The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-10

relied revolver at his head.
Hoid on! What's the matter?'' he cried;
ne knew they would be followed and
that now the prospector was going out
to bring the crackers into their camp
who tries to rob me of my chances of
getting rich" he added in a shrek, wav-
ing his weapon in the air The expert
told him about the bunch of grass and
pointed it out After further talk the
prospector grew calmer even assisting in
gathering the grass, and together the
two went back to their tent. There the
prospector was induced to surrender his
revolver to his now worried companion.
who tied it up securely in a sack, which
he used for pillow. saying it would be
returned next morning, when were both
feeling better
Both men then lay down and appeared
to sleep. In a little while, quite worn
out, the expert slumbered in reality. He
awoke soon afterward, with a sudden
start into consciousness. and found him
self alone. Leaving the tent he looked
about in every direction. but could not
see his partner. The strange disappear
ance of the eccentric prospector put all
thought OF further rest then out of the
question.
It was well along in the morning when
paEently spent with hard walking and
wilder in the eyes than ever. He talked
Hes crazy, sure exclaimed the ex-
pert as he Owed for the pistol in the
sack At sight Of it the prospector yelled,
rushed a distance from the tent and be-
gan talking loudly sentences that were in
coherent
He wants to steal my mine. My mine!
That other one tried it, and where is he
now? This one, too-but I'll fix him-just
like the other one. Just the bones and
clothes.''
These were among the fragments of
speech that reached the mining expert
The other mans frenzy soon ended in a
conclusive fit. during which he rolled on
the hard, scorching ground. with foam on
realizing that their prospecting trip must
terminate here. tied his companion 5
limbs securely, fastened him carefully to
a litter made OF the tent and poles, which
he hung evenly between the burros, rude
~ harnessed together, and, taking be-
sides only the supply of water and food,
he headed back for Randsburg. BY dint
of guessing and good luck the guardian
of this odd outfit reached the outskirts
of the mining district. but quite a dis
lance from his starting point. before his
supplies gave out Most OF the time his
spells he remained silent and moody, but
swallowed the food and water given him.
After reaching Mr.. Browns office the
expert turned his helpless companion over
to the town marshal. A physician pro-
nounced him to be hopelessly insane and
iod of life. Nothing lucid could be OBJ
tanned from him by coaxing or question
ing.
In canvassing the matter it was gen
orally agreed at Randsburg that the
night the prospector stole out of the lit
| tie camp in the desert he must have rec
ognized that he was in the vicinity of
where his former partner disappeared It
was lHt1IlAeu lIdt uuIiils ms HoSturHa1
! journey he probably discovered the part
ner's bones. That they came there by
foul play was scarcely doubted The
crazy mouthings of the man himself cor
roborated strongly these suppositions, to-
gether with his reticence about the two
outfits he had when Mr.. Brown first saw
! him.
! An expedition. led by Mr.. Browns min
( ing expert tried to recover the ground
/ over which the bonanza seekers passed,
! but it failed to find even the first camping
/ place. A trail through the uutraveled
! Of the desert does long
/ traceable Besides, Mojave has a sinis-
/ ter and highly successful way of its own
I of guarding the grisly secrets confided
! to it And thus it has added to its former
I long list one more tale of a lost mine and
4 a ragedy-probably two of the latter.
/ When Messrs- Brown and Shinn left
/ Randsburg the insane prospector was
/ held for transfer to the nearest town
which possessed an asylum for lunatics