Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-05-28
THE DAYS OF GOLD
SOME ODD CHARACTERS OF THE
MINES.
Amusing Antics Of Poor Men Sudden.
ly Made Millionaires by Trick o.
Fortune-Why Mrs. Flanagan Suo-
denIv Retired from Business.

In the Susn times in Colorado queer
characters became rich in day. One
of the most picturesque OF them was
Pat Casey of Black Hawk. Pat was
a day Iaborer without education. he
could not read or write, and couid
hardly count. But when he was
working on little prospect hole one
fine morning single blast disclosed
great vein of wonderfully rich gold
ore and he became at once MI,
Casey"
His mine was one of the show
places which tourists visited, and ne
himself was the greatest curiosity
around the mine. He was mucn
ashamed OF his illiteracy. and one OF
his foibles was to keep pile OF pen
ellis on his table In the office OF the
mine. Whenever he saw strangers
coming he began sharpening a pencil.
and never failed to inform the admir-
ing visitors, in brogue that was all
wool and a yard wide, that 4 use
twilve lid pinciis day in me bust
ness"
The superintendent of the adjoin.
ing mine was a Colonel. When Casey
heard this he had all his men called
up out of the mine and made speech
to them from the dump pile.
@Byes," said he, when there bese
teendherfeet here, yer viii all be sure
to cali me Kunnel Casey. And when
they bese gone yez win all take a
drink"
He heard that there was such q
thing as a diamond drill used In min
ing. but had not the remotest idea
what 1t was, but be was with difficulty
dissuaded from buying one, having
got It into hts head that 1t was used
TO discover diamonds In gold mines
There was an industrious couple
named Flanagan In Black Hawk, who
had been working away, in poverty.
for years, the husband prospecting
without finding anything. and the wife
supporting the family by taking in
washing. One day her customers
found themselves without clean linen,
and one OF them went out to her
cabin, up on the mountain side, TO
find out what the trouble was. He
found her arrayed In all kinds of
finery sitting ora woodea stool on
the dirt floor of the log cabin. She
received him with great cordially.
and produced champagne and cigars.
my old man has struck 1t rich, so
have retired from business" said
she.
There we're in Leadville three
brothers, prospectors, Gallagher by
name. who had discovered a mine
called the pine" or something like
that, which suddenly turned out rich.
They sold 1t, realizing 100000 each.
They had always been day laborers;
and never had any money, and did
not know the difference between
100000 and 100000. One of them,
Pat, went down to Denver and put up
at the Grand Central hotel, kept by
"Uncle Dave" Gage, ex-city treasurer
of Chicago. Pats principal ambition
had always been TO own a gold watch,
so the first thing lie did was to go
to the Denver Tiffany's and buy six
Of the largest possible size, with a
chain weighing about a pound.
Leaving five Of the watches In the
hotel safe. he sailed out to promote
the circulation Of currency. good fel.
lowships, and wet goods. When he
came back the hotel clerk pointed
out to him that HIS watch chain was
hanging down and his watch was
missing. He asked for another watch
and 1t was given to him. But In try.
ing to fasten It on the chain II
slipped through his fingers and fell
on the marble floor with a bang. Pat
made several sruitless efforts to pick
1t up. Then he steadied himself
against the counter and said:
Never mind. Gimme 'nuther
watch"
Few Of these men kept their money,
and In most cases lesJ than six
months found them once more taking
UP, not the shovel and the hoe" but
the shovel and the pickax and return.
ing to the night shift for their daily