Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-24
Tragic Renaissance Of the
COmSt0ck Lode.
THE VALUE SET UPON GOLD
Cold Hooded slaughter OF PIvo Men
in California Mining Controversy
Related by Only Surviving wIt-
pelIcd TO ct M Guide ana Assist
Nurdcrcrs TO Escape.

[From the San Francisco Chronicle.]
Dead men tell no tales and men of
honor do not inform on their comrades,
especially where they have been par
ticeps crimlnis, but after careful in
quiry the writer of this article believes
that he is the only survivor of IL tragedy
that excited the mining camps of Nir-
ginia City, Gold Hill and Silver City In
the year 1874. and that no person can
now be troubled by relating the facts
OF tragedy that have never been told
before. When the big bonanza excite
ment was at it's height in 1874 every
person and company that owned claims
between Virginia City and Silver City
made fabulous statements about the
prospects and showing of their prop
critics. At the lower end of the Gold
Hill Canyon the Justice and Waller
Defeat Mining companies owned adj
Joining and contiguous properties. Each
company had erected hosting works,
sunk main shafts and had run drifts
that connected both mines. The indica-
tions We're that the Waller Defeat mine
was tapping the lower end Of the great
COmstOck lode ana would be Il bonanza.
The Justice stockholders secured all
the Waller Defeat stock available. and
claimed the control Of both mines, the
Justice mine being managed by the
Smith crowd ana the Waller Defeat by
the Kellogg party. One day in the
summer of 1874 the Smith crowd took
possession of the Waller Defeat hoist
ing works. and Smith employed Il man
named Prentice, who had killed Il man
in the Piute Hotel. III Gold Hill. in
1870. ana a man named Evans, who had
Killed noted desperate in Phoebe in
1869. to hold the hosting works and do
all things necessary thereto. Prentice
and Evans went up to Virginia City
and enlisted two moro men to assist
oil.
considerable quantity of ammunition,
and the four men, armed to the teeth,
drove down to the Waller Defeat about
o'clock in the afternoon.
The writer, then IL mere boy, had been
employed in the Two mines and was ac-
Quajnted with all the shafts, stations
and drifts. and having heard that the
Kellogg party would try to regain pos
session OF the hosting works that even
Ing, managed to have business tinker
hlg around the hosting works OF the
Waller Defeat that afternoon. with the
expectation OF seeing some fun, bur
never realizing that he was to
witness Il terrible slaughter or five men.
When Prentice and Evans. accompa-
MED by two men whose names l have
never learned. came into the hosting
works they were armed to the teeth.
each man being supplied with IL muz-
Z!e-loadlng. double barreled shot gun
and revolver. The whole preparation
and armament impressed the writer
that the Smith crowd were making n
big bluff to intimidatc the Kellogg peo-
pie.
KILLED IN COLD BLOOD.
About o'clock in the evening five
men armed with shot guns were seen
coming down the road. and when they
reached a point opposite the Waller De
feat hosting works they halted ana
Ecid IL short consultation. The man
that appeared to he the leader was a
brother OF Supt. Kellogg. and soon left
ms companions standing on the road
thirty feet above the hosting works
Heliogg. gun in hand, came down the
empankinent ana walked about fifteen
1eet 10 the door of the hosting works
ana IN a loud voice demanded admit
lance. Prentice commanded the writer
10 open the door and let him in. The
door was then unbarred Kellogg Wa
entering when Prentice took dciihcrat h
ann at him and emptied both barrels
q! ms gun ana Kellogg fell in tn door
way riddlcd with bucksho,
me next moment Evans and his two
companions took aim at the men stand
ing on the road and fired whereupon
three men came rolling down tho en-
hahkment. Evans then took aim at tho
remaining man and as the reDort of his
gun rang out the fifth man OF the Kel-
iosS posse fell dead. When the killing
'NS"'' 't'c writer wished that he was
somewhere else. Prentice threw KeI-
loggs body out of the doorway ana
closed and barred the door again.
hurried consultation was then had and
1t was decided that they would go down
the SHAFT and remain in some drift until
me me- next night; and then go through
drift that had been made connpctipc
the Silver Hill and Waller Defaat
shafts, distance of an eighth OF a
mile and go down to the Carson river
ana then overland into California. Each
or the men was we'll provided with
money. as mine-hghters received $50
per day. payable in advance. but tho
had no food
FORCED TO ACT AS GUIDE.
The writer had tin can fuil eff lunch
that they contiscatcd. Evans requested
me to go down the shaft with the partv
and to act as guide to lead them n
the Silver Hill shaft. refused To rn
with them, whereupon Prentice WIN
was really the mos; determined man
OF the party, drew his six-shooter and
leveled 1t at my head and commanded
me to take my dinner pail and lead
the way down the ladder of the shaft.
L had no discretion in the matter. be-
cause / had seen that Prentice would
Kill / therefore obeyed the command
and led the way down the ladder to
the 60O-foot level and then into drift
leading 10 the Silver Hill mine. until
we came TO a room that had been used
to store giant powder. where the party
matted and prepared to remain ali
night L divided the lunch that was
IN my can among the party and they
We're generous with cigars, with which
they were we'll supplied. I listened to
their conversation about their MAST
lives, and they did not hesitate to re-
late about desperate fights they had
had and the men they had killed in tn.