The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-21

II was afraid to go on at once to Sacra-
mento for l might run into my rascally
companions if they had halted on the
road, when thought they would kill me
to keep me from telling of their crime.
So for the next day or two | hungered
about the spot, living on the wild berries
and such small game as | could ensnare.
After some trouble found a bit of flint,
with which and the steel of my knife |
kindled fire, and beside the use this was
to me in cooking my food l made several
torches with which l proposed to explore
tue old mine. This l did pretty thor
oughly, TO find that the vein of metal it
had once contained had been very nearly
worked out, and was about to close my
investigation and proceed on my journey
when q sudden rainstorm came up. The
water fairly poured down the old shaft,
washing its sides clean, carrying with it
also quantity of dirt.
~ was amusing myself after this fall of
rain looking over into the tunnel to see
the effect of the deluge, when my eye
caught sight of this little nugget l wear
here on my chain. | picked it out and
rubbed it clean, when l could have leaped
with Joy, for if things were as this piece
of metal indicated there was rich vein
of gold running almost parallel with the
one that had been removed from the
mine, and which had never been discov-
cred by the ancient miners. l could
scarcely wait TO begin my search, so eager
was l. But | had no pickaX, Sharp and
Harold having taken even that, so 1 had
to improvise one of branch of a tree
with a pick of one of the bones that were
in the bottom of the main shaft. But
luckily the soil was soft from the recent
rain, and had no difficulty in digging
out several very fine nuggets, one of
which afterward sold for So 200 in San
Francisco.
II stayed there for three weeks, work
ing alone and bringing in all nearly $50
900 worth Of metal from the mine, which
l buried as soon as found. l now saw
that in order to go deeper into the thing
would have to have assistance, and with
some of the smaller nuggets I set out
once more for Sacramento, travelling
principally by night, for those were wild
times, and the toughest element on earth
was abroad in those mountains. But at
last got to the city, and the first man l
saw was Harold, standing in the door of
saloon. He staggered back, and then
watching me closely stepped forward
once more and fired at me. The ball
passed through my hat, and as I drew
my pistol to fire back, his friends sur
rounded him and hauled him back into
the building.
81 went on then to see an assayer
knew TO be an honest man, and showing
him my specimens told him my story
He pronounced the nuggets fine ones and
said would have no difficulty in making
up company to work the mine If it was
found TO be all that claimed for it, But
he told me that unless l meant to settle
with Harold and Sharp myself there was
little hope of bringing them to justice, as
they were well known there and had
friends by the score of their own sort,
whereas | was a stranger
However, l had the thing taken out of
my hands. for no doubt in dread Of me,
the two left town that night. Two weeks
later Sharp's body was found few miles
out with his throat cut from ear to ear
and with all his pockets turned out, so
that he met his death at the hands of his
partner in crime. OF Harold nothing was
heard for some years, until one day while
riding with a party through the
mountains, we came upon a body fairly
riddled with bullets and suspended by a
rope 70 a tree, where the scoundrel had
suffered death at the hands Of some
lynching band, and met only then with
his just reward. ! sold my mine for
nearly sl00 900, besides the nuggets had
taken from it by myself, and which were