The Winslow mail., 1898-04-09
THE STORY OF A NUGGET.
A Hug, Lump CT God That Was
Found il North Carolina.
Through the Trcachery OF Two Min
ers 1t Was the Cause CT Three
Murders-The Accursed
Greed for Gold.

Long before gold was discovered in
California there were both placer and
quartz mining in North Carolina and
northern Georgia, and the ChattahcC-
chez river led is yet worked by steam
drcdgcs fer feat and placer gold, while
a dozen new plants have been erected IN
Sirnpkin, Hale, Harrison, Cherokee and
other counties Of North Carolina since
the Atlanta exposition. This revived at
tention to an old gold field lends ir-
tcrest to story told by E. E. Barnes,
of Yates county, \, Y.
Some years ago said Mr.. Barnes,
II read in a newspaper something G
which recalled to nc visit had made
to Cherokee county, y, c., 40 years ago.
This newspaper account was to the eff
feet that the director Of the Phila-
delphia mint was anxious to find an
owner for gold ninted from nugget
weighing 136 pounds sent to the mint
Ly j. j. Durnes, of Pineland township,
Cherokee county, n. c. years before
and never claimed.
''As had been through that township
and knew tito be some 10 miles from a
railroad, and as | was going to make
another trip through the state, the idea
occurred to ne to lock into the case.
did so, ard learned the history of the
Red creek nugget, and of the three mur-
ders it caused. John Farrell was a
squatter on Red creek, Cherokee county.
One day he had visitors-two men he
had known long years before. For their
entertainment he went into his bed
room and rolled out large ball CT
something the color OF bronze and as
heavy Gs lead. Gentlemen he said,
here is something | found while look
ing for my COW, It is mighty heavy, and
1 thought it might be sometime g more
than iron Els visitors, who were min
ers, pronounced his find almost pure
gold. They proposed to help him carry
the nugget to where it could be shipped
to the mint. He accepted their offer,
and the next morning the party started
with their prize for the railroad, some
40 miles distant.
Meanwhile the two miners had con-
II
and securing the nugget for themselves.
So, while Farrell was carrying the front
end of the pole on which the nugget
was suspended, he was Drained with q
hatchet and his body was hidden in the
woods. But when they again took up
their march the man at the front end of
the pole began to doubt the man be-
hind him onI CT u col Il
L say, Mike, Farrell is sleeping behind
in the bush, and as I don't want to sleep
here we had better cut that lump of
gold in two, and each man take his half
and SO with it.
This suggestion was agreed to, and
Mike took the hatchet from his belt
and cut the nugget in two. Then, still
kneeling, he asked: Which half will
you take?' and as he spoke he looked
down ct the split nugget. This was TIE
opportunc moment fer his partner, asl
the next instant Mike lay dead in tie
trail with hatchet cash in his head.
His body was dragged into the woods
and his half of the nugget was hidden.
! Around the other half was fastened q
strap, stick was run through it, swur 9
over the shoulder CT the surviving r1ur-
Gerer, and so il finally reached the
mint. The other half was also shipped
| to the mint, both in the name Of j. j.
Burrcs. Then the murderer conceived
the bizarre idea of going back to Pine
land township to try to gain the affec-
tions of Ms. Farrell and marry her.
When he came to the place where he
haj murdered his coInfade three armed
men sprang from concealment and
caught him. Dy accident his crime lad
been discovered. He confessed the MUIR
der, but refused to tell what he had
done with the gold. They hanged him
cn the spot.
81 made the acquaintance of Mrs.
Farrell" said Mr.. Barnes, in corclu-
sion, 'toId her that there was money
coming to her from the United States
mint at Philadelphia, and with my help
she got several thousand dollars and
moved to Chicago, where she still lives. ;"
N. Y. Advertiser.