The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
lam Psts, Ranaan. lIayor.elogs. naas an =.

pphe paraRrapn. Ihere ~ was plainly stated in
oral prospect stekcd out two years before, To
least a prcten,e Of pncoyoring the vein. As.
s%ossrnont work II this nature must be done;
otherwise tho prospect reverted to the. Grown.
was the thought that stuck in The mind Of Wfl.
liam Peter Randall. He knew, too, that sur
than the owners OF a claim. Here were two
Vulnerable points in Wnllaco's tito to Mine
City; The public zeal Of the Mayor;eloct. pass'
bilities that ose before him, suffered total
eclipse. Some one else, ransacking the old
reasoned in an ondeavor TO down all s~cruples.
defcctiyc, he felt sure there would DO a wild
asked Simselff. when WSe@' tho ere Credit iRV Of M the ais s;oS.
S SSnts Sss n, Finally SRSui he S S19sGs reap = d ias BED
conscience by convincing himself II was neces-
sary, to file 9 counter claim In order to protect
wallace. When the latter returned some pri-
waite arrangement could be made. Holding tho
whip handle, Randall counted on ~exacting c m
the Mayor.elect Of Mine City became a claim.
) trick was oxocratod by the camp, John
NJ. Wallace made no overtures, and the case
the moral right on his side. could be beaten in q
almost too one.sided to excite interest. Il was
q ~foregone conclusion that Wallaoe's title
would DO confirmed.
The decision came like q shock Of earthquake,
ekpeotatffons, including William n Peter RaRpdai1s,
n mourn sIP %SPlas Sssf tls 1s to on Sin Dst City. as ~ q P RFS:
tious scheme Of the Mayor-eiIect and oocasIoned
were involved in uncertainty; That affected
John NJ. Wallace and put a damper on rising
exultation. 1t took some hours to realize what
tho uncertainty. meant. Householders might
be secure, but what of the long strip Of vacant
would DO made TO higher courts. but mean.
while the suggestion forced itself on each citi-
fsR oh afs these Il W vaesSs l loss Mou HiRPSs s1o % a eh stSs,
After the scathing denunciation of Randal's
claim-jumping, no one at once declared the I'M
minds. but the longer the envious thouGhs Of
odious did the land grab seem. Still, all held
back from the actual deed. One step in day
Light t9we srrdl tn, the coveted land would oula start .
ing. This thing could Be done after dark with
bursting with desire to rush at the vacant lots,
restrained r. : imp patience t and o SsklS AXE I'll their III de de-
s seFenco ~ WITH Mai R aa%SHs 7 f hhsa Af By supper Wsp IN t SDn,
the remarks going the rounds of that gang bod.
cd III for JohnM. Wallace. All evening there was
street. Then the miners came from the hills.
and during. the commotion the claim-jumpers
slipped OH Tor the vacant lotS.
That was the reason people anxlously await
ed the. arrival OF Wallace, and every miner in
camp armed himself with some sort OF weap.
"Wallace'n make short work of them posts.
will her inquired o'keefe of Randall. Both
GSn were Tasd IN thS back @Ss aPatFbtm ax h.S Of t q cabin bin, on on
sight during Sunday. The Mayor-o1ect was
detected over the reverse in the courts, but
Tell you,how we'll work il, proposed tho 50.
loon man In a low voice; Wallace comes on
and ao o sasS Is t tSa feli Rssof Go rap Office ap otS Sesn S,a e .
wen make dead sure thing Of that land along
side big station. The boys will be SOLDERING up
Wen pile lumber against the mountain and
have a gang Of men building on that lot long
e doan asyl III do 5f Il, By st sSe Io oS dSYEi anrS. ri hI de
it, II it costs me- hundred dollars a man till Re.
corder's office opens" And O'Keefo sneaked
from the darkened cabin to put his plan into
Early Monday morning the townspeople were
over the largest 81 the vacant lots. The scat.
reached from. the streets to the mountain wall.
drunka Id and iSafers and gamblers Of the
mining camp perched on the shapeless tangle
boards and beams and shingles anywhere and
everywhere, Tn object of the, mad proceed
This Is o'Keefe's work. said tho miners,
and they consigned him to regions lower than
the deepest level of the longest mining shaft in
The friends, of the absent owner admitted
that matters looked serious. They were bent
on ono devisi NJ t sone ss means to p pEsyent = ths sb pr0m oE},.
ofal would only. refuse to record claims until
Wallace arrived the townspeople and miners
s wS9ea G and, no matter az e9v what Sp :h Happened ppaa% u% to see
that John NJ; and no one else filed first claim at
the office. One obstinate clerk was tied hand
train, and sent up the hills. Another clerk viii.
ingly allowed the miners to lock him UP. and
th fh sei Ree S o h refused aid to nov Si eRIRtssf regulations.
but he obliginyly spent tw1co the usual time
over b Gssdj61 ,bo Thsn' b like a aio, nnps G So;tIns
veying the scene. He came down the steps. and
turned for something he had fSersotten. When no
did set out ~leisureiy for the office the course was
e 2 royal procession n:tio 5oh Iin Ms .d fFisn siSs and ID the the
and asked him about a hundred and one triflinx
and how was no supposed to know that tho
clerks had not opened the Office at the usual
honri ITihHe, cla sHo1S p p sb became rrenzied with oIh
vowed revenge. Numerous free fights were, oc-
curing in the wake of the Recorders slow
Should arrive. but the Recorder was only a few
feet from his office. Wallace's friends were
casting aside all restraint aai It. They had protected
now they would stop at nothing. The folled'
claim;jumpers' fury knew no bounds. Men
DfhnulbuluB Clupb, hHiNtt, uiiu ~ "0Ip
surging between the Recorder and the Office
door. The worst fears OF townspeople were
about to be realized. In vain big Patsy's
clenched fist struck the aggressors back from
come pale as death: Thu, freshman reared TO
locked. but he might as well have shouted to a
pack of bowling hyenas. Okeefe's gang was
there urging the rabbie on. In their zeal TO
drive Off the claim-Jumpers, Wallace's men had
jammed Patsy and the Recorder fast to the door.
The O'Keefe faction saw the advantage aud
pushed forward. A moment more and the door
must have given under the pressure. but a wild
cheer, echoinR and re-echOing through the gorge.
broke from the crowds in the rear. There was a
pause in the terrific crush for the recording
office. All looked back.
Riding over the foothill. on a horse tagged
and streaked with sweat, appeared the right:
ful-oWner of Mine City. 1t was characteristic of
John Wallace 10 ride day and night over q dan
gerous trail in order to gain but a few minutes
on train time. The multitudes, thronging the
street, rushed to meet him. He rode past the
crazy scan oldin that was to defraud him of
one lot. and knew what 1t meant. Men and
boys, miners and citizens, were throwing their
hats in the air and yelling themselves hoarse
with delight, but John. without a word, dis
The thunderous and deafening wei.
was checked by the cool self-possession of
this man. His face showed fatigue. but apart
49, :. laud IaaL IN tha avaa that UNA nnaI.al