Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-02-19
THE SAD FATE OF A '49.ER.
Might Have Been a Bonanza King II
He HADN'T Converted His Mule Into

Calliope.
from the Spokane Falls Spokesman
A party of prospectors had located their
dry camp on the headwaters of the Meadow
last summer and were having rather indif-
ferent luck. 1t is broken up country, land
its redeeming feature is the abundance of
game of all kinds. While it may be termed
hunters paradise,it is certainly miners
sheol. Flour and bacon and beans had run
low, and the boys had begun to "cuss" the
country.
They were sitting around the fire one
night smoking when visitor, stranger,
with about as little ceremony as Poe's "a
ven, made his way into the circle and
perched, not on bust of Pallas, but on
busted Aparahoe For about two minutes
the remarks were about as extended and
interesting as were those of the famousFor-
ty-niner. Finally he was induced to chew,
and then he gave an account of himself.
He was as near a nobo as prospector can
| ever become; that is, he was making no at
| tempt to better his condition, making his
way afoot from one prospector's or trap
per's camp to another. He was an old
man, bowed and wrinkled. It was evident
that the rocky trail of life that he was ira
yelling was not far off.
| In the course of the evening one of the
boys happened to speak of the old mans
condition. The old fellow Strengthened up,
| adjusted one mocassioned foot under him
'Tnjun" fashion, and remarked: cit may
seem little tough to you fellers to see me
| knockin' round this way when L ought ter
be respectable member of sassiety, holdin'
| my own with Mackey, Flood, Hearst, and
Lucky Baldwin. used to train with them
fellers. I'm '49er, I am, and I might
| right now be millynair if it wasn't fer a
piece of hard luck struck way back in the
SOS.
'I struck out one spring mornin' in Cal
iforny with mule packed with plenty of
grub and good prospectin' outfit. I had
two dogs, cross between bull and shepard,
along for company. I packed with me a
tin horn that called 'em up with when
they got too far away.
ct was maxim for the Mokeleunne dis
trict, which hadn't been prospected hardly
any yet. I made burned good time, con.
siderin' all things, till on the second week
that gosh blamed mule got sick. The SOL
rolled. Well, he kept swellin' and rollin
and groanin' till thought every minute
he'd bust"
The sweat stood out on the old mans
brow as he related this. He paused awhile
reflected, and continued
'The way fggered it out was that h
had collie. I couldn't think of anything tx
give him but the soda I used to cook with
I'd heard it was good for the stomach, 81
I fixed up a drench of soda and water
stuck the dinner horn inter his throat, ant
commenced pouring the stuff inter him.
| skeart him. He sneezed and snorted all a
, wunst, and spit out the drench. Ant
when he snorted he blowed that ERE horn
He seemed surprised to find that he wuz
) musician. His ears riz, an he prance'
round an footed that derned horn. TIL
, dogs heerd the tootin', and, true to thei
trainin', they come along head an tail up
That burned mule KEEP tootin' that 'er
) horn, all the time tootin the wind Off
! his stomach, and all at once, by gum, h
! struck out a tootin' that horn like hell, ar
the dogs followin.'
81 wuz left thar 800 miles from nowhal
with no grub, mule, dogs, nor nothin'.
wandered back to the nearest camp, an
sence then I've been a wanderer, with n
aim in life but to find my mules an dogs
For forty years I've been chasin' the cusse
| varmints. I've seen lots of mules, bu
none uv'm he'd er tin dinner horn in hi
mouth, nor two brindle dogs follerin' hin
Have any of you fellers seen stray mul
around here?"
The old mans story created profoun
impression. The boys unanimously cleo
9 ed him Grand Patriarch and assistant coo
for as long as he cared to lay off from b
wild and thrilling chase.