The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-25
THE LOST KoMsTocKER.
The story of n Crazy swede's Rich
Find Recalled.

Find Recalled.
From the ST. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Mining regions can turn up more pecu-
liar facts and romances and superstltions
than any other localities in the world, for
the reason that all classes and conditions
of men bump elbows with one another in
a booming mining camp" said ". O. 5ar-
desty, Of Denver.
Last summer there was a boom in
Whlskey Park, mining district near Co
lumbine, Col, and there was a rush of
miners and Drospectors to locate claims.
During the excitement d man of the name
of Martin pushed out several miles ahead
of Whiskey Park. and while prospecting
one day found pile of rocks that attracted
his attention on account OF the peculiar
way in which they had been arranged. The
rocks bore the appearance of having been
piled together by The hand of man. Martin
began to investigate, and he removed hut
few rocks until he found an old shaft.
This shaft had been abandoned and the
top covered with this pile of rocks. l. wac
evidently from other reasons that some
man had covered the shaft, as the rocks
bore pick marks. The SHOWS of many
winters had been melting IN the mountains
and washing down debris that had almost
filled this shaft to the surface. Further
inVest.ga ton proved that this old SHAFT
had been sunk on an extensive lead, and
that it had been filed and abandoned after
much money and been spent in develop
meat work. Nearby was also found i
large pile Of mining timbers rotted down
partly to a dusk heap, bu, still showing
signs of having teen carefully stacker
1t was estimated that it would take at
least thirty Years for pile of mining
timbers to rot N this way. Therefore, the
conclusion was drawn that this mine Ia
not been 'vor I'd TOR thirty years Then
the question arose: What was the name
of the mine? Whose property was it?
Why was it abandoned? Did this Old shaft
lead to great richest
of course, the accidental discovery of
the pile of rocks. the finding of the old
shaft and the pile of mining tlmbers
created much gossip throughout the dis
trtct. The old-tlme miners, sitting around
their campfires at night, revived the story
OF the lost Koms locker, and 1t is an inter
esting story of the pioneer days of Col
orado. 1t is a sad story of q poor, lonely
Swede in search of gold. The name of this
Swede is not known. He made his appear
ance i'm Rawlins. Wyo., soon after The
Union Pacific Railroad was completed.
Everybody considered him to be slightly
daft, and he was the butt for the jokes CT
the rough miners and frontiersmen He
was called the crazy Swede.' He was a
believer In spiritualism, and, as he had
been an old employe on the Comstock lode.
he declared that the spirits had Informed
him that he would be the discoverer of a
mine far richer than the lode. He thor
oughly believed that he would find an
other komstocker, as he expressed il in
his Ole Olsen dialect. The Swede had
saved several hundred dollars by hard
work and economy, and he purchased a
pony and camping outfit and disappeared
in the mountains to the south. While he
had never been In that section, he declared
that the spirits had given him secret in
formation. All he would tell was that
the spirits said he would find a rich gold
mine far to the south of Rawllns. toward
the Hahn's Peak country in Colorado,
where gold had been newly discovered.
The Swede dropped out of sight and he
was almost forgotten in the rush ard
change of the pioneer towns.
But the following spring, after the
Swede had been absent one year, he came
into Rawlins one day, and his pony was
loaded down with bags of rich ore He
was extremely secreuve but dropped the
remark that he had found his 'KomstocK-
err as he called it He sold his ore. bought
new supplies and two more ponies. The
word went round that the crazy Swede'
had struck 1t rich, and there was mucn
excitement among the miners. The Swede
was watched, as the miners and prospac-
tors Intended to follow him when he left
town; but he was shrewd enough to divine
their intentions, and he eluded his watch
ers. Nobody could find his trail. The next
fan number of cowboys In a roundup
near the present location of Dixon, Wyo..
found the carcasses of a saddle pony and
two pack animals, and also found the sad
dies. They were identified as the property
of TIE Swede. The Swede was never seen
or heard of after he left Rawlins the last
time 1t is supposed that he was muir
dered. Years afterward the old miners
in that section still told the story of the
lost Householder Now the story of the
poor Swede is revived since Martins dis