The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-17
LUCK in THE plcclNcs.
tnssanoss Of sudden Ups and Downs in the
Fortunes OF Miners.

It's impossible for any one at all
familiar with mining adventures in the
Rockies from 1860 to 1870 to deny the
existence Of that mysterious and capri
cious influence on mems lives and for
tunes known as luck, and it seemed to
attach 9, itself mainly to those who knew
the least and were acceptedas the fools
OF the camp, thus illustrating the old
proyerb, "a FOOLS luck. y Old and ex-
perienced miners quit locations in dis
gust after months Of labor, and these
were afterward taken by men who
scarcely knew the difference between
shaft and a level. After weeks
scrambling work the latter became rich
men. One instance can give:
A man named Relf, forty miner,
opened prospect hole on Goose Greek,
within mile of the Idaho border. It
seemed to pan out we'll at first. and he
spent Sc, 000-all he had in the world
in development; but the veiE began to
pinch out and Relf gave itup. Anoth-.
er man took it with the Same result.
Then one of the best miners in the
Territory put in $4,000, and after
months of hard work shot himself in
despair at his ill-fortune. The location
was thereafter dubbed the Last
Chance by neighbors. It lay a year,
when man named Gadsen came to
Silver City. He was looked on as a
harmless and decidedly weak-minded
fellow, and he annoyed Col. James
Fisher, a well-known mine owner, by
constantly asking his advice about To-
eating, until Fisher told him to try the
Last Chance adding: You're just
fool enough to have niger luck"
Gadsen started of TO get team and
supplies and amid the jeers of the
camp left for Last Chance" Four
days afterward his team was seen COM
ing into camp on a dead run. and it
stopped at Col. Fishers office. Cad
sen, with a bag on his back, entered,
and, drawing chunk of rock, laid it
before Fisher, who examined it and
said: well, Gadsen, you have the
proverbial FOOLS luck. That will as
says$3, 900 ton. You've struck it rich
this time" An examination of his
mine showed that only foot of rock
lay between the last owner and lincoln
ed wealth, and this Gadsen broke
through the first day.
A syndicate was formed and Gadsen
sold out for $4,000. The new owners
took out 1915, 900 in three weeks and
then struck mass of porphyry rock
that it would have taken all the money
in San Francisco to remove. No trace
of the lost treasure was ever. found,
and the .'Last Chance" was permanent
~ abandoned. Gadsen's good luck fol-
lowed him. He left the mountains
bought home in Missouri and saved
his money.
The history of the firm Of Bowers &
White is one Of the romances of the
mining camp. Sandy Bowers came
into the Washo district about 1860.
He cooked for a party Of freighters,
and his wife, tall, bony woman, told
fortunes, sold lucky numbers, and in
terpreted dreams for tho credulous
miners. With some of the money
made in this way her husband took up
a claim and made money, and for the
next ten years had continued good
fortune. He was grossly illiterate and
no business man, but still he prosper
ed. He broke all the gamblers in the
Territory, and no one cared to play
with him.
His partner, Lorenzo D. White, was
different kind of man. He neither
drank nor gambled, but was mad as a
halter on the subject of religion, be-
lieving himself to be John the Baptist.
In business matters, however, he was
shrewd and enterprising, and his luck
was phenomenal. Whatever he touch-
ed turned into gold. It was noted
that whatever Bowers sold turned out
we'll for his customers, while it was
reversed in Whites dealings, although
he was believed to be an honest man.
The mystery was as to what he did
with his gains. He depleted his bank
account every now and then, drawing
out large sums in coin and then dis
appearing for time. It was believed
that he buried his wealth in the
mountains, and he was followed and
logged by the camp ruffians, who
would have taken his life for a dollar,
but it was part Of his good fortune to
escape.
The end came at last. Sandy Bow
ers got involved with a party Of East
ern adventures and lost $500, 600.
After this he went down hill rapidly.
He had at one time half million in
the Bank of California but this all went.
He became drunkard, and one day,
got together few dollars to buy an
outfit. With borrowed mule he start
cd for Nevada, and was, no doubt, kill
ed by the Ute Indians, as he was never
heard of again.
White was not known to have any
serious losses, but he. too. disappeared
He was supposed to have gone back
to Maine, his native state. Inside of q
year he came into the little mining
town of Mercedes, on the Rio Grande
River, Colorado, in rags and exhaust
ed from hunger and fatigue. He was
followed by a shaggy Mexican burro,
about as big as a Newfoundland dog.
This carried his miners outfit "a pick,
pan, and shovel. He was at once re-
cognized and relieved. He went to an
assayer and showed large mass that
looked like burned limestone. but which
evidently contained gold. The assay
astonished the expert, and he declared
that the specimen showed so per cent
Of gold.
In an hours time the camp was wild
with excitoment, and this was the be-