Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-08-12
NUGGETS LUCK.

appeared to know. but most of them
were extremely anxious to ascertain.
Seldom 1t was that any one went to the
town. Apparently there was no partiou-
lar reason why any one should. The
surrounding scenery was grand, IL il
true, but the town could mako no claim
to being an essential part Of tho gran
deur. Its ono street struggled up the
nountainside for short distance and
lost its way in the forest A long, ram
shackle "hotel," several despondent
looking stores and number of saloons
made up what it was pleased to call the
business portion of tho town On all
sides and as far ~ the eye could see,
however, We're the imperishable evil
dences Of what this little town once had
been-the center Of u natural wealth al
most uncomfortable. Vast areas Of white
and yellow and reddish clay, mountains
scanned and gashed and cut in twain,
miles of rusty and disjointed gigantic
iron pipes, told of the days when the
miners with hydraulic guns "held up"
nature and forced it to deliver its treas
ure.
But all that was long ago and Is only
pleasant memory with the little town
now, and to the strangers not unnatu-
raj inquiry ms to how the people support
oil themselves came tho cheerful and
oannibalistic reply that they "lived on
one another. "
The stranger sat on box outside ono
of the stores beside one Of the citizens
and soon found himself listening to
monologue offered for his entertain
ment. 1t would have been dialogue be-
not have il that way. An old man, with
grizzled beard and weather beaten face,
was he. The stranger noticed, with
some surprise, that, although stained
and rusty, his long frock coat and the
trousers stuck into his boots were Of
good broadcloth. A very conspicuous
watch chain, huge diamond pin in u
setting Of tobacco stained shirt front
aud tho entire absence Of collar made
up u somewhat homogeneous appearance.
Eyes, you're right, began the enter
tainer, starting the monologue with
considerable energy, this town amt
worth u whoop in hell today, but you
oughter seen il onct. Amt forty miner
myself, and you got to make good deal
of allowance for what some o. these old
has beens tell you. but they all do say
it was hummer before they stopped
hydrauleekin.
"You oughter got old Nuggets to tell
you somethin about it. Amt you met
Nuggets YETI Well, you should, for hos
about the only sight we got In town.
only thing the town braRs about and
p'ints out to strangers. Nuggets was
here--or som'ers about here-beforo
they ever did any hydrauleelein--when
everything was placer and sluico mimi.
He'll tell you his story. He'll tell ID
without bein ast. I'vo heard it 70 often
that know it myself lke likes TO hear
himself talk
"IIe was ono o tho first to como
ncrost the plains--leastway that what
he says--and when no got here no just
nacherally staid. Ho ken around by tho
old emigrant trail back o Lake Tahoe
and into IIangtown.
"Hlangtown-you know, that's what
they called Placervillo in them days
was II great place then. Meals was $3,
and 80 was beds; whisky was four bits
and two bits drink, accordin AZ how
you wanted ii, and -four was $40 for "a
small sack. Course you know, most all
supplies KEN around the Horn to Frisco,
was boatcd up to Sacramento and team
cd out to the mines from there.
Business was good in California In
them days Most every one had money,
and it wasn't no trick to get It, The
cricks and river bottoms was full o.
gold, and any ono could take q shovel,
pick and rocker and wash out az much
~ he liked. Course that sort o. thing
spoilt the Argonauts an they call 'em,
or a good many Of 'em anyhow-would
a-spoilt most any one
"Kindcr seemed to them that the
supply would last forever, and they
didu't worry much and wasn't particu-
Ter about sayin it. They was all about
alike, and after fellow had worked
purity hard for awhile and cleaned up "a
little pile he'd get to thinkin he needed
relaxation, and down he'd go to Frisco
ana blOW III MS pie.
"Thcn he'd strike tho trail for the
goldfelds for another stack o blue
chips
"Course every ono had partner In
them days, and this here Nuggets had
ono by the name o wilkins One day
they KEN into this town with nugget
that was "a corker Was AZ big az your
hatred cinnabar, with chunks Of pure
| gold stickin out Of it all around.
"The jeweler offered 'em 81 800 for
| 1t, but they wouldn't sell it. Mug
| gets said there was more o. IL where II
KEN from, but no ono believed him.
Everybody thought that Nuggets
and Wilkins had found small pocket,
and that was all there was 10 it, but
some o these pockets are good enough
for a pore man anyhow.
"That night there was an awful
wiudstorm, and two days afterwart
Nuggets was found comm out o. Rattle
snake canyon over there plum crazy
They brought him into town, and al
they could get out O. him was strinI
o. the d----dest, foolishest words 20,
ever heard Of lie didn't say much els
for good many years afterward-
youster ait around the town here an
get it Off 10 himself. Went somethi
like this:
" Changed all the trees in the RIA
tlesnake--mOved EN- and mixed 'em a
up. Might "a been dream, but don
think TO- Ask Bill-he knows Put
shot in her. Seen rock in my time, b.
no rock like that. Bill, id old foo
q gifts scared, and we kivered her up
. come back to. Didn't blaze no tree, b.
] my old knife's stiokin ON the moss si'