The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-19
TALES OF THE FAR WEST.
MEN WHO BECAME MILLIoNAIREs.
Sketches of Life i'm Occur d'AIene.
How Dependent Paupcrs Jumped
Into WeaIth-Crazy Horse Hotel
and Blazing stump saloon.

Fortune plays some mad pranks AT times.
Some men strive all their lives TO amass a
competence. and then by some fell blow
they lose IL all. while others. by alucky acci-
dent, are transformed from paupers 10
miliionaires- No region in the United
, States, says a correspondent of the Gin
cinnati Tribune has produced. in the last
fifteen years, so many accidental million
aires as the Occur dAlenes. The Metal
Heart" or by a more accurate transla-
tion. THE Heart Of Anvil"
Wild and romantic scenery, possessing
that supernatural beauty which makes.
sometimes, Dame Natures most fantastic
moods, first attracted old Chief Saltese.
of the tribes of Occur d'Alene. These In
dams pitched their tepees on Beauty Bay.
Lake Occur d'Alene. long before the Ar
gonauts began their journeys across the
plains TO find wealth far beyond their
widest dreams. The savages believed
that the abode OF the Great Spirit was
somewhere in these KOotenai hills. and
they had consecrated the spot ON which
the Morning mine, the Bunker Hill and
Sullivan mine and many other wealth pro
ducers are now located.
Sixty miles away from the nearest point
where supplies could be obtained two
van. were frying their last piece Of bacon
for breakfast. During two months they
had examined almost every ledge on Cab
met Mountain. and then they had started
for Trail creek, but would rather be
mountains than men or any inanimate
thing rather than be human beings. The
last cent of their grub stake was gone.
they had the miners fever and they felt
that they could not work at any other oc-
cupation. When their Indian guide de-
serted them they had been compelled 10
turn back. Discouraged and disheatened,
these moody miners sat by their little FIRE,
and they gazed on the glorious beauty
of the Kootenai hills, bathed in the first
rays Of the morning sun, they felt that
they had reached the end of their journey.
In all their wanderings across valleys
and mountains their faithful little gray
pack mule named Box" accompanied
them. How IL happened TO acquire the
wholly Inappropriate name was since eN-
planned by Tim O'Rourke, who says they
always called him Box because he was
always ION the square, meaning that ne
was a faithful and industrious mule, new
er baly and always willing to work. He
was tethered a short distance from the
campfire, and his back was just visible
over ledge that was between the miners
and the excellent little brute.
Their breakfast finished, O,Rourke
arose and stretched his limbs. Six feet
and two inches tall, with muscles hard
ened by a miners outdoor life he was
known as Handsome Tim" throughout
the whole country. Brave and generous
he had by many acts of courage endeared
himself TO the few Inhabitants of the
mountain district over which he and his
bosom friend, Sullivan, had roamed for
years. Bred upon an Ohio farm, near
West Salem, he had reVolted from the
animal servitude required. and had OBJ
tanned a reputation as a ne'er-do-well.
Consequently, when he had aspired to
the vicinity of his bucolic home. he was
promptly refused. Then he went wesr.
and gradually became prospector. Dur
ing the winter, when he could find em-
ployment dealing faro bank, he lived com
fortably in Spokane, but when spring came
even the aiurements of s. for eight hours
did not induce him to forsake his voca-
tion as prospectOr.
His companion, Mike Sullivan. known
as Jolly Mike" usually laughed in the
face of adversely. 1t was said of him
when he fell into Lake Occur d'Alene one
day that his buoyant nature made il inn
possible for him to sink Mike was about
80 years of age, and had a Celts fond
ness for whisky.
As the two men started to load their
pack mule with a burden which weighed
more than the beast himself, they no
ticed that he had paved the earth in
search of tender bunch grass. Sullivan
stopped to examine the animals shoes,
"Howiy Moses, Tim! win yez look at
this?"
Tim looked, and it was high noon be-
fore the two prospectors left the place.
Then they had staked it out and marked IT
by permanent buttes and boundaries, ac-
cording to the provisions of miners law.
They put up big card, on which was
printed in rude characters, made with
charred embers: Bunker Hin and Sulli-
van Mine, Sullivan and O'Rourke, own
ers."
Then they started for Spokane Dur
ing the entire march of sixty miles they
paused only to eat rabbit which they
not to discover another mine if it resulted
in such a forced march as that. Two
months afterward O'Rourke and Sulli-
van were caring diamonds and billed
Shirts and found it impossible to ex-
haust their income by any ordinary means
Both are now millionaires several times
the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mine to a
British syndicate for $,50O000. BOX"
the real discoverer of the property, is stin
living. He never has to carry any more
big loads, for he reYels in clover on his
masters big ranch in the Walla Walla
Valley. A thousand dollars would not buy
this humble little mule, old as he is, and
people say that Tim O'Rourke will give
BOX" swell funeral when he dies This
is why the picture of a little old gray mule
Is stamped on every sack of ore that is
shipped from the Bunker Hill and Sulli-
van mine. 1t also accounts for a hand
some painting of Box" done by no less
an artist than Remington himself. that
adorns the office of the owners of the mine
Meanwhile ORourke's buckeye sweet
heart had forgotten him and married He
returned and the simple country people
He married a Los Angeles belle, but those
who know him best say that with all his
money he is still unhappy. Sullivan died
a few years ago, after having consumed
more liquor than any other man in the
west. For thirteen years the mine dis
covered by the mule has produced thou
sands of sacks of high grade silver, and
1t seems to be practically ineXhaustible
The little town of Burke Idaho, is
named for one of the most eccentric mil
lionaires that ever lived. John NJ Burke
now known as the prince of Occur d. A.
lene," came west fourteen years ago.
He had $1,000 in cash, and with that he
established a small general store at the
town which now bears his name. Gene
rous to a fault, he had seen much better
days. During the war he fought with
Pickett but his loyalty to the lost cause"
ended with the war.
Grub stake prospectors were plenty in
those days, and Burke advanced goods
TO almost anyone who asked for credit
The miners, as was customary in those
days, contracted with him to give him
a half interest in any mine which they
might discover.
one day a ragged fellow, who did not
even have a pick or shovel, appealed
to MIN for aid. Among other things that
Burke advanced him was a gallon of
whisky. and the friends of the country
merchant frankly told him that he had
thrown his money aWaN