Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-04-22

TX
PREPARATIONS WE'RE MADE TO LYNCH
HIM"
heart OF the mountains they came to a
streak OF pay dirt so wonderfully rich
that il exceeded anything any Of them
had ever seen or heard Of. They put
down shaft TO bed rock only
seven feet below and found gold
from thegr0ss roots down, pan
Ming out from i've cents 10
dollar each trial. They decided to stay
all winter, put up rough sluice boxes
across the little creek and sluiced from
morning until night while the warm
weather lasted The average yield
was $500 a day until snow flew
and cold weather settled down. Then
the creek frOze up aud the prospectOrS
turned their attention to building Log
cabin, which they surrounded with q
stockade ia which were kept the horses,
the hay cut for them and the game shot
for the winter. Ia the following spring
the men were early az work, taking out
n -
Hurlburt was cooking IN the cabin, a
small party Of Indians steaithily
approached the mine and killed
and scalped Cox and Jones. Catching
up a knapsaCk foil OF gold Hurlburt
ran into the woods snd made his
escape, without looking around-Or paus-
ing TO notice q landmark. Tha Indians
looted the cabin, drove or the stock and
left in the direction from which the
Drususct0rs had come the year before.
Huriburt went the other way. After
macy days tramping across the foot
hills and GilerWard the prairies, he
struck what proved to be the North
Platte river, ninety miles above
Fort Laramie. There he met the
first strange white people he had
seen l9 two years. The country was
on 6-e over the news OF rich finds at
Alder Guich ana those met by Hurlburt
we're bound for the diggings at Grass
hopper Creek as we'll as Alder Hurl-
burt added 90 the prevailing excitement
by telling OF his mine and exhibiting
the knapsack OF gold. The news spread
and adventurous in search OF gold came
in from all sides. In week Hurlburt
was retracing as nearly as possible the
course over which be had SO wildly fed
the previous month. and at his heels
was crowd OF not less than 40 wag-
onS, with $50 men, women and children.
DAYS grew into weeks aud weeks into
months and still the party tramped on,
following Hurlburt's lead everywhere
and hoping FOR q iuitllment OF his often
made promise 20 land them AT the mine
of iucxhsustible gold. Finally. in the
fall, Hurlburt confessed that he was
lost "a badly as his cabin and mine, and
that be had no further hope OF finding
his valuable property He had been
looked up % al these months, but now
there was sudden change OF
sentiment and preparations were
made 70 lynch ths bad pilot The
rome was around his neck. aud
was about % he pulled taut, when q
courageous and less vengetul member
OF the party spraug to hurlburts side
with drawn revolver and prevented
the contamination OF the 6ioodthirsty
plan. Hurlburt was re.eaSed and went
his way alone. About this time the
Indians took 80 the warpath and the
eastern prospect3rs were Stampeded,
heading for q land where there was
greater safety, be less gold. Hurlburt
was last seen in Virginia City late that
fall, and probably persisted alone some
where while hunting for his cabin aud
the mine.
Bart Beckey, a Colorado miner and
chum of Jack Mcdonald, spent year
searching the Big Hora, Castle and En-
grant mountains hunting for this won
dealll lead, but at last gave ~ uD Ia
despair, although his faith In its exist
ence was stronger at the last than when
be commenced the quest.
Jack Mcdonald heard the story Of
Beckley'S wauderiugS from the iatter's
lips, and be, TOO, put in year so
the hunt, bat did not fad il. Joe
Sweeney came from the southern mines
and hunted ,0nE aud earnestly for the
Lost Cabin mine, announcing at one
time that bs had found &c, but he was
mistaken, and equal ppOintment
awaited Jack Nyc, well known
Nevada prOSpeCtoy, who spent much
time in the Big Horn country, and who
thought ne had discovered the treasure.
but found that be had not. About this
time the trouble with Sitting Bull came
on. aud that old warrior with over 1000
lodges OF warriors took up his head
quarters near the Junction OF the two
Horn rivers, on the spot WI ire Custer
afterward found him and u.vg his death.
Sitting Bulls camp was "a tue very
region where the Lost Cabin mine was
supposed % be, but three other pros.
pectors, uDdQunted by tue dangers
which Ueset them. managed, by travel
ing 40 night aud lying out of the way
bv Gsv, 10 get past the camp and into
the neigh bOrhood Of the mine. The best
information obtaiua0is is that they
really found the ost cabin and the rich
lead, which they worked for several
months. They wore out their tools, and
being unable TO do anything more de-
tsrmined % return 10 C iiz3tiOn bY
descending the eivir on raft. A raft
was built and loaded with all the god IL
would carry, Tht rest the men buried
near the cabin The intention Of the