Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-10-18
III Miner's Story.
BY ALFRED B. CALHOUN.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


| al Jne nSau Ch GTanlte creek, Arizona
| territory.
Prescott, the capital of the terri
tory, was at that time in its infancy,
an annex, as it were, to Fort Whipple,
| just below it, on the creek.
Cochise's Apaches were making
things hot in that portion of the terri
tory at the time, but even if there had
been no hostile Indians in our vicinity,
it is safe to say that all my companions
would have gone armed to the teeth
from sheer force of habit.
| The conversation ran on lynchers
and road agents, and more than one
story was told that combined all the
elements of tragedy, given with
broadly humorous manner that was alb
solutely grotesque.
did any of you fellers ever hear of
| Jake McCabe, as uster hang out round
| Tucson a few years ago?" The man
who asked the question knocked the
ashes from his pipe and looked round
on the fame-lit faces before filing up
again. He was tall, bronzed man of
35, with a slight drawl in his tones and
manner that was tantalizingly delib-
crate.
The men about the fire shook their
heads. Except Abe Owens himself none
of them were in Tucson at the time
stated. Yet it was ALLOWED" that they
might have known Jake McCabe un-
der another name, particularly if he
didn't travel on the square"
Just here it may be well to state that
the vernacular of mining men is en-
riched by the terms of their calling,
which they apply i'll figurative sense
that makes them unintelligible to the
uninitiated. Pan out" is one of these
words. Men pan out" the gravel in
the river beds for golden particles, and
they pan out" men that they are study
ing, or horse doesn't pan out as
well as the feller that sold him said"
/ And so the term Is used in a hundred
! curious ways that are seemingly for
eign to its literal and original signif-
cation.
! Abe Owens wasn't much on chin
ning"-the latter word a Chinese term
for talking-but in response to the
| general demand he told all he knew
about Jake McCabe, which ran as fol-
lows.
We shall not attempt to reproduce
the quaint phraseology of Abe Owens.
There had been n great mory mil
carriers. prosnectors and ropcbron
killed between Tucson and the Rio
Gila, and for some time it was sup
posed that the Indians were the ner-
petrators of these crimes
Rut even those who ,,ere ,,,ost rood,.
TO believe that an Indian is cono,Ie -
any and everv borhority ,yere foroo,l ~
f, the conviction tbat tbe murderers ,voro
white men md that nlnrder ,,,os tho
object At first there Voc o, o.tor,r,t
made to scalp the victims Int nm old
scout declared thot II pos not ..Iri,,r
work" nnd finally the hodies uore ioF,
where tbev were sbo+ do,rr ,,.;,ho,,.
any mutilatIon.
Az tbore yos No Low, .. .ho. .,o
that could ho ontorood =, tha. -
senso of solf s'r' az 1e"''on .,
forn,atio, - ,.;s.;ia ''s,o' '.a W Vns
overy rnor,,Ior 90 s,.hiak ~ .'ii',.e, -
70 oonsidar Lir,sa,s .,s' vas , e.Jo.iieu
d. =" 9Pe,.ai ue'.o'i'e'
- - ~ NV 4S""
- ,ne N1s oHe "esN "I'er .he VIZ
1'"hce committee hau puoilshea Its
purpose, u man carrier was 1ound dead
oi 'he fort DerNie trali' his morse was
sone anu 'he hiall-pags rllled.
0usPlcioh directed her hnger at TWO
mn i. VINO were unacquaihteo ana as
utiierent ,,s III "Pfearahce ana MODE OF
me as IL Is possible 10 conceive