The herald., 1894-03-05
PEGLEG SMITH WAS A FRAUD,
Some "reminiscences by an Old
Time Miner.
His Mysterious Lost Mine Source of
Revenue.
He Would Tell His Marvellous Stories
for BoOxe-The Way He Lost His
Lsg-Interesting Reminders
of Former Days.

HERALD representative had the
pleasure a short time since to meet Mr..
Jesse H. Allen, one OF the pioneers oi
this state. now a resident of this county.
He is an intelligent and genial old
gentleman 72 years OF age, has an excel
lent recollection of past events and is
very entertaining in recounting his pio.
neer "reminiscences.
His early life was one of adventure.
When q very young man he left his home
in Missouri and went to the Rocky
mountains, then an unknown wilderness
except to few adventurous hunters,
trappers and fur traders. There he spent
several years in trapping and hunting.
\ From thence he drifted west to the
Pacific coast in 1876 and joined the Ere
mont battalion" He continued in SER
vice until California was conquered and
the battalion discharged. He is now
drawing a well earned pension as q sur
vivor of the Mexican war.
He was among the first to 20 to the
mines after the discovery Of gold in
lS4S, and located the very first claim on
Hangtown creek, where the town of
Plscerville, in Ell Dorado county, now
stands. From this claim he realized a
large amount of gold, when he quit
mining and established trading post
and sold supplies to the miners. After
he had accumulated considerable sum
Of money, he quit the mines and in
vested his money in epeculations that
proved DISASTROUS, since which time he
has experienced the ups and downs
peculiar to most Of the old pioneers. He
is highly respected by all who know
him, and has the reputation Of being
man of truth and veracity.
Among other things, we asked Mr..
Allen ii he had known old Pegleg
Smith and what he thought about the
mine supposed to have been found by
him, which has been talked of and
hunted for so many years.
did know Pegleg Smith," he re-
peated. 81 should think l did. l be-
came acquainted with him when l first
went to the mountains, and l can say
with truth that he was considered the
l afterwards met him in this state.
"He was the same old Pegleg, and if
anything, he had improved in the old
habit, for it seemed impossible for him
to tell the truth. He was said to have
mitted come offense against the law
and escaped to the mountains to avoid
punishment. This was the story told of
him by the mountain men, and it was
generally believed. He was disliked
and distrusted by all the white men.
He was never employed by any fur COM
pany as a hunter or trapper; nor would
any free trRppers, as those who worked
for themselves and not for the fur COM
panies were called, allow him to join
them. Consequently his associates
were among the half-breeds, who were
not so particular. Shortly after l fret
met him. a number of mountain men
met at trading post OF the American
Fur company on the Platte river, Smith
among the number. Alter disposing of
their peltry they proceeded, in regular
mountain style, to drink whisky and
gamble and have general blowout.
Among the party was Canadian
Frenchman, who WAS known by the
mountain men az 'Gerlo,' as he had
brought with him to the mountains a
lot OF sleigh bells to trade with the In
dians for skins and furs, gerlo being the
French name for sleigh bells. This man
got on a roaring drunk and kept it up
SO long that the trader at the post shut
off his whisky, as he had become very
disagreeable and quarrslsome. At this
he became 80 enraged that he rushed
away fron the party, and after getting
some little distance turned and fred his
rifle at the crowd. The bullet hit
Smith in the leg, shattering the bone.
ITO save his life it became necessary
to cut his leg off, which was done by
some of the trappers with butcher
knife and hand saw. 1t was rude
surgery, but he recovered, and alter
wards a wooden leg was made for him
and he was ever afterwards known as
'Pegleg Smith
TO show what the character of the
man was, afterwards heard him, on
more than one occasion, tell the story
that he was shot by Indians in the leg
and that he had, alone and unassisted
by any one, amputated his own leg. He
would tell this story in my presence
when he was well aware of the fact that
[ knew all the circumstances connected
with the loss of his leg and that there
was not word of truth in what he was
saying; but his love of lying was such
that he would persist in telling this
story, and, strange to say, he found per-
sons tho actually believed that he had
performed this wonderful feat. But it
was those who did not know old Pegleg
as did.
"Now, az to that celebrated rich mine
that has been 80 much talked about and
hunted for, cannot see how any man
who knew Pegleg or had heard OF the
character of the man could have any
confidence in the existence of the same.
He was an ignorant man, who knew
nothing of mines or ores. His story OF
finding ore, the character of which he
was totally unscquainted, of carrying it
with him for years and having it
assayed and finding it to be rich in gold
looks to me as absurd, knowing the man
as do.
"One circumstance that proves con-
clusively to me, and should to any