The age-herald., 1897-10-03
4 LUCELESS LUMP OF COAL
Odd History of the Long Potato
 Nugget in California,
TWO MURDERS UNEARTHED
By Its DscOVery-lt Had Many Owners and Brought Little Profit to Auy-A Drunken
 Miners Experience With It.

tory of an earey California lump of gold.
 This nugget" he said, twas found in the summer of 1853 by a Mexican mi ner who was washing out dirt in a. gulch leading down toward Dry Lick, in Anradario county, Alt the head of the gulch a party of Digger Indians were in camp One day one of the Indians came sEouching along where the MeSi- can was at work in his crude and care less way and stopped to watch him. The Mexican kspt a suspicious watch on the Indian out of the corner of his eye as he manipulated the cradle, for the Diggiens were inVeteratjs thieves, and did not hesitate to kill if it aided them in robbery. The Indian eyed eagerly every pile of tailings the miner threw out, and after awhile the Mexican saw him stoop down quickly, dart his hand like a flash into the tailings and make rapid motion with it to the breast of 1lis buckslSin shirt-a garment which he had undoubtedly footed from some mi- ner. 1lhlsn the Indian rose to dms feet and walJchlad tine Mexican as before. The suspicious mlnsr asked the Indian whet he had found in the taalings The In dan, without replying, ran up the gulch as fast as dle could. That was enough for lthls Mexican. He knew that the In- dian had found gold, and he starred an pursuit of the fiesing savage, draw ing a keen, longbladed knife from his belt as he ran-
 "The Indian led the Mexican a long chase. 1hs Digger camp was about three m9lss from the Mexicans claim, and the Indian was almost within ght of it before his pursuer overlook him. Then the Mexican plunged his knife Ito tte hit between the Indians shoulders. With a yell the Indian fell to the ground. The miner tore open the In- dianls shirt and foud a gnag7lsd and l2notte3 lump of pure gold. Seizing the treasure, he thrust his knife once more into the body of the Indian and hasten ed back to his camp. Two days later he was found dead in his tent, Gis body covered with spear wounds and GliS scalp gone. It was then that the finding of thls nugget, its tfisft by the Indian, and it's tragic recovery by the miner first became known in the mining camps A Mexican woman wfpo lived with the mi ner had been sent by him to camp at Dry Creek, tlfle day aftsr the nugget was found, to cau1ry lthe news to his brother, who was working there, and tell him to come to the guTch dtgglngs. It was she and the brother who found the miner dead and mutilated in his bent when they get there from Dry Creek.
 1.-The nlansr of the MeXican'6 murder was so enthusiastically that of the Digger Indians that there could be mo doubt who the assa ssinS were. It was supposed that the yel of the Indian, when hhe ,Mexican's knife sank into his back, waS heard at the Digger camp, and men- bers of the party went to see what it meant There being life enough left in their dying companion, he had been able to tell them what had befallen him and who was responsible for his fate. The Indians companions had simply avenged his death and at the same time recovered the nugget. The dead miners brother and a party of other Mexicans started In pursuit of tine Indians, but they found the camp deserted, and tlle trail the Diggers had taken could not be hocated.
 'FThe nelws of the finding of this mug get and the tragic fncdden'ts tha' fol- lowed it spread through the mining camps. The lump of gold was described ta1 resembling a long taro covered with smaller potatoes in punches, it's dimensions being about four inches long and two irl5hes i'm mean width. From it's peculiar shape it gcl. the name of Long Pctalto Nugget, and bls fame was wide. Noshing was heald of the nugget for morths and its reappearance was onfy momeptary, so to speak, and came about fin queer way!
 "One of the most reckless and ddzsi- paged miners of those reckless days was Sam Lowell He had dumped more iiu5t on the gambling tables than amy O her miner oin the Costumes River, where he had worked and fooled away various claims. One day in the fall after the nugget was found. Sam was riding home on his mule to hts camp from a mining ,1dwn. Sam was drunk. On his way he met three Digger Indians. They stopped him and war,.ed to buy his mule. He df6in't want to sell it. but at last one of ths Indians steaI1shDy drew soc lining from beneath his blanket and told Sern they would give him that for the mule When SanY's eyes feIl on what the In- dian had in his hand it almost knocked him sober. It was the lost long potato nugget, which had already cost two lives, and for which every miner in the mountain was looking. Th= Indians were evldsntly anxious to get it'd of the gold, for of course its possession was a con- Stant menace to their safety. Sam dis mounted from the mule, Handed it over to the Indian, and received the nugget. Drunk as he was, he knew the import ance of keeping his possession of the murdered Mexllcan's lost treasure se-. cret. When he reached his tent he hid the nugget and tuibled in EiO sleep off his drunk. When he woke the next morn- 1ng he remembered trading off the mule for the nugget, but he could not recall uhe place where he had hidden the lump |, of gold.
 t According 10 the tale Sam afterward told, he hunted in every nook and corner of his claim, dug up ground on all sides of it, split no end of hollow logs, turned lover ston;s of an sor S and sizes, work ing for days in the search, but no mug gat could he find. He at last made up hys enind that the Tndlans had regretted their trade, sneaked back, found the gold and cal.qLed it off again. Sam was terId- bly, disappointed, for he had made up his mind to quietly work his way to Frisco with is treasure and break every bank in town with i;. When he gave up eihs search in disgust, he went back to the msartng camp and filled up again. The minute he had reached the stage of in- toxicat,on he was fin the night he traded the mule for tlle lump of gold, Ut all came back ito him where he had hidden Gt. He started for htls claim alt once without saying a w'o.d to anyone; but for fear 'thlat he mlgiht sober on the way and forgeI where the nugget was he car- Iied jug of camp whislzey along with him to keep his head level AarriviIng at his tent aIl right, he walked over to an old pair of boots at one side of the tent, showed his haud down in the leg of one boot, and fouujd his nugget, juEit where he had hidden dit.
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