The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-08-06

rounding dangers, halted and surrendered.
and in despair lay down to die. a lawless
rose up like giant to lead the way to hope
and success.
When the news reached California that
gold had been found in great abundance
in the water shed of the Columbia River,
without waiting for confirmation of the
rumOr. great numbers of miners poured
over the mountain walls of California and
Nevada in search of their fortunes in the
new gold field. 1t was. however, but an
other of those ''stampedes" which wreck
the hopes and lives of the adventurous and
rowing miner. and one by one they strug
gled back to the more prosperous fields they
had abandoned for this igns fatuus. One
of these parties, nearly starved. attempted
to reach Shoshone Falls through the thckly
timbered mountains from Elk City. While
searching for game one day they chanced to
strike little stream that ran down from
the mountain OH the edge of prairie lying
near the center OF large snow-covered
horseshoe opening to the south. about
thirty miles in diameter. A fallen tamarack
had thrown up the earth, and, moved by
the Instincts OF nature, one of the gold
hunters took up pan of the earth and
carelessly washed it in the stream. What
was his astOnishment to reap as his reward
handful of rough little specimens of gold
dust of the size of wheat grains! 1t was of
poor quality. but it proved to be the orgi-
nal discovery of the great gold belt embrac-
ing Salmon, Warren, Boise, Owyhee, and
Blackfoot. that afterward formed the polit-
ical division of Idaho Territory, now in its
Statehood-the star of Idaho in the Federal
flag.
On the Sd day of December, 1862, fierce
storm swept over the whole gold belt, and
the thousands of homeless and unprotected
miners, who had been sleeping on the
ground in their blankets while working
their claims, began to pour over the horse
shoe in the direction of Lewiston. taking
with them the proceeds OF their labor on the
bar and in the gulch. A party of nine. of
whom Joaquin Miller was one. were max
ing their way through Walla Walla via
Lewiston with large amount of gold dust
belonging to the individual members of the
party. They had been followed from the
mines by Dave English and Nelson Scott,
two of the most noted deSperadOes, accom-
panied by four others of like character. but
not so we'll known. AS there was not
shadow of civil law to protect the honest,
toiler. nor any other form of protection as
crime, moved about the various tents with
the same freedom as men of good character.
English was thick-set powerful man, with
black beard and commanding manners.
One of his gray eyes appeared to be askew,
otherwise he was fine looking man, usual
ly good -natured, but terrible when aroused.
Scott was tall, slim, brown haired, with
features as fair and delicate as those of
woman. All of the band of six were young
men we'll known in California, one OF them
having been connected with circus. The
party of miners, after six days travel reach
ed Lewiston in safety, and English and his
companions arrived the following day. The
river was frozen over, the steamboats, all
tied up for the winter, and the ferry almost
impossible. The miners and robbers watch.
ed each others notions and the latter
knew that their motives had been OWNED.
The miners had scarcely crossed the ferry
when the robbers followed. The large
amount of gold dust of the miners was the
object of their pursuit. They were splen-
didly mounted and we'll armed, and pre-
pared for any deed to accomplish their end.
It was twenty four miles to Petalia. the
nearest station. The days we're short and
the snow deep. With the best of fortune,
the miners did not expect to make it until
night. At noon they left the Alpowa, and
rode to vast plateau without stone, stake,
or sign to point the way to Petalia, twelve
miles away. The snow became deeper and
more difficult, and furious wind set in
that blinded and discouraged their horses.
The cold was intense. They had not been
an hour on this high plain before each
mans face was a mass of ice and their
horses white with frost The sun faded in
the storm like star of morning drowned
in flood of dawn. Grave fears now beset
them. English and his robber party were
now N advance. Once they stopped. con.
suited, looked back. and then in little
while moved on. The storm was so terrific
that the trail behind them was dbliterated
the instant they passed on; return was
therefore impossible, had it been possible