The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-14
DEATH OFAFAMOUS MINER.
N. o. oREEDE DIES OF AN OVERDOSE
OF MORPHINE.
II IL TheuEht EIe May Bavo Committed guioido
He nnd Separated from His wiz, and
Was Worried by Her Return 20 Les AN
1cIes-Tovn of Creaaa Named After Him.

the Colorado mining man after whom the town
of Creole was named, died last night at Los
Angeles from the effects Of an overdose Of NOR
phine, perhaps taken with suicidal intent.
William w. Phifer, his brother.in-law, In
sists that tho affair was an accident, but
the presence here of Crcede's wife and his
fear of annoyance from her gave rise to the re-
port that Creole took this means Of Kidding him.
| self Of further trouble.
About $40 p. M. +. I. Mass, his gardener.
saw Mr.. Creedo sitting on q bench In his sum
mer house In the back yard apparently sloepins.
On approaching him Mass noticed that the
mans breathing was labored. MASS waited
until Phifer returned and acquainted him with
Mr.. Creede's condition.
Mr.. Creede was carried to the house and ply
sicians were sent for. Drs. Gales and wcrnlg
pronounced 1t a case of morphine poisoning.
They worked with him for hours, but he gradu-
ally sank, and died at 9:2o O'Clock.
Tho recent return of Mrs. Crcedo to Los
Angeles had a distressing effect upon Mr.. Creede.
While he may not Intentionally have taken his
life. his wife's presence preyed upon his mind,
and 1t is thought he may have resorted to
morphine in a larger dose than usual In order to
compose himself.
Some years ago Mr.. and Mrs. Creede pur-
chased n handsome property on South Pearl
street. They had no children, and two year,
ago Creole became interested in the baby girl of
Mrs. Edith Walters Walker and adopted her.
In January last Mr.. Creede and his wife sepa-
rated, and no settled $4,000 on her. Three
weeks ago Mrs. Creole returned.
Mr.. Creole cndeavorod to avoid his wife, but
he was unsuccessful. Mrs. CreedO was notified
OF her husbands death, bnt declined to discuss
the tragedy. The child, who had been adopted.
Is in the care of Mr.. Creede's friends at Escon-
dido. Mrs. Creole declaring that she would not
be bothered with 1t.
The career of Nicholas 9. Creede began early,
for. as he said, "when he was knee-high 10
aduck" he began to rustic for himself, and the
earlier yenrs of his life wero as active as exist
euce In the West at the time he lived there as n
youth could mako them. He was born in Fort
Wayne, Ind. but when a child his parents
moved to Iowa. and from that time he made bis
Lire what it was through his own efforts. At
19-he was born In 1s43-he went into the
army, hut service in tho Q~usrtermasters de-
partment, where he started. was less to his
So for seven years he served with a band Of Paw.
nee Indians In campaigns against tho Sioux
amp part Pt" Of t the cou iTinss Il That lne w NSf Whoily w sfHn
During that time Creole. who was receiving the
pay OF q First Lieutenant in the regular army,
got scarcely a wound worth mentioning. Dur
ing these years he had lived almost constantly
in the open air. on horseback IN the day time
and under q tent at night. When he had an
States.
1t was not to DO supposed that such a life
went back 70 Colorado in 1870. Then the gold
busiiy prospeetins in the very Regions through
which Creede had ridden as a scout without
s suspect tho existence Sin t &c. Of q. the 81 wealth in the
under the influence Of the mining craze there
than he decided that this was tho career in
Which he could best continue tho way OF life he
New Mexico was the place he selected for his
country were to his liking, and he was soon back
again In Colorado. For eight years he wan
the end Of that time that he made his frst strike.
He was alone for thirteen days in what is now
known as the Monarch district. and the nearest
pc :son to him was twenty-five miles away. He
called the voin he had discovered the Monarch
and sold it for q small sum.
called Il tho RonenSa. and sold It for 10000.
With this money Creole sGt out Tor a tour Of the
know about mining, end lie returned to ga.
E wa. r. .o unit Ans In S9 ,or 90 convinced that tbs
work in N one oe1 Of the widest resions OF EoIoFado"
one that aboundcd ia game and offered opHortu-
mites for the qualification of tho prospector's
AS early as 1873 there had been in this valley
2 mining camp cai,ed sunnyside. not far from
ISIS in. an attempt to discover leads there.
prospect no longer for gold had led him 10 this
place, and he was Instrumental in adding much
he uncovered his hrst vein there. Creede de,
voted himself to the Continental Divide country,
within twenty miles Of where he made his great
otter regions did not deter him from bis plan.
In 1889, whom he found the vein which event.
SSal.da was working with, him as a partner.
Of Willow iTS 'V creet - and ID 66eussSann 70 'I PROSPECT @sss it tho
mountain lying between tho two forks, and we'll
Known as Campbell Mountain. On June %,
1879, Crcelo followed M the mountain R0ma
n2at That indtGated the presence gu silver vein.
t nf51 h on a MeaS rs eft SIC f, a mSes sSiaen IN the he = mG po5s
10 justify him in locating a claim, On the next
Gay he and his partner climbed up the noun
parted and searched for 1t In different direc-
tons. Creede first found unmistakable vein
WORKING with q %picIaxe, suddenly broke a piece
Holy Mo.es!" his ~iavorite ejaculation, we're
the words used to express Smiths establishment.
pFssas then Sam "Gd th tef mIn in ,s Ss'' sf Gt 9's M g%%r.nor''
mining camp which Ultimately developed into
call It his lhS own. The Ethel and the Mgmmo,S
tho mo:ntatn on thai day. IN Juno he named
in AN inaccessible region, and 1t was n year
s eef then Gre 1ayi Gpg 4 SM Tt Tahy af 6o even ven o l9G ok
man to whom no appealed successfulIy. and n
tAAA
his, experts reported fayoreblE on The Gin. the
Holy Moses, and the Ethel. Mr.. Monat offered
TO bond them for 10000. and $ll 900 in cash
was paid ia. Creole; Tho Mammoth he sold for
5000 outright. These sums had to be divided
with his two partners. The most Creede made
out Of the Holy Moses mine was his employment
as working partner in the prospnctirE ilrm Of
Moffht. Campbell &. Creole. But that helped
him to acquire within a short time the income
OF a milli0nairr.
On Aug. o, 1891, he carno on n party of pros.
pectors that had started out from Del Eorte.
The men we're working In II fashion that would
nnver have brought th"m anything, ovcr mines
that were worth millions. Creedc might readily
have deprived the ignorant prospectors OF MI
their rights 70 tho mines; hut he helped them TO
set their stakes properly and located q mine at
t'gst. The othor men called theirs The Last
CAnnce. Creole had capital now, and he could
Cnmpienco work on his mine Immediately.
Within n short time his ambition was
Fratliled, and he found himself in pos ,esslOn
OF an, immensely, valuable mine. When inc
camp became a village and 1t was necessary TO
give ii q name, tho miners and prosecutors met,
and. without committing him, named the tow.
after the man who was 80 well liked by all OF
them.
Creede was always n man of very simple
habits, even after he got bis wealth. lie never