The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-19
sun RIVER STAMPEDE
FIVE HUNDRED ON THE TRAIL OF
A MAN WHO STRUCK 1T
RICH
A SMART MINERS COUP
Those Who Reached the Pfegan
Chiefs Tent Blamed COWIey
Reeves for Their Failure to Find
the Expected Gold Mine, Though
He Had "a Pretty Good
Thing.

From the New York SUM-
HELENA, Mont, Sept. Sits a
case Of history repeatin' ITSELF" said
Bob HARDWOOD, only in this Copper
river stampede the men come out with
round robin blamin' nobody in par
ticular because it was a failure, While
in the Sun river rush, right here in
Montana, everybody knew who to
blame and blamed him. And it wasn't
put in writin', neither.
You see, CoWley Reeves come into
town one day and begin to tip the wink
to the boys he knew. He was drinkin'
of course, but the more he took the
soberer he seemed to get, and so ev-
erybody waited to hear what he had
on his mind. Pretty soon he says:
I've got as good a thing as I want.
I've struck 1t easy
Now, everybody knew that COwley
was an old-time prospectOr They
knew that he had struck Confederate
gulch and also Tin Cup creek and Dia-
mond bar as we'll. OF course, gettin'
robbed out of it all right afterward,
which, however, amt neither here nor
there. And, moreover, they knew that
he generally told the truth. so when
he goes about from saloon to saloon
repeatin' them same words and Winkin'
solemn like over his whisky glass; they
concluded that since he wouldn't say
nothin' further, they'd just follow him
up and see for themselves where he'd
struck it, OF course, 1T wasn't long
before the whole town heard of Cow
ley's sayin'. And the town got the thing
with the usual trimmin's. 1t was said
that Cowley's remark was that he's
struck it easier and better than at
Confederate-which, you remember,
produced millions-and that there was
more gold in sight than would reach
from TIBET to Truly. Anyhow it was
the story Of the three black crows over
again, with the town swalloWin' the
crows. And when Cowley went to sleep
that night with his head hangin' limp
like over a chair, 800 boys in the camp,
fearin' he might sneak out on awakin',
sat up with him.
We'll about noon next day Cowley
loads some flour and salt on his pack
horse and lookin' round and givin' ev-
erybody the baby stare, finally rides
off in the direction of Silver City. Just
about three minutes afterward some
thin like 500 men followed him. They
kept him in sight Of course, but dodg-
ed about SOS they wouldn't be seen
themselves. They seemed to think that
once Cowley saw 'em he'd tumble to
their game and would either turn back
to town or turn off at a fluka and throw
EN- off the trail. DISCOVERIES of big
placers didn't like TO be followed In
them days. But CONVEY either didn't
see EN- or else he never cared a jot,
for he rode on as peaceful like as if
he hadn't started half the town on one
of the biggest stampedes the West had
ever known.
1T WAS RAINING
"Once they got to Silver City, fifteen
miles out, an October rain began to
fall. At Prickly Pear it changed into
hail and a mile further into sleat At
Wolf creek. where CowIey Reeves went
into camp, il had cot to DC as cold as
a dogs nose at Christmas time. Cow
ley was all right, for he had his blank
cts But some of the boys a-follOwin'
had gone out in a hurry and in their
shirt sleeves, and not one in forty had
either blanket or overcoat. And they
were afraid to build much Of a fire for
fear that Cowley would see it, and by
scoutin' back to learn the wherefore
catch 'em all a-followin' him. So they
shivered all through that night, swal-
lowed some cold beans and hardtack
and set out at daylight folloWin' Cow
ley as before.
"The sun came up lookin' like piece
o. frosted cake. Two or three Of the
DoyS SOl the CHI1lS So Ddu nat ln6y
bumped agin one another and a lot
more fell to laggin' behind At the
Dearborn crossing, fifty-two mile from
town, there weren't more'n 400, still
stickin' to COwleys trail It was at
this place that Burke Challibad rode
up to Green Sterritt and says:
Green, wouldn't it be just as we'll
to put gun to Cowley's ear and make
him go straight as to be dodgin' back
here out O. sight and afraid to warm
up some coffee?'
'Twon't do says Green, AT least
yet awhile. He might die before he'd
give In to us-you and me in partlcu-
lar Burke. Besides, we ought to stand
it as long as he can.
And so that idea dropped with The
customary thud. What was tantaliz-
ing 'em all about as much as the ex-
IRENE cold was COwley's cheerful Whis-
tie. For, though he was sometimes as
Tar off as four miles, his eternal whis
tie come sailin' back over the bench
lands as clear as a coyotes howl at
daybreak. And it made everv man
jack in the crowd, whose iips Weren't
froze together, open his mouth and
cuss to find Cowley ridin' ahead so
clipper. 80
Why, blame his hideY saws Perry
Grul, the idea of him a-singin' and
Whlstl1n' and me here with nv leg
troze stiff! And Perry's leg wasn't
the only leg that was froze stiff-es-
pecially by the time they reached Fiat
creek, which was, as events showed
later, the last stoppin place of Cow
ley Reeves before he reached his des-
tination. For at Flat creek. seventy
SIX mile out, by actual count there
was more'n ninety of the bows with
frozen hand, foot, leg or somethin'
MhIle eVeryoody's nose was beginnin'
a n oh
The next morning they gave Cow1ev
long start, SOS they could get he.
hlnd big hill and make some coffee
They couldn't stand the absence Of
somethin' red hot any longer, and, be-
sides, on that lonely trail they felt con-
tdent that Cowley couldn't give 'em
the slip. And in this they were right
Nothing but coyote tracks crossed
Cowley's, and the smallest bow in tha
party could have trailed him d1rine,
that day. Then, too, to clinch mat.
tiers. they were lucky enough to meet
with long haired buffalo hunter com
IN, this way. And Perry GruII saws.
Been down in this section long"
Two years says the hunter.
Know Cowley Reeves?'
Like a book
Then where's his diggin's?'
'Diggin's?' says the hunter, lookin'
puzzled, and glancin' at Perry like a
man who half believes he's bein' Josh
ed. On, why, down on lower Sim
river, about f1ve miles below the eros
SIM ~ 10
PLANNING BEGINS.
'Hurrahv says Perry; and the whole
party felt so grateful for the inforn,a~
ton that they like tove choked tho
buffalo man with swigs from tbeir
demijOhnS for thirty milo more 49,,