Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1901-08-24

us Ia doubt as Ia whether ihcrc Is
any reason back oi il all, or whether
they are rather the result Of blind
moontrollable impulse, which the Ia
strument is powerless 10 withstand
We are led to these reflections by
the tragedy which recently occurred
In our midst, aud 10 which we briefly
referred in our last issue.
Pete Copeland came into this camp
a few months ago, the exaes Gts$tn Of
his advent being undetermined
He at once engaged in us;6inse ana
leasing in a small way. and attracted
little attention. He became hitoxi4
Gated occasionally, and when in this
condition was apt to be either quar-
relsome or tearii3, but this was moth,
ing uncommon avd was given little
thought, Or last Sunday evening
he seemed to be indulging in what
might be termed a crying drunk.
He approached everybody that he
knew and begged the loan of a dollar.
He was generally refused, of course.
but was persis cent in his efforts to
obtain money in this way Ajc the
last he seemed to have u regular sys-
tenn in the matter. He would 90
first to one and then another in reg
ular succession, after each refusal re-
marking, well, that settles that
About half past nine o clock he passed
through the Mizpah saloon. look of
desperation in his eyes As he
passed out of the back door he stated
to party standing by that lin
short time he would be off the
map, but this remark, as others of
similar nature which he he's made
during the evening, was considered
the maudlin vaporings II a drunken
man @ O q
/ We can only surmise what occurred
( in the following half hour by the light
Of subsequent events, but short
time after Copeland walked out Of
tnc saloon and disappeared in the
darkness of the night tremendo0s
f explosion nSturred which shook the
earth and startled our people. Some
Of the night shifts on the Mizpah
ledge started with lanter5s toward
the scene of the explosion One Of
the number noticed piece OF Hesn
on tha ground @nd called his comrades
attention to it with the remark, my
Goa look here boys. somebody has
been blown to pieces
In the meantime the attention of
the Cown people was attracted to the
point ws"re the explosion occurred
This point is only about 600 feet from
Main street and in plai0 9view. Sad
Z, not been for the darkness which
prevail ol at the time, parties ps&,s-
ing along the street, and who hap
pened to be looking in that direction
would have seen man sitting on a
barrel. They would then have seen
a violent explosion. and at the same
time would have seen tie body of this
man parted Snto Fragments, and these
fragments thrown TO the four points
Of the compass. For 0mately this
terrible sight was corGealed by the
darkness of the night
The crowd ON the streets could not
at first understand the cause Of the
explosion 1t was known that no
body was working night shift AT the
place of the explosion. How then
did ii occur? 1t was hoped that il
was spontaneous, that nobody was
near and nobody hurt AnXiously
the crowd awaited some word from
the searching party on the hill with
lanterns The word came; ii was
bring up more lanterns, somebody
is blown to pieces Ther- with 1
sick kening sensation the crowd real
lied that some one of their number
had met horrible death.
"The point of explosion was found
but there was little in the immediate
vic;,Gty to Indicate the prGence of !
human body IA few moments before
The fragments were thrown far away
all over the hill and into the town
One was afraid to walk over the hill