Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-11-15
An Incident of the Rush to the
Orc Elmo Mines.
ELK CITY AND FLORENCE
Captain Dick Waugh Narrates the Trag.
edy That Blotted Out His Par
tnership.

captain Dick Vaughan yesterday, as
he pulled couple of big chairs before
| a bright blaze in the fire place. IT just
| happened to pick up an old letter that
l received years ago from an aged
| mother thanking me for kindness to her
| son. McBrady-or Mac, called him
was for long time partner Of mine,
| and this letter recalls tender recollec-
| TONS"
Lighting a cigar and pulling his chair
little closer to the fire the captain
continued.
There is nothing in the world that
makes men so excited and SO easily
| draws them away from the ordinary
pursuits of life as a pleasant home and
a happy family, as the mining fever In
the early days of the west there had
only to be rumor that gold had been
discovered in this gulch or that rich
| diggings had been uncovered in that
to cause stampede in the direction of
the new find. When the news spread
rapidly from camp to camp and city
to city along the coast, that the new
Ell Dorado was to be found in Idaho,
hundreds and thousands fiocked to the
new camps of Elk City and Florence. /,
with the rest, had the fever, and start
l
road 1 fell in with a man named Nc
Brady. He had been keeping store
in some little camp down in Oregon,
had shut up shop and joined the throng
He was quiet man about 45 years DID,
and although of few words, he was yet
always pleasant and genial, well edu-
Gated and with the manner and bearing
of a gentleman. Our liking for each
other was mutual, and Nc and 1 Joined
issues and became partners. We were
not long in finding rich piece of
ground short distance from Elk City,
and putting up a little cabin, went to
| work in earnest
| 1.-THE female portion of Elk City was
not above the average of a mining
camp. There was not a woman in the
place that had not placed herself be-
yond the pale of what is called correct
| society. In camp of this kind, too,
you must remember that all the men
! know all the women personally and
| call them Jen or Joe, or whatever may
be their given name, with the proper
| abbreviation. My partner McBrady,
however, had but very little to do with
them, working hard at the sluice boxes
all the time. Only a few months after
we had been in camp there came to the
place an addition to the demi-monde
| portion OF the populations girl who
called herself Bessie Bennett. Bessie
she became known as Little Bess'-
was scarcely 20 years old, quite a con-
trast to the others, you may be sure;
rather pretty and exceedingly vivaci-
Gus. OF course all the boys in the
| camp sought the acquaintance of Lit
| tie Bess, and to be honest with you, 1
did myself. Even the apathy of my
partner Nc was aroused, and he got
| acquainted with the little girl that had
caused such a furry. His attachment
however, was of different kind from
| that of the rest of the boys-Mc was in
| love with the girl.
: Il thought great deal of my pard-
| ner and was sorry to see this, so one
| night I took occasion to speak to him
about it. We were through eating, and
had started to wash the tin plates,
when 1 suggested. in as kind a way as
possible, that love for woman of that
kind could not result in good. Nc had
| just lighted his pipe and was sitting on
| the edge of the bunk. He arose slowly,
and walking over to the table beside
| which 1 was standing, and laying. his
| hand gently on my shoulder he said:
Dick, my boy, have great wrong to
atone for. When 1 was young man,
surrounded by all that wealth and low
| ing parents could provide, I was yet
reckless and wild. A little factory girl
AS pure as any creature of Gods
attracted my attention, and told her I
| loved her, promised to marry her, and
| she, the trusting girl, dazzled by my
| standing and wealth, very foolishly be-
lieved me. Under this promise I ruined
| her, and she was turned away from
home, cursed by a father for the blot
| on his name. Little Bess is not fallen
because of her own free will, but some
| wretch like myself has placed her there.
love the girl and If can save her I
know that If there is God in heaven
he will forgive me-
HE dropped back on the bunk ana
great tears rolled down his cheeks.
My heart was touched, and tried to
comfort him. Well. weeks ran into
months, and the day of the wedding of
my pardner McBrady and Little Bess
was set. She had left the house that
| first sheltered her in the camp and was
occupying little cabin Nc had fixed
UP for her. Mes quiet ways and the
manner in which he Stunned the sa-
looms and gambling houses caused MIN
| to be generally disliked. One night
while he was up to see Little Bess
some OF the men down town drank too
much whisky and became quarrelsome.
| Someone suggested that Nc was only a
disguised horsethief and in a minute
the whole crowd took up the cry and by
common impulse started for the cabin.
I heard 1t all and. ran ahead to warn
my best friend of the danger The mob
got there almost as quick as did, but
Nc, with his face pale. walked to the
door with a drawn revolver. Some one
tried to strike him. Little Bess stepped
in between to prevent the blow and the
gun was turned. The shot that was in
| tended for the assailant pierced her
own body. She was tenderly laid on the
bed by Nc, who pleaded with her to
! speak to him. The doctor was at once
secured, but there seemed little hope for
Bess. / took the watch out in the
\ other room while Nc sat at her side
begging her to forgive him, for he laid
| all the blame to himself. About mid
night he came out and ripping open the
| lining of his vest handed me a package
of letters. Dick. my boy said he, you
have been kind and true to me and
| sho,,ld fba nj a,1ya MT aaa mo ariua