the east.
"'As soon as tho old rod man was de-
Gently buried Thompson to TX friend into
his confidence, and together they set OUT TO
find Devils Ho Il mine. But the CD fdence
that fhomnsoI gave his companion was but
pnrtial He steadily refused to allow The
other sight or the m an, nd In other than
general terms spoke not OF tho mines whe. e.
abouts.
"'rbev left mankind far 30 the sluth and
westward and rode on for many days.
Thorn sons friend grew suspicious as tHey
neared their desti alto and at length re
solved 10 get the map He feared taat when
ths gold was reilly found Thomps N won Il
desert him aud allow him 10 de Ia the
wiieri ess, as TO lelve him 10 owner
They had an alteration, nut Th Jmpson go5
tue bstter OF the muffin ,er. Fire for re-
venge, the other held bis peace for some
days until his time should come. It came
at last.
Zone evening Horace annouaeed their
journey about completed. As there was an
ext qua and M Iber OF Other nseles ar
ticles In thar packs, they decided to ntia
them aay f,r the tine being. AID Dsr1aps
60. then on their return trip. A hoilDw
troe was fund. and Thompson. on his
hanis and knees. rec sived the articles from
hIs comrale and placed { EN- ne b. one in
the hol,. AS no took the nuskeU aud Vas
setting u inside, the traitor raised pick in
the air aud brought iC down with terrific
REQ uOOn tho doomei Tho ps0l. Tina
u eat spike was Il iyen through skull aud
brain, AMI Horace died
'''H lstlly gathering their belongings into
one pack, the false frie ID SGT off. after
robbilg the kneeling dead OF the birch
bark map.
"'Bu. the murd srer never found Devils
Hoof Iuine. Iie was set moon by a gang OF
viii Q and red outlaws and killed. But be-
TO o d ying he confessed mis- o ime 10 one OF
the Indiaus, who, in turn, toll the story 10 .
trader. The mine has never been disc)v-
cred ct
"Thas is the yarn. conclu led Mr.. CORN
ley. II am ooitident that 81. K. I. stands
for Horace X. Th1mpson. II they do, then,
Of course. the guide belonged to him. az ell
as did tho musk,t / disposed of the gun
before coming east, but expect 70 keep the
papers"