Evening star., 1896-01-18
HILDERBRAND,S LUCK.
TrininE Accident That Came Be-
-, tween Him and Millions.

h., tween Him and Millions.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Mining camps are replete with Interesting
stories of prospectors who have struck 1t
rich and Of those who, after years of un-
successful effort, find themselves dead
broke in their old age because luck was
against them. while everybody believes
more or less in the existence of that some
thing known as luck" said Jean Decker,
formerly a resident of the Black Hills, and
one of the pioneers of that region, the
prospector, who climbs over mountains and
trails along streams winding their devious
way through tortuous gulches, more than
anybody, is a believer that luck shapes the
destnies of all men. He will tell you frank
ly that he believes in luck. and Is always
prepared with what he considers 1rrefutable
arguments in support of his belief. If argu-
ments fail to convince, he is ready to relate
experiences by the score. experiences OF his
own and of others, to prove that luck is be.
hind all success or failure, and that luck
good or bad, is responsible for the success or
failure of all undertakings.
81. F. HiIderbrand, a little, wiry, French
man, who drives an express wagon In Dead
wood, is q firm believer in luck, for the
greater number of the many years that
cause his curly beard and hair to be so lib
orally besprinkled with silver have been
spent in the mountains Of the west. 1t is
luck that is responsible for the fact that he
is now driving a dray instead Of living life
of ease and enjoying the luxurfes and COM
forts that the possession of unlimited means
make possible. Had luck not been against
him he would now be Mr.. Hilderbrand, and
not 'Hilderbrand, the drayman.' It was
luck that caused him, more than thirty
years ago, to stumble against a mountain
side in Montana, and 1t was the same luck
that caused him to chip off piece from a
huge boulder he found there, to find that he
had struck it rfch,' for the boulder was
quartz. and so rich in gold that it fairly
made his eyes pop and his heart beat with
rapidity that threatened serious results to
it's outer covering. He soon got over his
excitement, and. with the prospector's in
stnct, began to look for the lead from
which the boulder had sloughed off. Luck
was still with him, for he traced the lead and
at once began to open it. He had a partner,
and the two worked hard, for, although
quartz mining was then merely an expert
ment in Montana, they knew the time was
coming when placer mining would end and
quartz mining would receive the attention
of men anxious for quick way of increas-
ing their wealth.
'"They were poor, and their supply Of grub
was limited, but they knew that there were
plenty of men in the territory who would
gladly stake them as soon as they learned
of tina richness of their find. So far all of
their luck had been of the quality de-
scribed as good but change was to come,
and that soon. Their luck was destined to
undergo a change. In an unfortunate mo-
ment they undertook to roll out of the way
the great boulder which had guided them to
where fortune was awaiting them. Whether
1T was this or something else that caused
their good luck to change is not known, but
Hilderbrand believes that the attempt to
change the location of the boulder offended
the genf that for years had guarded the hid
den treasures of the mountain, for the boul-
der rolled over on to the arm of his partner
and SO badly crushed it that it became use
less. Being without money, they had to
leave the place, ,Hilderbrand going to French
Gulch to seek employment in the placer
mines there, while his partner went to
Helena to obtain surgical assistance.
Years passed on and Hilderbrand began
to think less of the 'find,' and when the
stampede for Deadwood began he was one
of the first to join the rush, and luck of the
good kind aided him to locate a paving
claim In that part Of the city which was
once known as EliZabethtown After the
claim had been worked out he again drifted
west, and was one of the pioneers in the
Occur d'Alene mountains. Bad luck again
became his companion, and he drifted from
one place to another, until finally he found
himself once more In Montana, and one day
he stood once more gazing on the boulder Of
rich quartz on which he had feasted his eyes
years before. The boulder had the familiar
appearance Of an Id friend, but its sur
roundings had so changed that Hilderbrand
was bewtldered.
I'm place of the modest little tunnel he
had helped to dig over a quarter of a CEN
tury before, he found a monster hoistine
plant raising rich ore from shaft hundreds
'of feet in depth. while in the gulch thun-
dered and roared monster stamp MILL The
boulder had been removed, and 1t occupied a
place of honor in front of a splendid b,1ild-
ing. Surrounded by an iron railing, from
which dangled signs cautioning trespassers
to beware, the boulder stood an object of
veneration and curiosity, for it told to the
world that. it was the identical rock that
had led to the discovery Of the famous