Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-11-06
Tnu LOST SILVER VEIN.
now ALnRiouT CANNED MS srcRrr
I'D riiE aRAvE.

The Loot Vein Of Colorado stlll eludes
the eager prospector. behind u range
the Incidents Of one Of the most touch.
Ing love stories ever written. In the
early sixties Amos Albright went 10
Colorado 10 seek his fortune, leaving hls
wife and children on an Illinois farm.
Iils health began to fall soon after hIs
arrival In Colorado, and, 10 make matters
worse, came distressing news from
home, for Co make the journey In tbs
gold fields he had borrowed money from
rich pelghbor, In former days an IN.
successful suitor for his wlfe's hand, aud
the vile wrote that their creditor now
threatened to forcclose his loan and
drive her and her children from their
home. The news made Albright dee
perate; he sold . portion Of his scanty
belongings, exchanged the money for
provisions, and set out alone for the
mountains. lie Was sick unto death,
but desperation nerved him on. lie
reached the mountains, turned from the
trail, aud began prospecting on unbrok.
en- ground, but day after day dIsappolnt-
ment alone attended his efforts. In =
fortnight his provisions were gone, and
he now saw that only starvation or re-
treat lay before him. One weary day
shutdown found him sitting on heap OF
dirt at the base of great rock. lie was
fcarfully hungry, and WEAKNESS and the
cold Wind of the mountain bitterly op-
pressed him. Then came . discovery
such as Ia seldom heard of outside the
pages Of old romance. What WAS II
that he saw Ia the rock upon which be
Was sittingt Silver! Not quartz nor
glance, hut virgin ore. The vein Was ~
broad ~ hls hand In the middle and
dwlndlcd away In ~averins lines yard
In length.
Albright sprsng up and Get TO work
With feverish energy snd the unimpalr-
ed strength Of . giant. IL ~asa bright
moonlight night and he labored without
pause until sunrise. when morning
came he had mined more ore than he
could carry away With him. lie aw
clearly that the vein bee had discovered
Was q true one, and probably extended q
great distance. within his grasp lay .
fortune of millions. lie made careful
reckoning Of his bearings, staked his
claim, concctraccs Of sled all his labor,
aud, collecting ~ much Of the ore ne be
could carry away With him. set out for
Denver, which city he reached late that
night. Next morning he purchased an
outfit, an abundance % provisions, sud
. mule, and sgsin set out for hi. claim.
within q month be had mined enough
silver Ia load q train. Moreover, be h.d
traced the Assure tn lts origin In the
hills, and satisfied himself that be wss
the owner 81 one 81 the richest clsims
In Colorado. Then . hemorrh,ge
struck him down and IL Was by = miracle
that, blind and staggering, he reached
Denver alive. A. soon as be had gained
sufficient strength be- set out for his
home In Illinois. IA yet, though eager.
liz importuned "a do so, d. had revealed
to no one the location of hls claim. lie
reached home only 10 find that his life
and children had been driven from their
home by hl. creditor, aud to die In hi'
wife's arms. The money he had brought
With him from Colorado served to re-
cover the home from which his family
had been driven, but the secret of the
Lost Vein died With him. No one 81
the hundred. who have since attempted
Ia search has been able Ia ind IL. West
ern mining history contains no more pa
thetic story than that which relates IA
Amo. Albright aud the Lost VEIN
Washington Post.