The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-13
GAVE THE ISABELLA AWAY.
The Original Owner # the Wonderful
Mine Decided 1t to His Uncle.


If Robert A. monaghan of Beleville
had held onto a little 50x500 slice of
earth which he owned eight or nine
years ago he would be many times a
millionaire now. The slice of earth was
half way up the rugged front Of Bull
mountain, in Colorado. 1t is now
known as the Isabella gold mine, and
the dispatches have told how the pres
ent owners are taking out the precious
metal almost in solid chunks.
Mr.. monaghan staked the Isabella
claim early in 1890. He gave it away
in the fall of 1890 to his uncle, Daniel
Threikeld, now of Manitou Springs,
Col Mr.. Threikeld sold it for $1,000.
The men who purchased it, from him
afterward sold it for 100000. Now it
is turning out free gold ore which is
said to run 100000 to the ton. Mr.. Moo
neyham was one of the first to reach
Cripple Creek The population of the
town was less than a dozen when he
arrived there. Among the few was a
poor man named Stratton. He is now
called Millionaire Stratton. Mr.. Moo
neyham then boy of 49,, had been
sent to Colorado Springs from his home
a. Benton, in Franklin county, Ill, for
the healing of his lungs. He was work.
ing as a carpenter at Colorado Springs
when the news of the discovery of rich
deposits al Cripple Creek first began
to spread. Whereabouts little credence
was given the tales. There was sus-
picion of salt" But, working with
young monaghan as a lather was
lad named Marion Beshears. The boys
father had been to Cripple Creek and
had seen enough to convince him that
there We're fortunes to be dug from
rock-ribbed Bull mountain and Mount
Pisgah. He was forming a prospecting
party. He had taken fancy to Moo
neyham. He invited the Illinois boy
to go along. The party which set out
shortly after for Cripple Creek was
composed of Beshears, his son Marion,
Mooneyham, Bales and Miller: One
evening Beshears came in and told
young monaghan he had staked out
a claim for him upon the side of the
mountain. The next day monaghan
climbed up there and dug his assess
ment." The law was that a man must
dig down to the rock the first year in
order to hold the claim, but the custom
of the region, which was a greater
thing than the law, was that a man
by digging down 10 feet acquired un-
disputed right to claim. So young
Monaghan dug down 10 feet.
When the party had reached Cripple
Creek Monaghan had felt disappoint-
ed He had half expected to see men
going about the mountain side picking
up SOld IN baskets, much as apples
would be picked up in Illinois. When
he saw Beshears breaking off bits of
rock with small hammer and scan
ming them eagerly through a magnify
ing glass he was disguised. But he
came to know that there might be
much gold where even the magnifying
glass showed none, and after he had
dug his assessment on the ore claim he
staked out half dozen others and dug
his assessment on all of them.
In Colorado Springs monaghan had
an uncle, Daniel Threikeld, a hard
working man with a family. Threikeld
could not go to Cripple Creek, but once
when monaghan went ito see him he
said:
Bob, stake me out a claim up there
and dig the assessment and I will pay
you for your labor
At the end of the wear the Young man
had saved up nearly $1,000. As Christ
mas drew near he became a little home
sick and prepared to journey back to
Illinois on visit. He had been en-
ployed so steadily that he had not
found time TO stake out a claim for his
uncle, so he turned over to him the
claim half way up the east slope of Bull
mountain. The uncle wanted to pay
him for the work he had done on it,
but he said:
"Oh, never mind. If it pans out any
thing, you're welcome to it,
1t had always been Mooneyham's ar
dent desire to become a lawyer. When
he returned home his parents did not
want him to go back to the life of the
mountain camp. They placed before
him the opportunity to study law. He
embraced it. went to McKendree col
lege at Lebanon, graduated with hon
ors, and is now one of the most sue
cessful young practitioners of Belle
VILE
The year after monaghan left Grip
pie Creek his uncle went up and devel-
oped the claim enough TO show tha. it
was good one. But he lacked means,
and when somebody offered him 81 900
and dozen head of horses for it he ac-
cepted the offer.