Thomas County cat., 1890-07-31
On Hammers Account.

OHc udy Tie Ddnk, dS wS SeAAou Az
reached Grizzly Slide, says writer in
the New York Sun. 1t was san Fran
cisco broker, escorted by four men. He
had bags of gold coin with him, and he
took up our nuggets and dust and paid
us in yellow boys. 1 suppose he made
a pretty good thing out of it, but we had
no complaint to make. Only two or
three days previously one of our men,
known to us as Peaceful Sam, had made
a find ofa tempting big nugget and
this, added to his wash, gave him over
5000 in handsome coin. He was
man of As, humble and peace loving,
and he had a wife back in Illinois. He
had never said anything about going
home, although he was waiting, like
the rest of us, for luck, but no sooner
was the coin passed over to him than
his bones ached to take the road for
home. He must 60 over to JOhnson's
camp distance of sixteen miles, alone,
and from there go down the valley by
a stage line. The chances were that he
would be held up at the trail, and we
argued and coaxed for him to stay.
Next morning, however, he was of,
having $500 in his pocket and the rest
of his money in his blanket on his back.
He never carried weapon of any sort
and he started on this trip without one.
We never expected t" SEE, him again,
but he was back at night and had a
story to tell. He had got about three
miles from camp when stranger Joined
} him, coming in ON the Deer River trail
Peaceful Sam was NO chicken and he
wasn't long in sizing the stranger up
as bad.
Pound for Johnson'ss" asked the
man as they walked along.
~FOr JOhnson's and home"
Made your pile and going back to
the old woman, ehs
"Made $500 and have concluded to
light out while it lasts. Hammer has
been writing for me to come. and it
can even lay = hundred in her lap it
2 will be more'n she ever saw before
Landsl but when think of home and
Hammer can't walk fast huff"
/ The stranger didn't show his hand
until afternoon. Then, whea they
l reached a particularly lonesome place
n he suddenly halted, pulled his gun, ant
e said.
Give me then $3.50 or Iu ill yU'
with lead:"
@What! Gwine to rob me- repIie,
Peaceful decking as innocent as an oil
;, cat.
Come down."
@But think o Hammer! Shes bee
: waitin' and waitin', and now if you TAX
my money may never see her.
"D-n Hammer. Shell out Or III pG
:. you!"
" NHaint yea no Ss3lT
;, Mary soul
"And I've got to shen <tt-v
"Yeu haNe."
:, Peaceful passed hin ord the saD0an
:, then sat down ON q stone and pretende
to cry. The stranger counted the coin
y dropped them ints his pocket an
started off, saying:
"Yoe Sot right there fer an hour, an
then take amy road yea want ta. If 20
follow me I'll pop you"
e lie was no sooner around the ben
II than Peaceful began scrambling up til
e rpountain side. by making a short cu
l. he struck the trail again and WAS Fus
- in time to heave a rock, which strnc
= the strangers head and killedflim sten
\ dead ON the trail, then Peaceful d.
" scended took $50 off the body an
started back for our camp Next morn
ing half dozen of as went to the spe
- with him, and there lay the bod!
When we asked Peaceful why ne la
owned up to having $500 with him b
. replied
:, Law, me. but If hadn't he'd hav
- suspected had heap more and shot m
!" without warning. That's what / ca
kerlated on when put that sum in N
pocket"
. ~But What possessed yOu to follow o
u and kill him? You never even struck
!" man in all your life"
'e Il dunno, gentlemen. dunno" h
t pleaded. his lips trembling and his chi
4 Guiyering with emotion Il just M
n member that thought Of Hammer. an
4 how them $500 would put new shingle
'r on the old barn and buy rag carpets 70
h all over the house, and fust thing
,r knew he was lying dead Lemme 81
{, alone and wrasSle With the Lord an
!! see if He won't kinder excuse it off o.
e, Hanners account
>, He Gave it Away.
;; A we'll dressed, ladylike looking VIC
!: man entered a traEacar the other da.
!. with her little boy of about 6 years o
: age. On the conductor coming to col
lect the fares the lady banded her litt'
son half crown, he being nearer th'
door. The little fellow examined tn,