The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-21

staked off. but iuterferences we're settled
with the rife. Even otter the Claims were
surveyed out and patented there vas a
fight because one claimowner went deliber-
eteiy over his lines to steal the deposit OF a
neiRhbor. Within two years or 50 the
owner OF claims on the Columbus marsh
was driven from q neighbours calm at the
muzzle OF a Winchester. And yet the crude
stuff stoleu was not worth q cent pound
where it was dug.
OF the jumping OF claims-the taking OF
prospects from their rlghtful owners bv
superior force-nuthlng more need be said
save this, that every prospector must be
rifle. and that no enc but tenderfoot would
call the stealing Of a claim a crime.
Ores are stolen, as well as bullion aud
borax. At Candelaria are two companies
owning adjoining properties. One COM
psny has broken through and taken ore
from the other-gone beyond its line. and
has done 1t deliberately. The case is now
in court, but no une will ever he punished
as a criminal ia the case.
At Candelaria is a teamSter by the name
OF Elder, a great, hearty, jovinl fellow, who
can look back TO the time when he could
draw a certified check for many thousands
of dollars. He was running with a partner
the leading line of freight teams to Bodie,
I al. Rates were away up aud he profits
most prosperous condition the partner re-
ported no funds to pay feed bill. The
crash left Elder on the wagon bed TO drive
for wages. The partner did not even 90
through the trouble of walking out Of
camp; he went in style up north of the
desert and straightwsy became the preSi-
cent and chief owner OF "A bank doing
prosperous business. 1t was \ perfectly
clear case OF en?bezzlement, a sample of q
crime met with more frequently on the
deser. than elsewhere.
OF tie gambling aud the stage rohbing
nothing need be said, because the tourist
would not think he was in q mining regi n
were there no euch doings. They are a part
of TIE wild life of the desert as Of the other
mining regions. Moreover. the agents Of
the postoftice and the detectives Of Wells
Fargo are making the stage robbing about
the most dangerous business q man can go
into
There is one kind Of stealing on the desert,
however, the stories of which astoOish the
tenderfoot greatly when he hears them. He
sees grave beside the desert trail, and the
guide says: That's So-and-so. He was a
horse thief. They overlook him right here.
Overlook HIM means shot him to death
What the tourist wants to know. then. ia
where the thief got his horses. how Ge hap
psned to have them out there on the desert,
and where he expected to land them eventu-
ally. IL seems Incredible that horse thief
should be found OUT the. o on the desert,
where neither feed nor fodder Save little
bunch grass at intervals apparently too
wide to be available for thief can be
found. Besides the physical discomfort of
crossing such an inhospitab.e region seems
enough to deter even horse thief with
vigilantes after him. Nevertheless, there ia
| a well-defined trail from Los Angele3 and
San Bernardino, Col, across the Mojave
desert by the way OF Pilot Butte, Resting
Springs and Pabrump, southern Utah. The
mons and then stole from the Mormons to
sell 10 California. The thieves stole feed as
well as animals, aud away they went. The
springs are IN some places fifty miles apart
bnt there ia grass at some springs aud bunch
grass IN places The terrors Of the desert
usually prs' ent pursuit. especially in the
warmer months. But not many horses were
taken over these trails-not many in com
rarison with tue number that went over
the Teton river route to Jackson'S Hole in
Wyoming and 30 on to Laramie.
Of the social evil the desert man speaks
with a smile and shrug OF he shoulders
One who was asked about 1t said:
when l was down Ill Ne" Mexico we
determined to give q New Years bali
swell, respectable affair, chi You bet.
was one of the committee on Invitations. 1t
was very trying position, because we did
not know where TO draw the line. II we
asked the fairies. the real wives wouldn't
come. II we asked the men To show mar
riage certificates. we would have TO fight.
So We compromised by leaving Off the
women who tad taken out licenses for
sporting houses. All tho rest we're invited
and they came. We had q most agreeable
time-nothing TO bother us ell night save
once, u hen one Hf the girls who had not
been invited sent her lover to the hall door,
we're he took a shot at a wall lamp. He
started to run, but the floor managers
stepped to the door and took shot or two
apiece at him. and after that everything
went off click"
"They scared him SO he didn't dare to
come back, chi
Scared himG Well. / don't guess So
We buried him tho next afternoon
"Ah-did the gentlemen know they'd
killed him when they returned to dancer
"Dldn't they. thought Why, we put the
test shots In tie camp on as floor managers
a purpose"
There is one crime continuously ard
openly committed on the desert which no
body but a tenderfoot would call a crime,
and that is the stealing of wood from gov
eminent lands. One of the most interesting
trees i'll the United States is the nut pine
1t II stunned, bushy. gnarled Jree that can
be found on the cresLs OK the Excelsior, the
WI lte, the f6nafninV, anu some other Ne
vads and California mountains. According
to experime Its made at tho instance Of the
agricultural department. the nut pine lie the
best kind OF wood for fuel. When thor
oughiy dried and heated t. half the tenn
perature OF boiling water log of any size
will blaze up in roaring flame on che ap-
plcatlon OF match.
In the gulchss and canyons lie the mine
camps. On the mountain tops grow the
nut-piue grove The citizens OF the mine
camps pay fro m $40 to SIP per cord for nut
pine fuel. The Carson and Colorado rail-
road burns nut pine excluSi vely. The fact
that the trees grow on government land is
an unconsdered tFif1e.
The tourist who visits the desert camps
to examl 9 the statistics Of crime is com
PEELED to conclude that In no place in the
nation is crime of every degree so prevalent.
the chief reason for this condition OF at
fairs ts illustrated by the efforts OF certain
citizens to bring criminal TO justice in the
valley of the Amargosa. A teamster en-
gagged in hauling toraI from the Amargosa
works NOV absndoned) was killed by his as
si5tant in quarrel. The assistant came up
behind him aud pounded him 90 death
with shovel The criminal
at first told conflicting stories
about his deed. and then confessed all. And
yet he was never even arrested for il. The
matter was brought to the attention Of the
district attorney and the coroner of San
Bernar limo county, and they we're urged TO
brii z the man to trial. Their reason for