The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-02
NOT PILES OF GOLD
A Party Of Thompson Falls Prospec'
tors Cross the Line.
AND THEY COME BACK AGAIN
The Trip to the Rich Fields OF
British Columbia Satisfies All
That Montana Is the
Place After All.

Thornpson Fails, Dec. IA Standard
reporter recently had occasion TO VISIT
with a party of prospectors who iett
Thompson Falls last May for a trip to
British Columbia. a new mining DIS
trdct about 65 miles from Fort steele.
The party was led by Thomas Shaugn-
messy, one of the best prospectors anu
mining men of the Northwest rhouSa
young, ne has made himself prominent
among mining men in the state he -
the discoverer of the Shaughnessy Hlii
mine in Libby basin and many other
valuable properties, both in this ana
the British possessions; that old trail
blazer. Jacob Filters, an Indian war
veteran and scout of Black Hills fame'
a noted buffalo hunter and a guide VINO
has grown old in his search for the pre-
cfous metal, now celebrated as a trap
per and hunter, was with The party.
His rifle is never erring when in mis-
hand, and when "Yakup." as he is IA
milharly called, goes out for game, tne
camp kettle is sure to fbe creased on MS
return. Other members were Ell1an
DoweIl, also veteran Black Hills min
er and prospector; George Worm, the
genial. good-natured individual who
Furnished all the mirth for ''the gang;
Major Van wyck of Libby, Jake Her
man, a veteran Thompsonian, w. ii.
J.add, a green hand in the field. though
a mighty good fellow TO have about
camp, who distinguished himself as
one of the best mountaineers in the
party; and last but not least. the wiley
Professor w. T.. Nippert, now prlnclpal
of a1he Thompson Falls schools. He
halls from Cincinnati, Ohio, and made
his debut in frontier life among bne
In
age OF Is, during the Cheyenne Indian
outbreak At this time he was making
a trip on the Solomon river month or
Hays City, when he was taken captlVe
by band of [hostiles and compelled 10
live on cornmeal and grasshopperS 1or
eight days, when he was rescued by
party of scouts from Major Reno's reg
iment The professor Us a graduate or
the Gymnasium" at Frankfort, Maine,
and the Northwestern Normal School
at Lemars. Iowa. In 1881 he made
"trip from Yankton TO the Sioux reser-
walton, where ne became better ac-
quainted with Western life. and In 1856
was in the Paris surveying party, with
whom the public is already familiar.
The professor has since been employed
in the Thompson school rooms and has
made himself widely known throughout
the state as "a thorough scholar and an
able instructor.
After the usual trouble i'm arranging
suitable PACK
of the lessons taught in throwing the
diamond hitch, the trouble with the
bucking, white-eyed cayuses, and the
other incidentals in detail that, all put
together, fit UP for a long trip, the
party left Thompson Falls bright and
early April %. and at nightfan they
were camped one and one-half miles
outside the city limits. The next day,
however. they made better time, and so
on, until the party-and other animals
were thoroughly accustomed to that
routine of life. The party was well
ally fill the harder of a miner, and fish
and game were found plentiful along
the route to Tobacco Plains.
Tobacco Plains is one of the most
beautiful. productive and we'll watered
valleys in the west, but unfortunately
one-half of 1t belongs to the Queen S
domain. Elk river. which hh1 TO be
crossed. Is the boundary between these
plains and the British possessions. II
is considered a most dangerous stream
to cross. even in low water. and at that
time It was at its height. The task
was undertaken ana successfully ac-
complished, though nearly at the cos
fthe life OF Elijah Dowell. who owe:
his present existence on this mundane
sphere To an old Kootenai Indian. The
party was padded over the foaming
boiling billows of this rushing torren
by another KoOtenai Indian, and tn,
pack train was swum across. assis teC
by ropes attached to them from the op
pos5te shore. Elk river being crossed
the trail passed through heavy tim
bered country along Kootenai river u
Fort Steele
There the men were compelled to e,
through a rigid examination by an olC
English, fossilized revenue agent, ant
compelled TO pay a heavy duty ol
everything they possessed, includtn,
the little provisions. tobacco, pocle
knives. pack saddles. and all At tina
place they learned the dire conceH o
the English lords. coffee coolers an,
bounty jumpers. There they met
Mr.. Galbraith, agent of the Kootena
tribe. who claimed 10 have sent wor
70 the governor OF Montana that unles
the three Koutenai Indians under ar
rest In This state for breaking the gam
laws were not released he would no
prohibit the tribe from numbering a.
the whites in the Flathead valley A
they heard of no blood being shed, tn
governor probably released the culpriti
but not, however. without sufferin
them 10 pay the penalty OF their crim'
Then an English dude came abou
inspecting the pack animals and comm
10 the most gentle one in the pacl
said: What kind OF a blarsted. blood
horse have you here" The horse, w'hic
had never been known 20 kick. no doul
fei. the insult keenly. for he Just reac7
ed out from the hip and after n
blOody Englishman was picked up an
carried TO a neighboring drug store se'
eral teeth were found missing and %
pipe which he held between them WI
extracted from way down his throat.
The party met with no real hardSh
until after Fort Steele was passed al
the Selkirk mountains We're reaohe
In these mountains deep snow was q
cOuutered and a distance of over
miles was traversed without a trail. y
e. 49, ~ araA ff4aar FflarRIe
the caravan, which was also establis
ed in the wilderness, became remar
ably scarce and nlr between. On 4
10th and 22d OF June detachments
the rarfy suffered additional privatio
by becoming host IN the snow. bo
times being out all night without 70
or blankets. The mOnOtony OF this pa
of the trip wa siessened by the captu