Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-11-07
ALMosTToo GOOD TO BE TRUE
A Tale of Seeking and Finding OF Cole
and Q Miner True to His Trust.

A Tale OF Seeking and Finding Of Cole
and . Miner True to His Trust.
when the klondike craze frs
started, in 1885," said a man from Cali
fornia, "a veteran prOspector named
Peterson drifted into the city looking
for somebody who might grub stake
him to try his luck in Alaska. At las
q tobacconist. whom he knew slightly
agreed to stand half the expense, ant
gave him a note to a race horse man
asking him to contribute the balance
bling house, half tipsy and playini
roulette He read the note, pushed Z
ten dollar stock Of chips on the boart
and said: I'll play these for you. an<
II l can win your stake with 'em yOl
can have it, By a remarkable coinci
dence he won three or four straigh
bets, ran the chips up to 500 and gav'
the miner the money. The tobacconiS
put up $500 more and Peterson lef
on the next ship for st. Michaels. HI
was soon in the Dawson district, SUI
fered the usual vicissitudes Of the golt
hunters In that region, and, finally, JUS
as he was about to give up in despair
located a couple Of good claims at thu
head Of Anvil creek, one for himself
and one for his 'stakers.' He developed
bis own prospect during the following
summer, got $4,000 out Of It in dus
and sold the other for $4,000 cash
Then his health broke down and las
snriu0 ho roturuod home
Meanwhile, things had gone badl!
with his patrons. The tobacconist die<
suddenly in the fall Of '96, his shars
in the stake going, by custom, to hii
associate; but the horseman had lonl
since forgotten the whole affair. II, In
deed, he ever remembered It after HI
got sober. He had plenty Of Othel
things to occupy him. in the shape o.
Q sequence Of hard luck that eventually
cleaned him out and left him nat broke
I know personally he was without thu
price Of a meal half the time during
the winter Of 1S99-19OO, and that wal
about his condition when Peterson
struck Frisco in the spring. The pros
pector first inquired for his friend, the
tobacco man, and learning he was dead
started out to hunt up the other part
ner. 1t was no easy Job, for the brok
en- sport owed everybody ha knew ant
was lying low to avoid g. Peter
son, who had never seen him but tina,
one night at the gambling house, had
4 very indistinct recollection Of hi,
features and actually passed him sew
eral times without recognizing him
Finally the man was pointed out in Z
bar. Are you Mr.. -T asked thu
miner. No, I'm not said the other
thinking the stranger wanted money
Aren't you the man that staked me
one evening in '98T persisted Peterson.
and related the circumstance. oh,
yes! said the turfman, impatiently;
you're that Klondike lunatic. II you
want another stake you've struck the
wrong shop Then Peterson got mad
'Confound your ugly picturer he said
I don't want anything from you excep,
= receipt for $4,000! Here's your mon.
ey.' The poor sport was 80 amazed he
came near fainting dead away. Wher
he got the facts through his head hs
ran out and danced Jig in the middle
Of the street and yelled GLORY! se
loud you could hear him half way to
Sacramento. The money put him on
his feet and he IL doing well at pres.
ent. Peterson. has returned to Daw.
son City. A version Of the story has
been told In print. but 1t was baG4j
garbled. The facts are exactly As ]
have given them."-New Orleana
Times-Democrat