The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-06-09


and March. | put the remembrance
/ Of that out of my mind as much as |
can, for it brings back the melancholy
fate of Wharton.
! had known Wharton several years.
The name is not his real one, though
the story is n story of romance of hard
ship and terrible suffering, crowned
with dazzling success at the end. and
then death. Wharton was a Pennsyl-
vania farmers son, with no opportuni-
ty beyond that offered by the district
school. Little points CT grammar and
refined etiquette were trifies not at
tended TO in those parts. Wharton
possessed splendid ability and was full
of fire and ambition. He burned to
burst his rustic shell and see the world.
Yet he was a good son, labored faith
fully on the farm summers and went TO
the country school winters, with term
or two at the village academy. Sing
ing schools and taffy pullings were the
designations of the time and place.
When Wharton was 90 he asked his
father dutifully one evening for the
farm horses to put to light wagon for
drive to a singing school few miles
away. His request was grufiy refused.
Wharton said never a word. but the
next day he turned his back on his
home and never returned. He wander
ed to the west, earning his living as he
went and as he could. He was one of
the very first to go over Chilcoot pass
With bis blanket and miners pack
upon his back, his staff in his hand, he
marched over the snow and ice and
built bis little boat to shoot the Yukon
rapids when the river thawed. He had
tremendous capacity for work, and he
drained it to the last drop. There was
one strange thing. have heard him
say that all the time he was toiling
over Chilcoot and up the Yukon and
half killing himself with pick and
crowbar dazzling pictures OF gold in
nuggets, in coins and in bags filed
with the yellow dust fioated before his
eyes always, asleep and awake He
could actually see the gold in shadowy
pictures before his open eyes some
times. Was 1t prophecy or a picture
reflected from the images in his own
determined mind? don't know
Wharton was hard headed. altogether
matter of fact person, which makes the
visions all the stranger.
He was successful from the start.
He famed his back permanently
through lifting a great iron bar. and he
nearly died of typhoid fever in 1898,
but he got gold by the bucketful. In
1898 the farmers son. at the age of %,
was worth 100000, accumulated in
three years. In the autumn of that
year he returned to the United States
and went across the sea to London to
form mining company among British
investors. He returned to America and
came back to the Klondike in February
"over the ice" as they call footing it up
or down the frozen Yukon between
Dawson and the lakes in winter.
He bought and located numerous
claims, but the best was No. 90 Ell Do
RADIO, which yielded till there seemed
no end TO it. In three years he shipped
100000 in gold dust and nuggets to the
United States. March, 1901, he count
ed himself worth near 81 100000. When
I'll Dorado No 90 was all worked out
ne meant to return home permanently,
and that would have been very soon.
In the Klondike Wharton was of the
highest standing morally and CONNER
cially. public spirited in all good works
smong the miners. He had overcome
cate. He had wealth, youth and a COM
handing brain. He was full of the
strong red blood of life. He had every
Thing to live for.
Then pneumonia took him.
ROBERT LYON.