The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-06-05
THE LOST CABIN DIGGlNGS.

ago?
Il had chance to get rich once a
long time ago. and did not do 1t be-
cause did not know the value Of gold.
I saw plenty of gold in creek, and took
some, which l carried in my bullet pouch
a long time
Such were the words Of Peter Larb
Black Pete, as he was commonly called,
and the finding of q rudely- drawn sketch
OF the vicinity, which he recently made,
and his recent death at four score years
of age. recalls an incident in his life
related by him ten years ago while he
and the writer were hauling hay Que
day.
We were talking about mines and
mining, and. we asked the quaint old
man if he ever had chance to make
a stake or heard of the Lost Cabin claim
about which 50 much has been said,
surmised and written, when he uttered
the above quoted words, and added:
II believe I saw the place once, AMI
think I could find it again"
Knowing that the old man would tell
his story without urging and in his own
way, we did not press him for its recital,
but waited till the spirit moved him to
speak.
II have lived off and on about As years
with the Blackfeet Indians" he said.
Many years ago I with about fifteen
lodges of them wintered on little creek
near Chief mountain, where there was
plent yof wood, and there we hunted
elk and buffalo, while our women
dressed robes and made pemmican. It
was very mild winter. the ground
scarcely froze, and very little snow fell,
even in the mountains. So we had a
good time, as game was plenty all
around us. We had heard that back in
the mountains there were some white
men living in cabin, who were taking
money out Of the ground, and I had
planned with some of the Blackfeet to
visit them some time In the future. One
day a small war party of Kootenais
came to our camp with the scalps Of
three white men, saying they had killed
them in the mountains about two days
travel from where we were camped.
They also brought two horses with them
which they said they had taken from
the men, but had left one white animal
with ears like a moose, Of which they
were afraid because it looked very fierce
and made terrible noise. They had
buckskin bags filled with heavy dust,
gold dust I tell you, and chunks of It,
too. 1t was spring then, and the grass
had started to grow. I proposed to
some of the Blackfeet that we follow
their trail back, see for ourselves what
was there, and bury the dead men the
Kootenais had left on the ground. So
the next day we started, rode all day,
and at night camped by a small lake
In the mountains. Next day we took up
the trail again and went around a
swampy piece Of ground at the head OF
the lake, through which a stream ran
In this swamp were many beaver. We
followed the stream to where 1t fOrke l,
and the trail went up the right hand
branch. This again forked, and we fol-
lowed the trail up the left hand one
to the foot of very high mountain.
There, in little park on the banks Of
the stream, we found the cabin, about
3 o'clock in the afternoon. It was built
of logs, covered with dirt, and had q
hole cut in the side for window. This
door was made OF elk's hide. There we
found the dead men, two outside and
one within, shot to death and scalpec.
We buried them as best we could at the
roots of large pine, which had blown
down, and made cross of two sticks
and set it in the ground by them. There
We found the animal which the Koo.c-
nais were so frightened at-a white
burro or pack mule, as I had surmise6,
which I took home with me and kept
for my own use. The sand and grave,
in the stream had been dug up and
shoveled out, and there were gold pans
and sluice boxes there, made Of boards
heWed out with an ak"
"And was there gold to be seen there.
Pete?" we asked.
Yes. yes; plenty gold. Pieces SO big"
he said. picking up pebble as large as
a grain of coffee. 1--WE found tin box
in the house, probably overlooked by
the Kootenais. and it was full Of gold
and very heavy. I took some of the
| biggest pieces home with me, and gave
them to the priest when he came from
| the north to visit US. He told me not
to go there any more, and not to tell
| any one what had seen. for it would
| bring bad luck to me and the Blackfeet
| all of which I was fool enough to be-
lieve." - Z
"And how long ago was this, Pete:'
| We asked.
| II will have to get a stick and Gu,
notches in it. and count the years." re-
piled the old man, then 20 years old.
| And SO the conversation ended until
a rainy day kept US in the house. when
he Of his own accord preached the SUI
ject again. With knife and stick. on
| which he cut notches for years. h.
Ilaboriously reckoned the time which had