The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-09
WILL VISIT MERCUR.
HARRY BUFFERS, OF CRIPPLE
CREEK FAME, IN TOWN.
The Man to Whom Colorado owes
the Existence of Its Great Camp
An Interesting story.

Among others who are wooing the
tickle goddess over at Camp Floyd is
Harry Buffers, the first man to drive
a stake in the present site of Cripple
Creek-on. whose gilded riches the
hope of entire Colorado is now banked
and who was among the first to
shake its auriferous sands from his
feet.
Harry went in to that locality upon
the crest of as big baub,e as ever
tempted the gold hunter, and twenty
four hours after it had been set afloat
men OF all nations were puhsing for
ward, not to Cripple Creek, but as
Butter and his daring confreres had
christened INT Pisgah
A few days and the narrow avenue
that had been carved from the hills
by the patient hand of time was peo-
pied by several thousand prospectors
III close wake of whom was the adven-
turer and vagabOnd, the sporting man
and nymph. With the heterogeneous
stream that poured and plunged into
the new field came the correspondent
that wary and far-seeing factor whose
pencil has determined the fate of so
many booms. Through the columns of
every journal that was represented on
the ground was heralded the merits
OF a district that was fairly honey
combed with riches" Tents had beerf
holsted, the patriarchal log cabin was
sprlnglng UP and Buffers and his as
soclates were cutting the first coupons
from their irideScent dreams when
there issued from the boat of the
stage coach a Hawkshaw from Lead
vile. A dozen or more identified the
traveller, who dropped his glip-sack in
the doorway Of the Shanty to which he
had been welcomed, and the arrival of
Fred Wuench. then mining editor of
Millionaire Tabor's paper the Lead
vile Herald, and no later than three
weeks ago registered at the Knutsford
IN this city as the representative of
Dave Moffat, Eben Smith and others
who are securing foothold at Camp
Floyd
Within this voyager's satcheI was
the weapon by which Buffers bauble
was to be pierced. Wuench never re-
he'd on the eye when a chemical was
IN reach, and the following day he had
the Buffers boom in the crucible
Lack-a-day it was for the boom.
The correspondents had dispatched
1t broadcast that Mt. Pisgah-rehabili-
tated under the name, Cripple Creek
was honey combed with gold"
Wuench taking it from the crucible
said it was honey combed with fraud
anu lldb the WHOle tnlng ndQ been
cleVerly. 'salted'' by the founders. In
dignation rose on all sides and soon
blew over the camp like a gale of
frenzy.
Lets hank him. belched a dozen
or more from that mass of human
driftwood that may always be found
hungry and furnishing in the eddies of
a new mining camp.
The ghoulish refrain was taken up
and mass meeting" had about de-
ternined to execute it when a friendly
bore tidingS of the death
sentence to Buffers cabin The fleet
limbs Of broncho soon distanced the
hangnlan, however, and next morning
the foundersof Mt. Pisgah boarded the
train at Canon City. Buffers, who
was now demanded by the whole troop
of correspondents who had hitherto
lauded him. seeking the blue solitudes
and more congenial atmosphere of
ranch down in the sunny San Juan
where, with increasing herds, he has
made a fortune, a slice OF which he
seekstoinvest at Camp Floyd.
What became of the misguided fol-
lowers of the Mt Pisgah boom?'
Why, bless you constant reader, they
began to radiate from that spot where
with Fred Wuench's kit of chemicals
and within stones throw of the i'll
fated gulch there are today over one
hundren mines contributing their yell
low contents to a 'single gold stand
ard"
traces its origin back to Harry Buffers
and his alleged bauble. Who'll have
bauble.