The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-21
PONDS EXTRACT CO. n n.s i yosS

TUND y hAIhhGI UU,, and LONDON
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There Yves a sharp chase, but the sheriff
killed Corbett aud wounded Rogers. When
the latter got well hs was convicted Of kill
ing and robbinR the man WAC had be-
| frieuded him, and the Nevada Judge i'm
posed the sentence of ten years in the Car
son penitentary. That meant about ~
years actual imprisonment for deliberate,
cold-blooded murder to facilitate robbery
When tie desert citize says 1--WE do not
steal !" he does not mean what he says, and
what he says is but an oft-repested lie.
What he means IL that the miners do not
lose their household effects left uDguarded
in shanties, but even what he means is not
true. Or course pots, Dutch ovens, and
bedding are rarely stolen. Even clothing
left hanging on tent pole is reasonably
safe, but not because The mine camp toughs
are less disposed to steal than other toughs
are. Nor is it for fear OF the rope that the
things are not stolen; it is because the stuff
left uuguarded is either not worth stealing
or is so cas- ~ recognizable that the thief
would probably be detected and shot by the
owner One does, indeed, hear OF a mob
strangling a thief. now and then, but for
every thief 90 punished a Thousand 20 I'M
rewarded. II a tenderfoot, to test the
desert tough's honesty IT money matters,
were to leave $50 piece. or even % cents
in coppsrs, where the tough could get hold
of it, he would learn something OF the con-
ditions governing desert morals
Another mine camp tradition that he's
| bee1 repeated SO often as to become vel!
n,gh an AXIOM in the mind of readers Of
| mine camp literature runs something like
this: "tf you will attend to your own bus
iuess and let other folks business alone you
WON'T never have no trouble"
What the mine camp man means by 'at-
tend to your own business" was illustrated
when WIlloughby shot the Chilean. The
dealer at the faro bank attended to his own
business and did not interfere with Will
loughby's. So did all the other players
They allowed Willoughby to attend to his
business OK murder unmoiested. The tender
foot tourist might suppose that the Chilean
v as attending TO bis own business in politely
requesting the return OF his 50. and so be
was. but it sould be understood that, con-
trary to the axiom, he did not let other
peoples business alone. He interfered with
Willoughby's business OF theft and SO got
! shot. So far the axiom. az the desert man
understands it, is unQuestioned. Never
tIeless the axiom, SO called, is fraud, as
many stories will show. Fer instance:
Over at Silver Peak, when that camp
was lively, was q man on the pay roll un-
der the name OF John Pollard. He had
| been there for some time and had been
kcLStLk LIS ihAiA 1iuA ~ uDbSA thdt
when be went TO the postoffice one day and
asked if there we're any letters addressed to
John McTeague. The postmaster said
| eyes"
''Well, want them" he replied.
"How's that. Isn't your name PollardW
| asked the postmaster.
"Yes, but want those letters"
Have yea got any order from Me-
| TeagueW
''No. don't need any. Hand them out 4.
Won -
81 don't know about that" continued the
/ postmaster. unruffled by the vile and pro-
| fame language 81 dou't want any trouble
with you, but under the rules of the office
/ have 10 right to give you another mans
letters without written order"
just then some other men came in FOR
d all and Pollard went away, and when tho
| new -couners had gone the postmaster closed
the office for the night.
A little later, While the postmaster was
preparing TO 60 to bed, he heard knock at
the door Pollard had returned. He sx-
plaiued that his real name Was McTeague
| and Pollard all assumed one. and added that
he was sorry for his uncalled-for language
He had lost his temper when be had learned
that he had to acknowledge that he was liv-
! ing under an assumed name, but now he
/ wanted to'apologi q ma fashion.
The man spoke in such sincere tones that
! the postmaster opened the door to give him
| the letters addressed TO MoTeague, but the
moment the door was opened the fellow shot
| the postmaster dead. Nevada justice was
stern to the degree that McTeague was sent
to the peniteutiary for seven years.
The postmaster was shot TO death for at
| tending richly TO his business. 1t is among
! the traditions that the Eomicldes OF these
camps are comni ted by tcughs whose
victims are weaker or less lucky toughs, but
such stories as that of the Silver Peak post
master do not confirm the tradition.
OF the crimes connected with and grow
ing out of the ownership Of mines probably
| no region in the world has had SO many In
proportion to the population as the Ameri-
| can desert. The two valuable mine prod
| ucts there are silver and borax. OF the
| thests OF silver the reader has learned some-
/ thing through brief reports OF suits brought
/ against certain mining superinteDdents at
/ virginia City. Stockholders charged that
| the superintendents stole part Of the mine
products. To prove this, IL was shown that
| while the reports Il all the superintendents
returned certain sum as produced by the
mines there, the report Of the Wells-Fargo
| Express Company showed that hundreds OF
| thousands OF dollars worth above the re-
ported mine product bad heen shipped.
This difference had been pocketed by the
| thieves. ,,,,-
! oounty callei Marietta OF which the Sun
mas told some stories The camp grew ny
around a profitable vein II silver, but u bad
! 10 DO abandoned, because George ". 6ray-
eou. the owner IN San Francisco, was ~.
/ able 10 get a superintendent who would
not rob him. No crime n more common
| aynong mining superlntendsnis than en-