The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-06
TALE OF BLOOD AND GOLD
,,r No AFFIDAVITS AND Ola.
GRAMS GO WITH IT.

A-HA
provvp. and Jones, Got Away With
Zoo 900 Worth of Gold Dust from
Robbers Cache
u,1an tId.) Dispatch in Rocky Mo"ntdfn hews.
Tn. story has been told Of the strange
..rantures of the prospector, Robin
sor who recently arrived in a
c..or d'Alene town N Idaho. with
Ne cayuse loaded down with enough
-. dnst TO start bank. He brought cut
a. osI mn and reported finding great quaint
~, ~ dust that had been buried by robbers
=. the Bitter Root mountains thirty years
90 With a suitable guard he at once set
% into the wilderness of the Clearwater
oonntry to bring out the rest of the treas
rra about 1865 900. The expedition, after
Using through incredible dangers and
to-5sbins has arrived safely at Lewiston,
T+sno and the money is in a bank safe.
One Of the men who accompanied the ex-
.adition whom we shall call Anderson, has
I.trrned and tells of the extraordinary
.4ron.rres that befelI the party.
HWhen was asked to join the party"
o.id Anderson, with an air OF pardonable
s'ri5e II was told that only men of tried
narve upduestionable integrity, and IN
s;acSing courage should compose the guard.
Tbs wegers were large and the dangers very
great Each man on the force received
s20 day and expenses. We had fourteen
SNor5s armed to the teeth and well
mounted, twenty five pack mules ana nVe
troined hackers, the whole cavalcade being
"nder the charge Of Robinson, the man
Trbo found the 5000, 900 cache of the rob-
liars This guard was necessary, as we an
tIcinated being waylaid by highwaymen.
iAs the snow was already too deep to go
,nto the country by way of Montana and
The St. Regis valley (the nearest route to
,be cache we were obliged to take. wide
datour through the state of Washington.
Then nassing through the Potlach country.
We f1rded the north fork of Clearwater at
;ts junction with the south fork, on the Nez
parSe reservation and entered upon the
historic I,o Lo trail, which would take US to
cur destination. Our camp every night had
me anpearance Of a veritable fortidcation.
Martial law was the rule of the camp.
Seven guards were on duty while their as.
socstes slept. We were all in a strange
state of excitement, and as we entered the
wild region back of the reservation in what
ia known as the Weippe country, and began
10 meet on the lonely trails Indians and I'M
couth. savage looking backwoodsmen, for
one began to wish l hadn't come.
well. our trip into the mountains was
uDeventful enough, although the snow
proved a terrible obstacle lit was then late
ia November). We found it impossible to
get nearer than within twenty miles of the
cache. so we made snowshoes and sleds, and
leaving two men to guard the animals, we
set off for the cache. Snow was falling
oopiously. Our camp was far up in the
range. and had it not been for the abundant
supply Of gram we had brought with US our
animals would certainly have persisted of
starvation. The necessity for haste in &C.
curing the cash and getting out of the
mountains before the snow rendered travel
ing impossible added not little TO our ex-
element and agitation.
without a suspicion of impending cal-
emity, except on the part of our leader; he
believed that we were being followed, our
party set forth. Before we had gone five
miles a party OF twenty masked men
swooped down upon our camp, killed the
two guards, took possession of the premises,
and there lay in wait for our return.
Mean while we proceeded up the mountain
20 the robbers cache. We were supplied
with long Norwegian snowshoes and drew
q hand sled with broad runners. upon which
we proposed to load the 5000 pounds of
gold dust.
In due time we reached the cache. and
so thoroughly had Robinson marked the
spot that he had no difficulty in finding it.
With shovels we cleared away six feet of
STOW, made an excava walton, and the Iile Of
moldy old buckskin sacks filled with the
precious dust lay before us. Since my re-
turn from this terrible expedition | have
had tender feeling for the old pirates of
hygone days. They were madmen and
practically irresponsible. As we looked
upon that colossal fortune in that lonely
mountain glen, with the thick storm sweep
Ing around US, and no one to take note of
our exploits, no care to hear the death cry
OF the victims suddenly snitten, only the
tall, senseless forest trees to behold a posi-
bledeed OF horror and injustice, each man
glared horribly at his neighbor. Once
when one of my associates, a close friend of
nine, too, made some uncertain motion my
blood troze; l actually thought for an IN
slant that he proposed to butcher us all in
order to seize the treasure. The nightmare
history Of the stuff rose before our fances
VIvldly, How easily, then, we appreciated
TIE motives of the two soldiers who, in the
old lawless days of 1862, slaughtered their
associates near that very spot in order to
selLe this same heap of gold. How leni-
emily we judged them. The horror of that
tragedy IN some way seemed lessened; we
were all under the same spell that led those,
men TO stain their souls with crime. For
lew moments we all looked with horrible
apprehension upon the actions of our cons
pSnlons half expecting that murder and
treason would be done. But soon our senses
returned, we remembered the perils of
our Sltuation, aud a wholesome and loyal.
determination to do our duty wiped out the
ulaeous suspicious of our minds Transfer.
ring tue yellow stuff to stout canvas sacks.
we loaded the 5000 pounds on our sled and
tos1 no time III leaving the accursed spot
'u.ougn tnlck storm OF snow.
:, ana now the cunning generalship Of our
!eaoef became apparent. Always on the
alert, be seemed now incapable OF takiug
tes1 or sleep. We were within few miles
Vi Vhe camp when Robinson halted the pro-
NeASion and called a council of war.
Gentlemen, said Robinson, If we have
"een followed it is more than likely that the
;euelhy has captured the camp and is lying
III walt for US. 1 have prepared for this
So5hungency, have marked out a route
%uIcl Will leave the camp few miles to
.ue right. Now We will follow this route,
~ ~ luVo hiding in a certain cave that know
VI, then send man back to camp to see if
a., Is We'll. If it is, we will then proceed
ssomeWard with all speed. If it is not right.
o oue al wrong, we can hold the fort in the
ave I've Ior have laid 10 q large stock of sup
pHso' ammunition and arms, and there we
o oau STAND off all the desperadoes in the
9 saving this, Robinson turned to the left
p ron the trail we had followed and very
I IN came came to prodigiously long and steep
IN IN thlnly wooded. The snow had ceased
+HtIllg ana we could look down into a deep