Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-02-24

whether L had or not and | did ~ |
answer.
"Ihat made the men pretty scary. |
and | could see they were mighty |
pleased when we had four holes fin |
ished. and as it was dinner time |
said they could go back to the cool. |
ing room and eat. and | would re
the shots and then join them.
'N ell, somehow, ! got those four
holes loaded with sticks of powder. |
and the long fuses from the top sticks
laid carefully over bits of rock so that
| could put the snuffs under them
You understand that fuse is con-
nected with the top stick in each hole
and that these fuses are not lighted
at the end, but each Is laid across the
flame OF a short piece of candle
That is to give you time to do your
work and get away to safety. 1t
takes some time for the flame to
burn through the covering of the
fuse. and when it does, it .spits' to
give you warming.
Il was awkward that night. +
could not keep my mind off that
Wine, and thinking what thing could
be in it. | had just got one fuse rest
ed across a flame and was about to fix
another, when held my hand and my
heart stopped beating. | heard some
thing creeping up behind me. 1t was
hard for me to do it, but | forced my
head around to look. What | saw
made my flesh creep. 1t was the
form nf NM, ono 4 ioo, tn,,..,,,l 49,,
and it was Tom Askew or Jack Col
Inns. If it was the first it was "a
ghost, for Askew was drowned; if it
was Collins it was II tiend, for Jack
had been Il brutal murderer.
Il had no time to find out who il
was. for when turned he sprang at
me. That motion gave me nerve to
move, too. am pretty big man,
as you see, and before that night |
was one of the best wrcstlers on the
Comstock. | grappled with him, and
| knew that if it was not ghost |
had tackled it was a mailman. No
sane man could struggle in the grip |
got on him as he did. ! struggled to
keep him from throwing me, and at
the same time tried to get near tho
candle under the fuse to kick it out
before the fuse could spit. ] saw a
little flash from the fuse. The fire
had reached the powder In our
fight the other candle was put out.
We were in the dark. and | knew the
fire was creeping along the powder
of that fuse to the dynamite. In the
dark ! was not even sure which way
to try and keep the thing | was fight
ing with SO that ! should have its
body between me and the blast In
less than two minutes-it seemed
years to me-the blast went of. -
That was the story told
me by the surface Waterman. The
facts which go to complete
the story We're these. Jack Collins
was a miner who had been on tho
Comstock only Il few months before
the date of the mystery of the two
Tom Askews. Collins was "a surly
man and lived alone in cabin near
the brewery in Seven-Mile canyon.
He associated very little with his fell
low miners, but one night Joined a
crowd of them who entered a saloon
east of the track. He had not been
there long before he quarrcled with a
companion who asked him, jokingly,
il he had ever killed any one that he
should live so much alone and wear
such mask of beard.
A blow was struck. and then Col
Inns suddenly plunged his dirk-like
miners candlestick into the heart of
the other and fled. 1t was two or
three hours before anything like an
organized search was made for the
murderer. Then it was discov ered
that he had visited his cabin down
the canyon. which was in disorder
from the hasty preparations for
Hight. 1t was taken for granted that
he had gone on down the canyon, for
the road up would have taken him
/ directly back into town. What he
! did do, as was afterwards developed,
was to rush from the saloon to his
cabin, make bundle of some clothes.
a bit of mirror and a razor, go up the
side of the canyon, double on his
trail. and return to town the next
day, clean shaven and dressed in
clothes no one had ever seen him
wear. The accident of his knowing
that IA man named Tom Askew was tt
go to work that night determined his
plan 1t was he who told Askew &c
report on in the afternoon instead o.
ON the night shift. 1t was evidently
his plan to hide in the abar
doned portion of the mines-fol
even then number of the middle
group of mines were connected under
ground-and make his way to the
surface, and escape when the search
for him in the neighborhood SHOULD
have relaxed. There were hiding
places in plenty for one who knew
the underground works, and the min
ers' dinner pals to feed from. VII,
he did not carry out any sane plan
why he crept like an animal on tn,
frightened miner in the lonely face o
the crosscut-the doctors learne,
when they examined thin slices of hi
brain. He had become maniac
The low, dull shock of the blast tina
was fired in the crosscut that nigh
was felt by the miners in the cooling
room, and they ..listencd' with thei
nerves for the three shocks tina
should follow. There were no more
nor did the man they waited for com,
to join them at their meal. In "A fey
minutes crowd of whitc-faced
frightened miners We're on their wa,
to the crosscut to find their fellow