Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-04-24
A WOMAN GOLD HUNTER.
she Has Bcen Ono Fifty Years and
saves Half She Finds.

she Has Bcen Ono Fifty Years and
saves Half She Finds.
Mary Odom. gold hunter, lives in II
little cabin on the mountain side about
amilc from Auraria, the ancient min.
ing town of North Georgia. whose best
days were those prior to the discovery
Of gold in California in 1910, says dis.
patch in the New York sun. The cabin
was built 10y u miner named Odom. and
gan he babe his wife and daughter
Mary. then girl of ~ years old. fare.
well, and started West. His family
never heard from hin, again.
His wife managed to support herself.
and. having some knowledge of gold
mining, taught her daughter Mary how
TO wash the golden grains from the
sand In the beds of the mountain
streams. The two were quite success.
full. and gathered a great deal of gold
dust. When Mary was III years old
her mother died. That was IN 1857,
and the United states mint was still in
operation at Dahlongca. Mary soon
grew exper, in finding gold. and many
u pcnnywcight did she carry TO the
mint. Having disposed of IL, she So
GREETED invariably half her profits In TIE
cabin at the mouth of the gulch above
Auraria.
The war came Oh and the mint was
broken w ana for four years Mary
Odom had lard time of It. The Con.
fedcratc Government needed all the
money II could get. AMI the title gath.
crcrs made frequent visits to her cabin
In search of gold: but she was able Ia
keep her hoard hidden. After the war
matters settled down u little. and when
she was assured of the protection of
the civil authorities she went about her
work boldly and devoted all the time
she could spare from the cultivation of
her little patch of cleared land to the
business of gold hunting.
The richest deposits had been work
cd over 50 much that they were not 81
profitable as they had been when sh,
first began to wash gold in the noun
tain streams. She lived very frugal,
and raised her own crops of corn. cab
bage and potatoes. and spun and WOW,
her own clothing. She has always KEEP
up the habit of putting aside half hc'
findings. whether they were large o
small. Sometimes her wnshings wOul,
not amount TO much during the week
but II she secured only - cents sh'
would put aside u quarter and spcn,
the rest. piccing ont her wants by 20
ing into debt. She Is now In her sixty
first year. and she has boarded away ,
sock filled with gold dust. which sh,
has shown To some Of her most trtstc,
friends. and Is worth several tlIonsan,
dollars. still she keeps at work. an,
on any fair day. when not busy abou
her cabin. she may he seen trampin.
over the hills In search of gold. Sh,
will tuck up her homcspun skirt an,
stand knee deep In the chill waters 81
the mountain streams all day Ion:
washing the sand AMI gathering up I'll,
shining particles.
1T amt 81 easy as Il wcr' forty year,
ago" she said rs she snoOthcd bacl
her iron gray locks from her forehead
hut l kin make u purity good Twin
ou,'n II yit. I've seed the day when
could wash out from four to i've pen
nywcights week. but hardly eve
strike SIGH u streak as that nowadays
! 'spccted pap 10 come home old an po
fur years alter he icf' fur California
hut ! done gin up all hopes now.
seed so many o them po' al Teller,
come back broke down thought moth
in To live Oh at I thought I'd saw,
up part Of all l foun' SOS to hep I'm
ont Wen he come back. an that's how
! come TO save up my little pile. I'll,
Lord knows hits little 'nougli. In spit,
q what folks say bout mo bcin' u ricl
I 'nmun an nll sich ~ thntv