Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-04-20
washing its sides clean, carrying with
| it also a quantity of dirt .-l

y
it also quantity of dirt.
81 was amusing myself after this
fall OF rain looking over into the tun.
mel to see the effect of the deluge,
when my eye caught sight of this little
nugget 1 wear here on my charm. I
picked it out and rubbed it clean,
when 1 could have leaped with Joy,
for If things wore as this piece of metal
indicated there was a rich vein of gold
running almost parallel with the one
that had been removed from the mine
and which had never boon discovered
by tho ancient miners. could
scarcely wait to begin my search, so
eager was I. But 1 had no pick-ax,
Sharp and Harold having taken even
that, 80 l had to improvise one of n
branch of n tree with pick of ono OF
bones that were in tho bottom of the
main shaft. But luckily tho soil was
soft from the recent rain, and l had
no difficulty in digging out several
very fine nuggets, one of which after.
ward sold for $4,000 in San Francisco.
81 stayed there for three weeks,
working alono aud bringing in all
nearly $50, 900 worth of metal from
the mine, which L buried as soon rs
found. 1 now saw that in order to go
deeper i'll the thing would have to
have assistance, and with some of tho
smaller nuggets l set out once more
for Sacramento, travelling mostly by
night, for those were wild times, and
the toughest element on earth was
abroad IN, t1,1cn a
last got to tho city, and the first man
L saw was Harold, standing in tho door
of saloon. He staggered back, and
then watching mo closely, stepped for
ward once more and fired Mt me. Tho
ball passed through my hat, and rs /
drew my pistol to fire back, his friends
surrounded him and hauled him back
into the building. 1 went ON then to
see an assayer know to DO an honest
man, and showing him my specimens,
told him my story. He pronounced
tho nuggets fine ones and said L would
have no difficulty in making up n COM
pany to work the mine, if it was found
to bo all TINT l claimed for it. But ho
told me that unless 1 meant to settle
with Harold aud Sharp myself, there
was little hope of bringing them to
Justice, MS they were well known there
and had friends by the scoro of their
own sort. whereas was stranger.
However, hnd the thing taken out
out of my hands, for no doubt in
dread of me, tho two left town that
night. Two weeks later Sharp's body
was found II few miles out with his
throat cut from chr to chr and with all
his pockets turned out, no That he met
his donth ut the hands of his partner
i'll crime. OF Harold nothing was
heard for some years, until ono day,
while riding with II party through tho
mountains, we camo upon body fairly
riddled with bullets and suspended by
n r2uo from tree, where tho scoun.
drel had suffered death ut tho hands
of some lynching band, and met only
then with his just rewards. sold my
mine for nearly 500, 900, besides tho
nuggets | had talen from it Ivy my
self, and which wero worth ut least
$50, 600 more. 1t proved to be n COM
paratively small vein that L had dis.
covered, but very rich while it lasted
and made the modest fortune of every
one of the stock company to which |
sold it. Those mountains aro rich in
just such stories, but I think few can
equal the true one have given you. Z"
Philadelphia Times.