The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-01-18
MILLIONAIRE BURRO.
Declared by the Court to be Dis
coverer of Mine Worth
Four Millions,

''The Millionaire Burro was self-made.
He never had pedigree. He was born
to toll amid the rough life of the noun
tains. His companions were adventures,
eager for a prospect fond of a drink,
seldom choice in their language, and just
as seldom gentle toward the pack animal
that carried their burdens up steep hill
sides and down gullies in their search for
hidden wealth.
In 1883 the Occur d'Alene mountains
were known only as picturesque range,
where deer roamed almost unmolested by
hunters, where trout leaped and multi
piled in rushing streams, and where
bears were commoner than men. But in
the winter of 1884 the word flew
abroad that these haunts of game were
scanned with gold. The precious metal
had been found on the north fork of the
Occur dAlene river, and thither rushed
thousands.
1T was in September of 1885, that
Cooper & Peck Of Murray, Idaho, had
grub-staked N. S. Kellogg, an old pros
pector, to. look for gold. Part Of the out
fit was the burro. Kellogg found some
samples of si1yer-lead ore, but an assayerr
told Cooper & Peck that this mineral
was of insufficient value to be worth any
trouble in that country and as conse-
quence the partnership was dissolved.
kellogg, however. was not willing to
give up. He showed his samples to Phil
O'Rourke. an old Colorado miner, who
recognized their value. The two immedi-
their outfit on their backs. While enter
ing the gulch at the mouth Of Milo creek.
kellogg deserted wandering in the soil
tude his companion of the last prospect
ing tour, the burro. When the partner
ship with Cooper & Peck had been dis
solved the donkey had been turned
adrift. The animal had wandered for
his old friend, and willingly carried the
packs Of the tired prospectors.
but the pair found only float or sur
face ore. Their search for lead brought
no results. One disappointed evening,
they made their camp and failed to tether
the burro securely. In the dead of night
the animal stole away. The next morn
profanity as they searched. The tracks
were plain, and wads Of hair scraped off
here and there against rocks and fallen
logs helped them keep the trail. 1t led
along and down steep precipice that
they had difficulty in descending.
"Finally. after entering a canyon and
following it some distance, they saw the
burro, standing immovable on the side Of
hill and gazing abstra ctedly across the
canyon. The men stole cautiously for
ward, expecting chase.
But the burro remained like statue
when the pair reached the animals
side, they found that he was standing on
an outcropping- mineral vein, while he
was gazing at the spot where shortly aft
erward was found another outcropping
of glistening galena.
cat the place where the burro stood.
the Bunker Hill mine was located, KEEL
logg's name being signed as discoverer
and O'Rourke's as witness. After talk
ing the matter over, the two men con-
cluded that if Kellogg was named as dis
coverer, Cooper & Peck might claim a
share on the ground that their burro was
part of the outfit and that therefore Kel-
logg was still in erubstake partnership
with them. Consequently, the next
morning the original notice was torn
down and O'Rourke's name substituted
| as discOverer.
Returning to Murray, the prospectors
showed their samples, and a STAMPEDE
started--but nobody knew where the mine
was. O'Rourke confided in Dutch Jake
Goetz and Con- Sullivan, however, and
the latter two located the Sullivan mine
grazing the day he stood on the Bunker
Hill lode
erty was sold for $500, 900. Cooper &
Peck sued for an interest in the mine.
on the ground that the burro they had
furnished in grubstakng was the real
| dlscoverer of the bonanza. Judge Henry
Buck of the district court of Idaho, at
Murray, affirmed their claim. In his de-
cision he said
This court is of the opinion that the
Bunker Hill mine was discovered by the
| jackass, Phil O'Rourke and N. s. Kel-
logg. and as the jackass is the property
of the plaintiffs, Cooper & Peck, they
are entitled to half interest in the
Bunker Hill and quarter interest in the
Sullivan claims
The mines are now worth $4,000, OOO.' -
Eugene B. Palmer in Ainslee's.