The Opelousas courier., 1890-06-07
FORTUNES QUEER TRICKS.
STRANGE CASES OF GOOD AND BAL
LUCK IN THE MINES.
Instances of Ups and Downs III '''e
Miners Fortunes Mliiioha'res
N,o nsv and pauDerS the Next.

Pockv Maintains from 1850 to 1917 to
denv the existence of that mysterious ana
capricious influence on men iVes anu
fortunes known as luck, and it seemed 10
attach itself mainly 70 those who knew
the least and were accepted rs the 1oo1s
Of the amp thus illustrating the old
nroveri,, -, fools luck" Old and eX-
nerienccd miners quit locations IN disgust
after months of labor, and these were
afterward taken by men who Scafcelv
| knew the difference between a SHAFT ana
. level, After a weeks scrambllng
work the latter became rich men. One
instance | can give:
A man named Reli, a forty-Alner, 4
opened :, p prospect hole ON Goose Creek,
/ within u mile of the Idaho border. 1t
seemed to pan out we'll at first, ana ne
soent S6OO0-all he had i'll the world
in development; but the vein began TO
pinch out, and ReIf gave it up. Anoth-
! or man TOOK it with the same result.
! Then one Of the best miners Iii the Ter
ri+orv mt in $4,000, and after months OF
hard work shot himself in despair at ms
;u-fortune. The location was thereafter
dubbed the '.Last Chance by nelghporS'
It Law a wear. when a man named t1adSen
came to Silver CITY. lie was looked on
as a harmless and decidedly weaN-mlhde'
fellow, and he annoyed toionel James
Fisher, IL well-knoWn mine owner, oy
constantly asking his advice about Ioca'-
mo, until Fisher told him to try the
Last Chance.
Gadsen started off to get 4 team and
supplies, and amid the ieers OF the camp
left for Last Chance. Fonr days Al
terward his team was SEGA coming mt"
camn on a dead run, AMI ii stopped at
Colonel Fishers Office. Gadscll, with 4
BAG on his back, catered, anl, drawing
= chuDk of rock. laid it before Fisher,
who examined it and said: "N ell, tad
sen. O have the ,roycrbial fools luck.
That will ASSAY $1,000 i . :. You've
struck it rich this time An eXa;nina-
tion of this mine shaved that only u 1905
of rock lay between the last owner ana
mcoipei wealth, and this Gadsen broke
through the first day.
4 syndicate was formed and Gadseh
sold out for $50, 900. The new owners
took out 8s25, 900 in three weeks and then
struck a mass Of porphyty rock that 1t
would have taken all the money III san
Francisco to remove. No trace OF tac
lost treasure was ever foind, ana Tue
Last Chance was permanently aban-
, aoncA. (3adsen's good luck followed
him. He left tn mountains, bought
| home in Missouri. and saved his none.
| The history Of the firm OF Bowers q
t White is one Of the rom2nces OF the min
: inc camps. Sandy Bowers came into the
$ Washo district about 1850. He cooked
S for a party OF fraighters, and his wife, a
| tall, bonv woman, told fortunes, solo
a lucky numbers, and interpreted dreams
for the credulous miners. With ome o
5 the money made in this way her hnsban'
, took III a claim and made money, and TO
Il the next ten years had continued goo'
e fortune. He was grossly illiterate amt n'
e business man, but still he prospered.
IL His partner, Lorenzo D. White, was
n different kind Of Il man. In buS!nes
l., matters he was shrewi and enterprising
and his luck was phenomenal. VIVA
3 ever he touched turned into gold. !
was note;} that whatever Bowers sol
turned out we'll for his customers, I'M
II was reversed in Whites dealings, a
though he was believed to be an homes
man. The mystery was as TO "nae u
did with his gains. lie depleted ii
hank account every now and then, draw
inc ont large sums in coin and thea Oh
snpearing for Il time. 1t was believe
th~arRburied his wealth in the noun
aims, and,~zQs followed and dogge
bv the camp who would hay
taken his life for aAlbut it WI
part Of lis good fortune - F9e.
The end came at last. SBowe
got involved with Il party OF Eastern as
yenturers and lost $500, 900. After tn
he weat down hill rapidly. He had
one time half a million in the BankU
California. but this all went. He b
came a drunkard, and one day got
Mt ! oether Il few dollars to- bay an QUIT
,ut With {, borrowed male he started 1
is Nevada. and was, no doubt, killed
ex- the Ute Indians, as he was never heaI
Fas of again.
of White was not known to have al
be serious losses, but he, too, disappaare
vas He was supposed To have gone back
He Mime. his native State. Inside OF a ys
re he came into the little mining town
the Mercedes, Oh the Rio Grande River, Co
the RADIO, in rags and exhausted from tatig'
zen He was followed by Il shaggy Mexlc
is- burro, about as big as Il Newfonndla
10
ses dog. This carried his. miners outfit
pick. pan and shovel. He was AZ on
i recognized and relieved. He went to
he assayer and showed a large mass Il
looked like burned limestone, but VIII
evidently contained gold. The assay
on tonished the expert, and he declared Il
the specimen showed eighty per cent.
nee gold
Z Il In an hours time the camp was W
Il with excitement, and this was the beg
lsn- ming of the craze known as NV nj
viii Cement Mine At first the old man
or fused to tell the location, and some
in the ruder spirits advocated hanging,
an after much persuasion, ne agreed to p
the , a party to the rot. The next day n
. of cedes was deserted. Everybody jon
o is the procession. After eight days rug
travel they reached Green River Val
il Utah. While ascending a mar
rayine a yolley of rifle balls, fired +
apy the c~happaral, killed three of the f
hut most of the %goldhunters and stanpe
,nss all the animals. The Ute Indians
dis been awaiting 1hehi: I" ~ -
White escaped and the party broke
iiSu - xNl..4o u,o,,lI ra.r