Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-19

that piece of ouckskIn was just thirty-four
years ago this fail, about six months after
the discovery of gold had peopled the Col
orado mountains with an army of immi-
grants which in incongruity and numbers
almost rivaled that which had filled the
Sacramento valley ten wears before. l was
scarcely of age at the time, just old enough
to fall an easy victim to the gold fever, and
/ joined a crowd of men bound for the an
ticipated Eldorado. 1t would be too long a
story to tell all our experiences, but at length
we arrived at our destination and located a
mining camp in the shadow of a spu of the
mountains. There were about forty OF US
altogether and we were soon reinforced by
additional arrivals, who nearly doubled the
size of the camp. 1t was some of these ar
rivals with whom the story l have to tell Is
connected.
lone hot August afternoon a dirty-looking
specimen of the class known as 'greasers'
hobbled into camp on a broncho which pre-
sented as dilapidated an appearance as his
master. He was not a particularly prepos-
sessing individual. He was dark, even for a
greaser, and his singularly black eyes cleaned
through a mass of tangled hair that had
evidently never known brush or scissors.
He was cunning as a fox and as treacherous
as a coyote, but there were too many of US
TO stand in any fear of him. and at his re-
quest he was allowed to stay and was put to
work about the camp.
about a week after our population was
increased by the arrival of a man and a
HOulul. luc lldu was Il hO particular III
terest, but as the woman was the first we
had seen in two months she was regarded
with considerable interest. This was
heightened by the fact that she was decid-
edly pretty. She was plainly q Mexican
but her clear complexion and lustrous eyes
indicated that her lineage was of a higher
order than hat of the average greaser.
Her companion was an American, but
in what relation he stood 10 the woman he
did not volunteer TO state and no one was
s,nrinns apnIluh m innDira He told ma fhat
his name was Jim Hardy and that he pro-
posed TO stay and prospect awhile, and with
that he became a full-fiedged citizen of the
camp.
"A month passed and the beautiful
senorita was still an inhabitant Of the camp.
Hardy's taciturnity had gained him the
sobriquet of Silent JIM and beyond an oc-
c~asional 'Buenos Dias, senor,' mis- companion
was as reserved as himself. BY this time
thu couple had ceased to be objects of in
terest and we had become accustomed TO
their reserve. Every one had noticed, no "
ever, that Rumaldo, the greaser who had
preceded them TO the camp, had the most
intense hatred for Hardy and it was often
claimed by those who knew the greaser's re-
vengeful disposition that trouble would come
of il in the end. 1t was the general belief
that the trio had met before and many sur
misses were thrown out as TO the cause OF the
Spaniard's hatred. But we were too busy TO
look after other peoples business, and as
Rumaldo did not indulge in open hostilities
the matter ceased to be a.subject of remark.
las the weeks passed the mountains took
the tinge of autumn and the early froSts
stripped the white spruce trees hat hung
! over the camp of their foliage. Om camp
had become a busy mining town and was
alive with all the disorderly elements that
infested that country in those days. There
was no Law but might and thefts were be-
coming SO frequent that no ones property
was safe. Provisions, weapons and even
the nuggets which rewarded our daily toll
had a fashion of mysteriously disappearing
and no one was able to detect the thief
Many suspected Rumaldo, but we were IN
able 10 obtain any direct evidence against
him. Meantime the thefts became more
frequent and daring until there was hardly
a man in amp who was not a sufferer from
the depredations. IL was useless TO com
plain, but ii was well understood that wheT
the thief was caught a rope and a tre'
would furnish the means for ummary pun
ishment.
Zone frosty evening about the middle o
November Jim Hardy was seen 10 leave thi
cabin which he and the ssnorita occupied
and stroll down a footpath which led soutl
from the camp. About eighty yards dow
the valley was a dugout, where an old mine
named John Lawton had secluded himsel
from the main camp. II was claimed tina
he had found an exceptionally rich poke
anu had secluded himself from the rest Il
order that they might not lind out his secret
He was said 70 have a large amount of gol
hid somewhere in his rude shanty and ha