The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-02-10

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In other parts of the hills rich strikes
were reported from time to time, ana
Hardln's neighbors pulled up stakes anc
went in the direction from whence the
reports came. Hardin was popular in
the Gulch, because he was fearless anc
because he was honest. Therefore
when the other miners went where for.
| tunes smiles were said to be kindler
they tried to persuade Hardin to &c
with them. But he only shook his head
making to all the same reply:
NO; I'm going to stick by the Gulch
She's given me living SO far, and
guess more'n that wouldn't be of much
use anywhere. You go along, though
boys, and better luck to you than Won
found here"
| And SO they went. When they had
! gone Hardin, growing older and grayer
| with the years, appropriated the claims
Of the deserters and added them to his
own. After time Hardin became DOS
sessed in this way of a great part of all
the land in the Gulch. When asked
| what he expected to do with his hold
/ ings, he would say:
Some day I'll strike lead that will
astonish some folks. Then Jim Har-
din will be called wise man for stick
| ing to Two Bit"
TO all who asked him to leave the
Gulch and seek new field, Hardin's
answer was always the same. Those
who heard it felt kindly sympathy
for the old man, but they tapped their
| heads and looked knowingly at one an
| other. What he said was considered by
the miners as the harmless rawlings OF
a man who had gradually lost his min d
! in the years that he had washed gold
through the gulch. In time, Hardin be-
| came known all through the hills as
Crazy Jim Hardin of Two-Bit Gulch.'
| While other men grew rich, Hardin and
his family-the boys had now grown to
manhood-grew poorer in everything
any body in the Hills.
Things continued thus until finally
old man Hardin was obliged to sacrifice
part of his property to satisfy small
| claim that a man in Deadwood held
| against him. This came near breaking
the old mans heart. For a long time
afterward he couldn't sleep at night
The fact that he had to give up part
| of his holdings didn't bother the old
man so much as the possibility that
upon the part sacrificed might be dis
covered the untold riches that he was
sure lay beneath the surface in the
vicinity of Two-Bit Gulch.
"If l could only get little money to
dig WITH" Hardin would say, Il could
strike the vein. l know where it is and
there is gold by the ton there if l only
had the money to dig it out"
This was the burden of the old mans s
talk, day in and day out. He would re-
peat it to anyone who would listen.
and then the report went flying among
the hills that poor Jim Hardin had
gone clean daft" His family, however,
shared Hardin's faith in Two-Bit, and
finally, one day in February, 1896, the
old mans elder son, James ID. Hardin,
Jr, met in Deadwood man from Chi
cago, named Edward Rotherwell, who
had been commissioned by Philip D..
Armour to examine some fuller's earth
properties in Deadwood. When Roth
crwell finished the work which took
him to Deadwood he was induced by the
younger Hardin to visit TwoBit Gulch.
Rotherwell knew something about
mining, and, having met Old man Har-
din, became convinced that the mar
was honest and was not crazy, or, if he
was, young Hardin, who had the faith
in the Gulch that his father had, was
not only not crazy, but was an unusual
ly level-headed man. Rotherwell ex-
amined the surface indications which
old Jim Hardin pointed out to him,
and was favorably impressed by them.
Then, too, he believed in the Hardins,
and the upshot of it all was that he
promised to see what could be done
about raising some money for the old
man in Chicago.
This was no easy task. Chicago men
with money were not exchanging it for
an old Black Hills miners gold bricks,
even if he had been able to impress
Rotherwell with his honesty and sim
cerity. Finally Rotherwell succeeded
in interesting a young Chicago man by
the name of Delaney. Delaney had
plenty of money, most of which he had
made himself, and he was highly
esteemed by many of Chicago's best
known business men. Delaney visited
Two-Bit Gulch with a mining expert,
who was favorably impressed with what
he saw. With the experts report De-
laney returned to Chicago and told
some of his friends that he was going
to invest some money in mining proper
ties in Two-Bit Gulch. Philip d. Ar
mour, l.. Z. Letter and two or three
other Chicago millionaires consented
to put in as much as Delaney. which
was not so much but that each one of
the men could afford to lose it if Two
Bit gave back nothing.
Young Hardin was sent for to come
to Chicago and was told what Delaney
had done. The son of the old miner
conld hardly believe his ears The only