The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-12-13
A RACE FOR LIFE.
BY A. TENDER ToorE.


Late in the autumn of 1888 I, with
three classmates of the School of
Mines, invested in the lease of some
mining property in Colorado. We
were young and inexperienced in busi-
ness matters, SO that the financial part
of the venture was rather unskillfully
managed. Almost all the money we
could raise was put into the necessary
plant
Before the snow stopped operations
we had on the heap many tons Of val
liable ore. The depth Of the snow.
Pueblo for smelling, and we were
obliged to lay off the miners, owing
them at the time over a months
wages.
made hurried trip to New York
to see il additional funds could be
raised by two of the partners living in
that city; but was unsuccessful
On my return reached the little vii
lage of Mater, some four thousand feet
below the mine, where / was told by
Reynolds, the other partner, that there
were rumblings of an approaching
storm among the idle miners-about
thirty in number.
We determined that we would 60 to
the mine and talk over the state of af-
fairs with the men. Unfortunately.
it had been rumored that had brought
back with me large sum of money
which had deposited in the local
bank. ,s.ee....l
Soon after reaching our snow-cov-
cred cabin and making fre-for the
temperature was twenty degrees be-
low zero-the door was thrust open
and three sullen-looking men, who
had evidently been drinking heavily,
stallxed in.
They wanted to know--as commit
tee of the miners-what we proposed to
do about paying the wages due them.
We were armed. And we knew that
they were.
replied that had been unsuccess-
full in my journey east and had re-
turned to ask them to wait for the
opening Of the spring so that the ore
could be realized on. The spokesman
interrupted angrily:
know you've got five thousand dollars
in the bank at Mater, and we propose
to have our money and have 1t nowl"
said would willingly sign blank
check and allow them to fill in any
amount they wished and let them see
II they could get it cashed.
The chairman of the committee
called me to the little window of the
cabin and pointing to tree in the fore
ground, said: chambers, do you see
that ar tree thar?"
/ nodded.
"Well," he answered, "if at the end
of three days you don't have the money
here to pay us, we'll swing you from
that lowest limb. And you don't leave
this cabin, nuther. One of us and his
gun will be outside the door all the
time. Write this telegram: If you
don't send three thousand dollars in
three days, they'll hang me- Sign it."
I protested that knew no one to
send it to; but concluded that it would
be wise to temporize and do as they
wished, and wrote and signed the
message, directing 1t to my brother in
New York.
They then left, placing one of their
number on guard. An hour passed by
and the almost perishing man came in,
saying that he would stay inside and
watch there.
Reynolds and /, after long delibera-
tion, concluded to offer our individual
notes to the men, payable at thirty
days. We were escorted to the engine
house, and, after some further parley-
ing, the men consented to accept and
to escort us under o guard of two to
the village below to get the needed
blank.
the mountain side, over the snow trail,
In Indian fie-Reynolds and ahead
and the two guards behind. The moon
was shining at the full, and from the
distance, adding strange, uncanny
feeling to our already overwrought
nerves, came the cries Of the puma
the mountain lion.
1t was nine o'clock whom we reached
Mater and obtained the notes from the
banker. We had taken light subper
of unwarmed canned meat only and
were quite exhausted from the cold on
our walk down. Retiring to the little
Office we owned In the VILLAGE, we
made out our promises to pay and
gave them to the guard, who, notwith.
standing. maintained his careful
watch.
While sitting there. half frozen and
disoussing our position, two OF the
miners co1ne In. They were the Nal
soln tRothers, both men Of superior