The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-15
1T CAUSED THREE MURDERS.
The Tragic story of a Huge North
Carolina Nugget of Gold.

The Tragic story of "A Huge North
Carolina Nugget of Gold.
Long before gold was discovered in Cal
ifornia there was both placer and quartz
mining in North Carolina and Northern
Georgia, and the Chattahoochee river bed
is yet worked by steam dredges for float
and placer gold, while a dozen new plants
have been erected in Simplin. MAZE, Har-
ison, Cherokee and other counties of North
Carolina since the Atlanta exposition, This
revived attention to an Old gold field lends
interest to a story told by E. E. Barnes of
Yates county, New York.
Some years ago." said Mr.. Barnes, II
read in newspaper something which re-
called to me visit had made to Cherokee
county, North Carolina, forty years ago.
This newspaper account was 10 the eff
feet that the director of the Philadelphia
mint was anxious TO find an owner for gold
minted from nugget weighing 1876 pounds
sent to the mint by j. j. Burnes of Pine
land township, Cherokee county, North
Carolina, years before and never claimed.
"As l had been through that township,
and knew 1t TO be some forty miles from
a railroad and as was going to make an
other trip through the state, the idea oc-
CURED to me to look into the case. l did
50, and learned the history of the the Red
Creek nugget and of the three murders 1t
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 bedroom and rolled out a
large ball of something the color of
bronze and as heavy as lead. Gentle
men, he said, here is something l found
while looking for my. COW. 1t is mighty
heavy, and 1 thought it might be some
| thing more than iron. His visitors who
were miners, pronounced his find almost
| pure gold. They proposed to help him
| carry the nugget to where 1t could be
| shipped to the mint He accepted their
offer, and the next morning the party
started with their prize for the railroad
\ some forty miles distant. Meanwhile the
| two miners had conceived the idea of muir
dering Farrell and securing the nugget
| for themselves. SO, while Farrell was
cnrrying the front end of the pole on
| which the nugget was suspended, he was
| Drained with Ratchet 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 behind him.
and stopping suddenly, said: I say Mike.
Farrell is sleeping behind in the bush,
and as / 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
il
This suggestion was agreed to- and
Mike took the Ratchet from his belt and
cut the nugget in two. Then, still kneel-
iug, he asked: Which half will you take p
and as he spoke he looked down at the
split nugget This was the opportune mo-
ment for his partner, and the next in
slant Mike lay dead in the trail with
! a Ratchet cash in his head. His body was
dragged into the woods and his half OF
the nugget was hidden. Around the other
half of it was fastened a strap, a stick
was run through 1t, swung over the shoul.
der of the surviving murderer and so il
finally reached the mint The other half
was also shipped TO the mint both in the
name of j. J. Burnes. Then the murderer
conceived the bizarre idea OF going back tc
Pineland township TO try to gain the af.
fections OF Mrs. Farrell and marry her
When he came 10 the place where he had
murdered his comrade three armed men
sprang from concealment and caught him
By accident his crime had been discover
ed. He confessed the murder but refused
TO tell what he had done with the god
They hung him on the spot
Il made the acquaintance of Mrs Far.
rel" said Mr.. Barnes in conclusion, told
her that there was money coming TO hei
from the United States mine at Philadel.
phia, and with my help she got severa
| thousand dollars and moved 10 Chicago
| where she still lives"