The record-union., 1896-02-27
HIS EFFORT SUCCESSFUL
Suicide of an Old Prospector at North
port, Washignlon.


SPOKANE (Wash), Feb. 26.-Word
has been received from Northport that
o. c. Cox, an old prospector. who tried
to commit suicide there yesterday, is
dead, and thereby hangs tale.
Five years ago Cox, with Dan Crown,
was on the Colville Indian reservation,
opposite the town of Northport. While
climbing to the top of the hill to locate
themselves, having lost their way, they
discovered a very rich quartz ledge,
samples Of which assayed between S400
and $500, and which in character is
Identical to the famous Silver King,
near Nelson, B. c. There was little
prospect of the reservation being opened
for years, SO they concealed the exposed
part of the ledge, and it is now fully
covered over by grass and dirt.
Shortly after making the discovery
Cox formed the acquaintance of Ed.
Cowan, one of the best known news
paper men in the State, and to him he
told of the rich find, and together the
three friends, Cox, Crown and Cowan.
agreed to wait patiently until the reser-
walton was opened and then locate the
mine that was to make them all rich and
happy
Cox, during all the intervening years
prospected around in this State and
British Columbia, waiting for the time
when he should acquire wealth. AT
last the hour came, and to Crown was
left the work of skirmishing to get on
the ground first he being the youngest
and strongest of the party while Cox
was getting old and weak.
Cowan for the past several months
has been at Rossland, b. c., and there
made known his knowledge of the ledge
Several men got around him and in
duced him to leave Cox and Crown and
locate them. This he finally agreed to
do. Then it was suggested that if the
location notice showed his name his
former partners might suspect him. and
so when he made the rush and located
the claim his own name was left out
The men whose names were attached.
however, stopped him, and, giving him
the laugh, refused to deed him any in
terest in the mine, and when Cox went
to get his interest from Cowan he
learned not only that ne had lost the
mine which he had waited years to get,
but that the man he had treated as a
friend and brother, whom he had
camped with and fed for years, had de-
liberately sold him out for a mess of
pottage, and had not even received the
pottage.
Cox, who was getting infirm, thought
of all this, and it proved too much for
his reason, and, walking down to the
Columbia River, near Northport, he
jumped in, but fortunately several men
suspected his intent and followed him.
They pulled him out and persuaded
him to come back to the town. When
they reached the village Cox started off
ahead of his guardians and they fol-
lowed a short distance behind him.
Presently he pulled a hunting-knife
from his pocket and placed the point of
it against his breast, under his vest and
Immediately over his heart. Holding
the knife in his left hand, he struck the
handle several times with his right fist,
driving the blade in deeply, grazing the
heart and infiicting a mortal wound.
He was picked up, and medical assist
ance was summoned, but the broken
hearted old miner breathed his last a
few hours later.
The mine for which he waited for five
is said to be very valuable Marcus
Daily has already offered to bond it for
81 100000
This is the first tragedy on the open
in Of tho C0Iui11o Indian fion