Mohave County miner., 1891-03-07
rHE MlNEH.s ngouEsr.
How Jem Briggs Came Into Posssssion
or d Comfortable Fortune.

or . Comfortable Fortune.
The other day We met on Kesrney
strest an old-tinie Washoe acquaint-
ance called Jem Briggs, says the San
traBsisco Examiner, whose usually
welI-T .rn miners apparel was on this
occasion replaced by d gorgeous dis,
play OF velvet vest check pants, red
scarf, and ponderous watch chain,
whil6 bis simple and honest face shone
above these evidences Of prosperity
with the placid contentment Of q full
harvest moon.
Hello. Jem, we said; "glad 10 see
you looking so prosperous. Must have
struck II rich recently"
so have, ~ said Jem, and then NJ
his tanned face saddened little, he
continued, "but had mighty tough
loss, though. My partner, Ned BIN"
ber--you remember Mediums gone
mp the shaft"
dead, ehY"
Yes, I'll tell you how II was. You
see Ned and had a quarrel about two
years ago. Don't matter now what II
was all about. Mebbe Ned was wrong
and mebbe | was, but all the same,
neither Of us would back down--couple
fer dam fools. you'll say, and 40 we
were--and the upshot was that We
parted and agreed never 20 speak TO
each other again"
'!And didn't your
mo, sir; more shame for us, as we
had been parda, thick and thin, for
fifteen years together. Well, about six
months after that Ned got a good
gravel claim up on the Feather where
they've been turning the river bed, and
bo struck It rich--cleaned up nigh on
10 $3.50. 900 in ten months"
"And how were you getting on'"
oh, clean broke. Working up at
Gold Hill for s3 day. Well, was
kinder sneakin' glad TO learn Of Ned's
luck. for all we were outs, but the next
thing heard was that he'd been killed
by the banks caying in on him He
lived just long enough 10 make his
will. Well, the lawyers wrote as how
Ned was worth just about 1920, 900,
and the will gave s5, 900 apiece to each
Of three distant cousins OF his'n--they
had all come out from the East when
they heard of Ned's find--and the same
amount to me, mind you, just as
though we hadn't quarreled. But Ned
alters was centric sort Of cuss and
the will provided that none Of US should
get the money IL we attended the
funeral. He didn't want anybody at
the funeral but just the undertaken.
The will said he had lived lonely, and
he wanted to be buried lonely Them's
just the words-and ! felt they were
intended for me, sure. The disposition
OF the rest OF the estate, about $500, 900,
was provided for In another codicil, to
be opened the day after the funeral,
but we all supposed 1t was donated 10 a
charitable object, for Ned hadn't any
kins 'ceptin' the cousins"
"Of course you staid away from the
funeral?''
That's just the point. Somehow ]
felt so miserable and down-hearted--
you bte Ntu was IHt DIlltbh partner Il
ever habitat determined 10 go and
see him sent down on his last cage any
way--money or no money-and did. "
And the cousins?"
None of 'em went. Fact Is that
they were so disgusted at the 'divy'
that they clear out down TO Frisco TO
see about breaking the will. So was
the only mourner at the funeral My
friends all thought that / was ft for the
crazy-house TO throw away 5000 like
that-well, / just couldn't help it. 1t
turned out, though, TO be the best lead
| ever struck"
How was that?'
why the next day when the main
will was opened we found it really gave
the entire balance Of the cleanup 20
which ever OF US four disobeyed the
condition for the s., 900 bequests. So
you see / came In for the whole lump
just like a knife. And do you know, "
continued the legatee, as sure a.
guns iron / shall alters believe that
Ned put up the whole job purpose