The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
THE SAVING OF NINE CITY.
,ov THE JOHNNY ON
yrpT HIS OWN FOR WALLACE.

-.o.. rights that Did Net samco the Claim
s,,,per-, who Tried to Take ADVANTAGE or
TechnIcaIity and Get the Town site
FAR Thcmseives-wnd Times In naine City.
BOWS. s~pringing up with tho fare and sixzlo
- rocket and subsiding as quickly, wero not
.rusual in tho mining camp; but the turmoil
~, lasted from Saturday night TO Monday
.,ornInR was moro than q mere row. It was all
..used By a peculiarly daring case Of claim
canning. Tho trick of swindling a man out Of
sis mineral claim rouses q miners hot blood at
,nv time, and in this instance there was an un-
bInshing attempt TO usurp possession Of n whole
town. Pouring down from tho hills for miles
.round, the miners held heated disputes over the
hars Of saloons and crowded hotels to over
6oving and thronged ~roadways, where they
raye vent to emphatic opinions in loud tones
and strong language. Tho angrier groups NUT
tered savage threats about lynching. but in the
mining regions Of British Columbia members
AZ vigilance committees know they will BIO in
rloriously hanged for going to any extreme
with this sort of zeal. So the crowds paid no
attention to men proposing that settlement of
tho strife. An undercurrent Of genuine appre-
bension about the outcome was very evident.
Even the cool heads acknowledged the quarrel
was on tho verge Of becoming q general riot.
AT first the camp had sided with the men
whose rights were assaulted and tho claim
Jumper was described as every kind of q fool.
Then an ambiguous decision from tho courts
rave some show of legality to his pretences and
thc matter assumed an altogether different as
pect. A weak spot was found In the rightful
owners title. Lawyers juggled with tho point
In issue till tho weak spot became n hole, and
the hole wtdencd to a gap, through which a
flock Of claim jumpers seemed ready to follow
the first invader.
News had reached town on q Saturday night
that the title TO the town site was likely to be
upset. 1t was pay day at the mines, and many
men were down from the hills for tho usual
c~arousals. Theyfouad the whole camp In q for
ment. Jostling along the sidewalks. the miners
pushed for entrance through tho packed door
way OF a variety hall and strained to hear what
. burly fellow, standing on n table at the end of
the room, was shouting to the crush inside.
Boys" q big saloonkeoper was yelling. '.wo
amt here for our health. We'ro hero to do
velop this CAMP"
Never mind excuses" howled an interrupt
or from the back of tho hall, ''it's villainous rob-
berry, 0'Keefe, It's stealing, and you know that"
ITO develop this camp shouted O'Keefe
louder than ever. land to make money, abidin'
strictly by the law. John M. Wallace's title
" tWO blb u thAn Wv aus bSoh luIo u
cooked hat"
"No, sir. it's q Ie." came tho voice from The
back.
THAT" screamed the saloon man, deter
mined to out-yell the hubbub and to finish his
explanations, that's what the courts decided
to-day. Judge Willis says this here stretch
Of ground, all the buildin' lots and real estate
Of the city, can't be held as o mineral claim"
Nothing Of tho kind" asserted the inter
rupter.
1T amt certain at oil who'll get the surface
rights. II the Government offices hadn't been
closed fore the news got out here. and didn't
let 5isSt 2 squat on Tie vacant lots and apply ply
: "WSSI a. I t XIV { call risht''::
You're in league with q pack Of robbers"
and the speakers words were drowned in the
You'd.better be careful how you do any squat
tin on them lots" sententiously remarked q red
wouldn't advise you to be- a.settin' on his prop.
IT'S q shame, o shame and o disrrace." vehe-
mently asserted o tall fellow In q buckskin suit,
end he emphasized his opinionlof the Transaction
eYy ,slappii19g his leather lesgings with a heavy
One defined the kind of a shame he thought it
was. q second added his description Of. the
the strong vernacular that smaoks of Western
mines. Another asked CONTEMPORARY what
John N. Wallace could do without the law on
SUI Suddenly came tho news that claim jumpers
We're already on the vacant lots. There was
the wild boast let loose in men, There was
p psTt fsa4as %sr, r rssndnf;I through ,Ug the streets;
land. fpell,mell. found freshly banked Stakes az
the four corners Of every lot, which proclaimed
s anew oi% IN Saadpl w oa one CAUGHT saataGds Pi vino men iS D %ish
They faced defiantly. round. 1t all happened
so suddenly the mob's indignant ieaaers had
S come nnSrmed. A chunky rowdy, well be-
. .'sbus d it Z, 4ou th ssai 4 4Snse the u ), th lie s,,..
whip. John NJ, ii make short work OF those
posts. He doesn't need puppy defenders. II
you want to fight, come out and lick Patsy
AS Patsy was an Irish giant, tho umpire
9 Sioters an on camp 6rawls, ths felloy egging, the
crowd; Those in front hesitated to strike the
uss' 9 911Wi 9 n to pull up the stakes would be
suit, that was a dodge Of 0'Keefes Leave the
s And IN SH n Wallace hn,et comes: Let's find od,Kfeefe.;"
olt ne was not to be found.
tur SEgsy %quarrels and drunken brawls dis.
carried back to the hills and more miners
SaLnered TO the fray. Wallace's hackers had
SSny retrained from acting till he could reach
SGme. Every one was prepared for a crisis on
%aonaay. What would Wallace dot On that all
i SuShs Sd out Of his possessions. When the
f sna Ia not defend his property. would he de-
1eTI ~ himself without the aid OF the lawi
MI in0 towh lay wedged In o gorge, with.a.tur-
s SSLent stream tossing along a rocky bed on one
tshtue o, the long, narrow main street, and on
t ~ 1tner a mountain wall. towering sheer to
a1e clouds; A foothil closed in the upper end
~ T. inc road, and lower down the gorge was lost |
~ y sshon. In the early days OF the camp a
sstnSEntoacked, ,wiry stranger, with shrewd,
sSauy eyes. and firm, determined Jaw, came
asnong the miners. This man, with the ap-
pearahce or one young in years but old In ex-
pIiiehce, was the first to observe that the only
H,dSSe where a town could be built was on tho
MI OF ground along the gorge. Without con-
s,uatLlng any one, John IL. Wallace romptiy |
t SSSakea on q claim, fifteen hundred feet along |
uaGr river bed and the same distance up the noun
LAM i@rn slope, embracing In its area every foot of
t w ground above the cahon. To be sure,
inete was no precious metal on his claim. un-
mo- . an occasional bit OF float carried down by |
as o y streams. but q title TO the location
S 4 . mining claim served his purpose. Like the
NJ W OF Rome. he at once proceeded to lay |
r az nis city; II was to be the metropolis OF the |
ttrk ! the basis OF supplies for the entire dis |
i ~ Across a broad, implanted board in.black
was daubed, mime City"
iheh a nign reared its head among the cedars |
W uilIUuntH That lnfa Vun-. TO- A. l