Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1897-02-18
Pioneer Sketches.

rAo prospectors VIII So, :.
1ns history Thre-H"ger o''''n Is
Of 'u' - 80 an example Of this class
,s '' ".s in the employ of the america"
ne ne, coupany from early 'na""'"'
Fur .o thorough schooling in the
and n 10. Of The plains. He was one
hs ."s earliest to develop the ldaho
Oh Wv no,,, mines and was one OF the
psinal discoverers of the srsa .' ~ea'' "
org ,. s,oreuce. He was the "otocra. OF
OF i 'a, Gulch in those glorious Gays
b = ''"'% HIS claims yielded in one
OIL sO s,ur hundred pounds of dust.
y !',., this ample fortune he departed
, "'' the field OF his success. He went
.o,,h to enjoy the blessings OF the
'O but he reaped the whir'w'nd'
, "y year his gold was all gone.
r,.s 80 many of his class his name
80. suggested by physical dist'n'
.,.biov mark, a wounded hand. he
gus mentally and physically equipped
~. me life of prospector. He gave
w. tho work An excess of energy. There
~ in vincibles in every field of labor
on and the subject of this sketch was an
;nvincible prospector. If the thought
,tsrad his mind that gold existed in
.ov region, however remote, no OBJ
st.c,e would restrain him from a per'
son.l investigation. He did not wait
for a grub stake nor blankets nor pack
horse. but he started with his gun and
a pouch filled with salt. His engage
,,auts we're not measured by time but
nv results. II he started On a respect
inc tour he might be gone a week, a
month or half year; and during these
excursions he slept under the trees or
in the shelter of rock and ate the
meat of wild beasts. In this manner
| he visited every mining camp IN the
northwest and explored more moun-
tain Businesses than any other prospec-
tor of old or modern times. He made
many important discoceries, perhaps
kuassing them by because they would
ot Weld hundred dollars q day.
He crossed and recrossed the divide he.
tween Montana and Idaho more than
twenty times through the trackless
forest with no companions but his
shovel and gun.
On one occasion he disappeared into
the mountains and was gone for many
months. He returned bearing the
scars of battle with hardships and
with the evidence of success in his
hands. He was loaded down with
nuggets and to his friends he related
the story of the discovery Of a rich
placer mine. None doubted his story
and he undertook to guide a party to
second Florence; but he could not
find the new camp. This is the old
story Of lost mine. This man was
not selfish enough to seek laudation by
a false report: but he died without
finding the lost mine.
After Three finger Smith packed out
bis gold, good cargoes for two horses, he
visited the Willamette valley. He re.
turned, after squandering his wealth,
to Warrens and with him came a
friend by the name of Dawson accom-
uaned by his family; and in the COM
pany was daughter who became Mrs.
smith. After marriage the inveterate
rambler became more reconciled to
domestic habits and for several years
was permanent householder in the
mining camps and on u farm OH Sal
mon river. The man with 80 many
traits OF nobility was unfortunately
ad'cted to the use Of strong drink.
His family relations became unpleasant
100 soon; and after three children had
0een born into tbs unhappy family, a
separation occurred. Mrs. Smith
deserted her husband and the children
and went to Colorado where she after
wards married a man by the name of
|urm. The parent was attached to his
|ealldren and tried hard to rally from
n's lntemperance and be faithful to
the trust Of father. We find him in
.a'er years on a farm, having given up
Tue mountains and tbs mines and also
'ae nsolt OF drink. The loss of his
s"e and the devotion to his children
"ansiormed him for q time and he
ouiit up snug little fortune by agri.
CULTURAL pursuits. In him, however,
was a longing for the old haunts and
perhaps tor the old habits of debauch-
Fry In the meantime q company of
|.onV'v'aI tourists engaged the old time
"ounta'neer to guide them to some
.es,on OF the interior; and he went
s"a again returned to the use of alco-
ao' This relapse carried him to the
'"ost excess and the downward
w was never again interrupted .
s ''e thereafter was q prolonged
;p'ee' he died poor man after CIV