The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-10
LOST A TON OF GOLD.
i"d Luck of Three Miners From the
Confederate GuIch,
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.

confederate GuiCh.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
1T was an even ton of gold" said Bob
HAYWOOD, that Long Williams, b. Dingee
and Ciute Mullen took out of Confederate
gusch in 64 And when l recall their ex-
peiience IN gettin It East. where they
expected to live happy, ever afterward I'm
reminded of the sprinter who run hard
but stumbled at the tape. and thereby lost
his money and the race.
or course they knowed they had a Job
before EN-, for the Sioux was bad. and so
was the Biackfeet. Moreover, there was
the long ride down the Missouri, and in a
boat OF their own maxim. And besides that
their ton o gold weighed over 1000 pounds
Tor they wasn't cheatin' themse ~ es--and
ton o most anything, honest weight Is
pretty big handicap for one TO make
speed with in goin' through a hostile coun-
try. However, a party similarly burdened
had got through all right and KNOWN
this fact, they didn't hesitate a minute
about tollowin'. Long Williams seen to
GettIn the grub; ID. Dingee hired the es-
cort, and Clute Mullen made it his chief
worry TO rent the teams and wagons. And
thus equipped they struck out for Boston,
ut tnN HSdu Vi the MISSOURI, IN the late
fail of 81
"At Benton the escort turned back Long
Williams hated to see EN- go. ID was like
pdrun with old friends, he said and that,
TOO, at time Whep him and Chute and b.
Dingee most needed EN-. But after the
three had talked it over they come 70 the
conclusion that so many men in the party
would be sure to bring the Indians down
upon EN-, and so they reluctantly drank
"a f.1Ar all
got their big yawl built, they give Fort
Benton the go-by and pushed out into the
middle o the Missouri.
= Now says Clute we can say with
out lynn that our troubles is about to be-
gin. To which Long Williams and b. Din
gee agreed.
After numerous hardships and hair
breadth escapes from Indians, the voyages
reached Sioux City, where they found the
steamer Deer Lodge, belated on It's down
tho-rver journey, because of dsa bled ma
chinery, and was there tied up; but, with
everything fixed again, it was on the point
o resumin' its trip 10 st. Louee. SO the
boys was just in time The luck o the
thing made 'em feel so good that after see
in that their geld was slowed away in
their big stateroom they started in to
quench everybody's thirst, including their
own.
For they felt that now that they was
in the white mans country. their troubles
was over, and the wear and tear o gettin'
to civilization alive justified EN- in re-
laXin' their nerves a bit Moreover,
there was some jolly fellows aboard-fel-
lows that had got on at Sioux City Just
a minute or so before the boat starred; ;
and these fellows had quieted their sus-
pieons right at the outset by declarin
that they had never played poker nor
| three-card monte in their lives. The only
thing they could do was drink, and drink
they did easily beatln' the boys at this
game, and the boys were experts, too.
AT Omaha neither Clute nor Long could
see the town for the haze. AS for b.
Dingee, he was out-and-out blind So
none of 'em took particular notice of an
other passenger gettin aboard at this
point, nor appeared to see the half doz-
en- boxes, similar to their own that he
had the deckhands carry up to his state
room. Nor did the boys know when the
Deer Lodge touched at Nebraska City,
where some of the passengers and box
or two left the boat; and al ST Joe all
three was a-snorin' in their berths Yet,
at st. Joe, all the other remainin' jolly
fellows and all the other poxes parted com
pany with the steamboat, and neither
Clute nor Lon nor b. Dingee was present
to say good-by. But in passin' Leaven-
worth the boys walked up. The first thing
they seen was their boxes, lookin' just as
natural as life, and standin' right there
where they'd slowed em.
Then they caught a glimpse of a big
sign stretched along the river bank sayln'
that teamsters for Denver was wanted
And seem 1t, and despite their feelin's at
the time-for their heads ached terribly
they glanced at one another and grinned.
For all had skinned mules or whacked
bulls at one time or another, and seem
the sign had brought the recollection
back.
." I reckon, says Long Williams, glancln'
sideways at the boxes. that with a ton
O gold in our fists wen not apply. But
what was the name o. that camp. and.
moreover, when are we to get TO st.
Louee? And they went out to look up the
steward, get a few eye-openers, and, in
cidentally, TO ind out
NOW as the steamboat was approachin'
st. Louee the boys went into one o. the
boxes, to get some dust they owed the
steward B. Dingee pried off the lid and
stared while Long and Clute stepped out
10 see the stateroom number, thinking
they'd got into the wrong place by mistake.
But. no, il was theirs all right. Then they
all went 10 pryin' off lids and the racket
they made brought a dozen people to their
door Then Long Williams, seem that the
last lid was off. says, in a terrible voice:
Hang me- if they hain't stole our gold
and give us scrap iron" And he glared
about him, ready TO kill the first one that
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