Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-11-25
n O47
THOUGHT IT a GRAVEYARD.
supcrstitious Miners Kept Away
from the Richest Strike of All.

supcrstitious Miners Kept Away
from the Richest Strike of All.
"All this hyar excitement bout the
diggin's at Klondike," remarked Col.
Ham Splogett, of Arizona, the other
night, as he whetted his knife upon his
cheek, reminds me of the days when
Arizony was prime and rich in placer.
stuff itself. No diggin's then like
Arizony's. Men from all over the hull
darned states wuz comm in every day,
and the prairie schooners meandered
across the deserts like they wuz used ter
the sand instead of the grass. Every
man what could carry u shovel wuz hust-
lin fer the diggin's, and women, too. fer
that matter, WIZ plodding for the
groun' whar the red gold wuz sleeping
among the gravel. When I reached the
diggin's 1 found mighty nigh onter
everybody else thar afore me. Camp
wuz made, and mighty nigh every claim
along Chickaloo creek wuz taken up.
Like many other of the boys. he'd ter
get out and try fer new place. Found
a good float while prospectin' the side
Of big gulch, and follering the lead,
darned me if l didn't come across the
richest bit of gold-bearing gravel had
ever seed l had been creepin' erlong
on my knees most, chasing up the float,
and when did grasp what he'd found,
darncd me, when looked UP and got
on my feet, if 1 hadn't found a grave
ward. Thar, right whar 1 wuz lookin',
1 seed four little crosses, planted just
whar the gold wuz the thickest. Wall,
it kinder went agin my grain to disturb
a burying ground, so went erlong and
located claim right jining the place
with the crosses. The boys came out
and located, too, and inside of week
the new diggin's wuz just a boomin'.
"We oil cast greedy eyes on the claim
with the graveyard, but nary a feller
he'd the nerve ter tech the place, an it
wuz mighty hard fer the boys ter go
near the place after night fell. 1t
seemed like the gold must be thar
mighty thick, but we let it alone. About
n month later woke up early one morn
irg, an lookin' out of my shanty, I
seed camp stalzed on the graveyard
claim. 1 wuz up in jiffy, and, pulling
my gum 'roused one or two of the boys
and started out to investigate. No
dissertation fer me. Wewuzn't goin' ter
allow any tenderfeet to break in upon
the sanctity of the crosses, and we he'd
our minds made up to that point We
reused up the newcomers, and told them
they he'd ter get. They just laughed,
and that made us kinder mad. When
we wuz getting fighting mad one OF the
new gang told US not to woTy-they
LoI -,<~l, @a,-
claim. He said they had planted the
crosses and knew what wuz under them.
Bones I said. Yes he said; mule
bones, and more. Come with me an
I'll show you' We went, and with his
shovel he threw the dirt out of the big
gest grave and uncovered 4 skeleton OF
mule sure enough, but what made my
eyes big wuz the sight of a bucket of
gold dust right between the front legs
of the mule. Wall, to make long story
short, those fellers had been working
diggings thar, an knowin' what kind of
men miners wuz, he'd planted their
stuff in the middle of the best claim
while they worked off ter one side.
Smart trick. They he'd gone for pro-
| visions Just afore found the gulch, and
when they he'd come back they he'd
found the gulch alive with folks, but.
as they fggered, the crosses wuz all
| right, and they staked the claim in the
night, abandoning the other one in the
| near hills. They wanted the best thing
| last, knowing how the miners r,uz COM
ing in, and they got it. If ever come
across another burying ground in a
placer country you bet won't do
thing ter 1t tn. o. Times-D Democrat.