The record-union., 1891-10-31

purpoSely began new drift near the old
winze, into which | dumped the waste
till 100 feet of rock and clay made me feel
safer. Then croSscut discovered the ore
and my widest dreams were realized.
One morning the night boss met me at the
shatt-house, and in a half-apologetic way
said that two German miners had stoped
up into the old east drift to where the ore
ran right up against a set of timbers, and
that the men who placed those timbers
there without seeing the ore must have
been tenderfeet or very drunk. As the
two Germans got up into the drift they
heard the sound of work on the breast
twenty or thirty feet away. They could
see no light and no person there. On
going closer with their own candles they
saw hand holding drill in place which
| was struck by a hammer held in another
hand, and no other sign ola human being
there. The miners had thrown down
their tools and rushed up on top, and
swore that nothing could induce them to
go there again.
If | had not been smoking [ could not
have concealed my terrible fear even from
the half-embarrassed foreman. But 1
took fresh grip on myself and quietly
told him about the wild superstitions of
the miners in the HartZ Mountains, and
added that some German miners were
affected by them; besides, these men
must have been drinking. The foreman
ISIlI6u. saw bH6lu WHSu LDeN came
up; If they were drunk below, fear had
sobered them" | did not 60 into the
mine that day, but went to bed with
raging headache. l told my partner /
feared / was catching mountain fever and
l wanted TO go away. | sold out to him
and left that afternoon. After years of
wandering around the globe, one day in
Paris | chanced to pick up a Virginia
City paper in hotel frequented by
Americans. Reading its old familiar
type, and the well-known names in its
advertisements made my heart warm to-
ward my old friends and l determined to
take the next steamer home. My mind
was full of pleasant dreams, and I drop
ped the paper on the edge of the table and
it turned over and fell on my knees.
Right there under my eyes was some
thing that blurred their sight.
WAS it Dagger Joe? A curious thing
occurred last night in what is known as
the old east drift of the Malta mine 1t
may be forgotten that this drift was prin-
cipally run by Dagger Joe and Mr.. A,
who atterward became half owner of
lease on that part of the mine. 1t is
shrewdly suspected, by the way, that MIR.
A knew what he was leasing. A short
time before the mine was leased Dagger
Joe mysteriously disappeared. 1t was
said he ran away to avoid board bill,
but why should he when he had better
job than he could probably get else
where? Only the Comstock miners get
81 per day. Mr.. a sold out to his part
ner and went away with an ample for
tune. The partner worked out the ore
body and he, too, went away with
a million. The mine was again
leased to couple of Swedes, who
as mere cleaners. can make money
on ore company could not afford to
work. They were carrying in a set of
timbers to strengthen the old stope,
which broke with the early drift, when
they heard the sound of workmen. This
surprised them, as they had employed
no one to work there. To their horror
they discovered two human hands, with
out any body, working a hammer and
drill like an old miner. The Swedes
have thrown up the lease. 1t is said that
such an appearance was seen there the
night before Mr.. A. sold out and went
travelling. Can it be that old miserly
Dagger Joe found an unsought grave
somewhere in that old mine, and his
spirit refuses to keep down because he
did not fare as well in his life as his fell
low workmen in the east drift? Strange
things happen on the Comstock.n
Then 1 realized that 1 was banished for
life.-Denyer News.