Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-06
IVAN WAS A LOAFER,
so WAS nARrE. ACCORDING TO
JIM GILLIs.
Historic California cnOins- Where
the Now Famous Literary Men
"Dcadheaded IL"

-
say very nice things Of Bret Harte, Mars
Twain aud Prentice Mulford, The men
who struck mines Of literature in The
Table mountain country, white other nea
found mines of goid. some Of the resi-
dents Of the early DOS are residents sun I
aud having more appreciation for mug I
gels Of gold than gems of prose aud /
verse, their opinions run contrary TO I
those who have had more cNperiencc (
with the iattor than the former, Within |
fortnight it has been declared by
resident Of Jackass I'M that the trio |
were about as shiftless. noOceuunt
three as ever struck the camps, and
that it is hard TO imagine how the boys
refrained from ordering them out OF the
district
Poor Milford Is dead now, and viii
be considered omitted from the eScorf
alton, but Bret Harte and Clcmens are
alive aud ilonrishiug, aud eau anord 70
have the old cracked mirror he'd up to
them.
Their principal occupation in the flush
days OF the hill. Ang.es, InttletoWn'
Nhuntown RobInsou'r Ferry, shaws
Flat fH11ic Mountain and lot OF other
places used to- consis, OF changing thef
SPOTS, First they wOnld visit hasitl.
able friend IN ono camp and then eail
ON another in some nthcr camp. lbcy
seldom undertook to do anything, and
when they did they usually failed. To
this day deere are people honest hnrd-
working miners, some with wealth
aud some without-who golemnly nlirn
that Bret Harte neycr could write any,
thing straight, /, e., ~ 10 really occurred
and that frequently he wrote pack Of
I lies about things that never occurred at
I all.
| lf. however. the native inhabitants Of
| this region made famous by the prose
and poetry of the dcsnisod authors have
! No reverence for THINKS historic, inc rest
! If the world h1s a rc'irhnntcr from
| san Francisco made a trip through sian
| slaus, Nolumno and VtlRvcrus recently
| In search OF spoil, He returned with
unlimited enthusiasm and carload VI
photographic negatives which he turned
over 20 the Examiner, lie found that
| the population iu THE section snundH iuust
| Of It's time hunting for gold pockets,
and only attends 10 business 10 " des..
| ultlry sort Ot q way. An instance OF
this sort - thing was encountered at
! Imttleluwn, where the rclir-hunters met
| nm old friend who Is chasing pOckrla
ia Jackass Hin, the home Of jim Gilue;
| An invitation 10 liquor wnH accepted, ana
I inc iNEIA MI IUNNf tNNiINN u TNlNhi az Wv
old French store, Ihore was no sign Of
life IA the street nor was any one 10 he
found Ia the saloon, Gross walked De.
hind the lar. served out the drinks and
cigars, and then discovered that he could
not make change. He wrote his name
aud tho amount on a scrap OF paper
weighted it with u bottle, and 10 prove
TINT this was n common way Of doing
iusiucgs exhibited half dozen similar
chips from previously passing uiiINly
souls
the saloon crawled ont from under a
chickcnhouse couple Of hundred yards
distant, dragging after him Il trowel
mud a nan Of dirt The dir WINS washed
and tho yellow specks leit IN tho pan
were elid 10 be worth about ~ ccne'
The saloon man explained tnnt the chlck'
cnhOnse had heun a store 10 the dny 4
OF dust ns a circulating medium ana
that IN careless handling good deal Oi
tlte yellow metal Slipped through Tho
crtrks. Besides. 1t wns located in famous
pocket ground, md az the house wac 10
be torn down he thought IL was worth
, | prospecting.
lin ellis IA the present Wing Of Jack.
ass Hin. He controls u ail 9nd y SUP
posed 10 be on the ragged edge pl ppu
ionce. Mr. Gillia has Loot hia taste ioi
hard work. and "a now content wiz
rfubetgkiug wandering mincrs and TAX
! no 81 mr. cent Of whatever they etrlko
+ sI,,i,.. ara moi infrcqueut on the hin III
: XII dov When mo relic hunicrs fouul
/ f,inls lie WINS with his brother steve al
! Tia edre Of a pocket hunting shaft fron
p ,Vbi.'h tbree miners had iust taken S10Oi
r ,rnrth of frec gold. and before the dnl
,yos oyer thls lad been Increased L
s5OoO worth Bui that was all Their,
,,as in little pockct waa empty
i Mr.. ellis was fairly good naturet
whom 6rst encountered, and chattcl
4 nver old times pleasantly enough IN
III the names Of Clemens and Mulfor,
came tip Then b.. wanted It distinctly
understood that be, Iumea ellis, WA
Mi Truthful lanes, Of Table Mountain
J. living lin Townsend. now of Moni
2 ce1nty, was the man whose yarns ~
= spired Clemens. and ellis conld prov
. II liz hundred different men II the,
p wore alive. The Jumping frog story wa
+ rs I'D as the hills. and Townsend hai
:. been heard to tell it n hundred times b.
r fore IA ever saw the light " day ].
= mint
= Tbe cnbin where Clemens and Mul
" ford used to make ellis their host weel
!. In ana week out stlll Stands on the IA
~ rhe biU. and ellis designated nu oal
G trso nenr Il, the shade Of Which cunsil
? tuted Mulford's fnyoriie dreaming place
, lie was only known as Dogbarry " tlos
! ON tide page. Both were ouiraggonsl
y lazy. and were ~ comparisons ipr l-Aih