The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-21

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AmeUc1 Was luuua IN l4llI1tni4 +.
No. In Colorados No In the Black
Hills. Ceur d'Alene. Nevada, New
lIexieos No IN Old Mexico, Peru,
Bolivia, IN P0iosi the Caliao Of Nenez-
ueas No Where thens In North
Carolina And Is story is as weird aud
fatefal s. the Rhineg0ld's
A roor and Ignorant Iri.hman. living
IN the mountains solitary and lonely.
propped open the door oi his cabin with
a lump Of metal. lie had found It
sticking out from uaier-uaslled gully
and carried It home as q curiosity.
Though DO larger than q small cymling.
it was a weighty Ing for a mile. il was
a dull yellow. irregular IN shape. and
pieces Of stone were imbedded u H.
For over two years q fortune lay upon
the floor Of his hovel while be toiled
early and late, making q little whisky
and digging ginseng root 70 earn 4
seanty living A companion noun
faineer, who had known more ofthe ont
side world. Thought this strange stone
might be sold at AsheviIle as a curiosity
for lot Of money so perhaps This
was IN the flush days before the war
He had seen quartz crystal from Roam
Mountain bring that much A third
mountaineer was called in consultation.
Ten dollars was a lot Of money The
third man had been a traveller. n regu-
lar globe trotter. He vent 10 Asheville
four times o year, and he had been clear
to Washington.
Walking around the lump be gazed
at it from every side, touched it with his
toe. spat on It. and breathed heavily.
Hit air wuth nuiliin', er hit air wuth
a pile, said be. Hit air nothin' but
brass, er hit air. He looked around
on the other two with q queer expires.
sion @goold
~Ef hit air brass he drew a clasp
knife and scraped the dull metal till
new surface glistered "yiuegar'n rust
hit. Ei hit air goold hit won't
He poured some vinegar from a jug
which was brought him upon the fresh
facing Of the lump The three men
hung over It intently. Fiye, ten, fifteen
minutes passed, and still the metal
shone clear and untarnished
Hits gooldT
And I've heerd goold vas wnth
more'n 5000 a pound. said the second.
What a 49, fool I've been, groaned
the owner Of the cabit -For two years
I've worked, an wealth never dreamed
Of kickin' under my feet.
Il claims a third broke ia the a.
sayer @Ye'd never knowed what it
was but for me.
An a third for me. said the other.
The owner Of the gold gave a sullen
assent. They obtained a pair Of steel
yards and weighed the gold. II turned
the scales at over 100 pounds ayoirdupois.
and they roughly estimated it 10 be
worth $4,000 over 5000 apiece.
That night all three sat up and watched
the treasure, unable 20 sleep from ex-
citement and thoroughly suspicious II
each other The next DAY they rolled
it securely in a cloth and started for
Asheville aioot, with the gold slung to
a pole, and carried between two.
1t was the devils gold. Az the first
halting place the Irishman and the see
ond mountaincer conspired 70 kill the
third, and he was shot dead from be-
hind. Hastily throwing his body into
q clump Of bushes the murderers faced
each other in the road. Suspicion
reused in each breast saw treaehery in
the others glance.
Here, said one, forcing en- uneasy
laugh. there's only one way to settle
this. Let's divide the gold and each 60
bis way"
Agreed said the other.
The lump was laid 81 the roadway
and chopped IN two with hatchei
Take your choice, said one. A.
the other bent to lit his half his com
panion split the head of The STOPPING
man with his Ratchet. The gold was
bis. With blind iatuiiy he dragged the
second victim 70 the side Of the road,
lifted the blood-stained treasure. aud
went on. At Asheville be took It 20 the
bank and had il shipped 10 the United
States mint. In less than q week. and
before any return could be made from
the mint, the bodies Of the murdered
men had been discovered and the crime
traced directly home The miserable
wretch was placed IN Jail, and there De
died within a year The witch gold
fortune never crossed Dis hands. re.
manning. believe. Is the Federal
Treasury ior lack oi oiounership
The region whero the Jump vas found
has been secured foot 81 loot. bat uof
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