The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-02-01
A RACE FOR LIFE.
By 4. TENDER FOOTE

Late in the autumn of 1888 I, with
three classmates of the school of
Mines, invested in the lease of some
mining property in Colorado. We
We're young and inexperienced in bust
ness matters, SO that the financial part
o. the venture was rather unskillfully
managed Almost all the money we
could raise was put into the necessary
plant
Before the snow stopped operations
we had on the heap many tons of val
liable ore. The depth of the snow.
however. prevented it's shipment to
Pueblo for smelling. and we were
obliged to lay of the miners, owing
them at the time over . months
wages
made a hurried trip to New York
to see if additional funds could be
raised by two of the partners living in
that city; but WAS unsuccessful.
On my return / reached the little viii
lage of Mater, some four Thousand feet
below the mine, where | was told by
Reynolds, the other partner. that there
were rumblings of an approaching
storm among the idle miners-about
thirty in number.
We determined that we would go to
the mine and talk over the state of af-
fairs with the men. Unfortunately.
it had been rumored that had brought
back with me a large sum of money
which l had deposited in the local
bank.
Soon after reaching our snow-cov-
cred cabin and making a fre-for the
temperature was twenty degrees be-
low Zero-tne door WIS thrust open
and three sulIen-looking men, who
had evidently been drinking heavily,
stalked in.
They wanted to know-as q commit
tee of the miners-what we proposed to
do about paying the wages due them
We were armed And we knew that
they were.
replied that l had been unsuccess-
full in my journey east and had re-
turned to ask them to wait for the
opening of the spring SO that the ore
could be realized on. The spokesman
interrupted angrily:
You lie! We amt no fools. We
know you've got five thousand dollars
in the bank at Mater. and we propose
to have our money and have it now!'
/ said l would willingly sign a blank
check and allow them to fill in any
amount they wished and let them see
if they could get it cashed.
The chairman of the committee
called me to the little window of the
cabin and pointing to a tree in the fore
ground, said: Chambers, do you see
that ar tree thar?''
j nodded.
Well" lie answered, ''if at the end
of three days you don't have the money
here to pay us, we'll swing you from
that lowest limb. And you don't leave
this cabin. nuther. One OF us and his
gun will be outside the door all the
time. Write this telegram: If you
don't send three thousand dollars il
three days, they'll hang me- Sign it,
/ protested that ! knew no one tC
send it to; but concluded that it would
be wise to temporize and do as they
wished. and l wrote and signed the
message, directing it to my brother in
New York.
They then left, placing one of their
number on guard. An hour passed by
and the almost perishing man came in,
saying that he would stay inside and
watch there.
Reynolds and i, after long delibera-
ton. concluded to offer our individual
notes to the men. payable at thirty
days. We were escorted to the engine
house. and, after some further parley-
ing, the men consented to accept and
to escort under guard of two to
the village below to get the needed
blank.
How well remember our walk down
the mountain side, over the snow trail,
in Indian fiie-Reynolds and ahead
and the two guards behind. The moon
was shining at the full and from the
distance. adding q strange, uncanny
feeling to our already overwrought
nerves, came the cries of the puma
the mountain lion.
1t was nine o'clock when we reached
Mater and obtained the notes from the
banker. We had taken a light supper
of unwarmed canned meat only and
were quite exhausted from the cold on
our walk down. Retiring to the little
office we owned in the village, we
made out our promises To pay and
gave them to the guard, who, notwith-
standing, maintained his careful
watch.
While sitting there, half frozen and
dis iscussing our position, two of the
miners came in. They were the NAL
colin brothers. both men of superior
education and refinement They said
to US. in q low tone. fearing to be over
heard by the watcher outside:
Boys, although you have given
these notes, you will still be prisoners.
We have faith in You and believe you
are square; but this is no place for
you, and you ought to leave this camp
and as quickly as possible. The fell
lows mean what they say and are bad