The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05
MAGNATES TIE GOLD BOOM MADE
ssme Queer Folks VINO "struck II Rich
IN the Old Days In Colorado.

IN the Ol0 Daye In COIOra0e-
In the flush times in Colorado queer
characters became rich In a day. One Of
the most picturesque Of them was Pat
Casey OF Black Hawk. Pat was a day
laborer without education. He could not
read nor write. and could hardly count.
But when he was working on little prospect
hole one fne morning a single blast dis
closed great voin Of wonderfully rich gold
ore and he became at once sMr. Casey
His mine was ono of the show places
which tourists visited, and he himself
was the greatest curiosity around the mine
He was much ashamed Of his illiteracy.
and one Of his foibles was to keep a pile
Of pencils on his table in the Office Of the
mine. Whenever he saw strangers coming
he began sharpening q pencil. and never
failed to inform the admiring visitors,
In q brogue that was all wool and a yard
wide. that Il use twilve lid pincils q day
In me business
The superintendent of the ad Joining mine
was . Colonel. When Casey heard this
he had all his men called up out Of the mine
and made q speech to them from the dump
pile.
'Byes said ne. when there bese ten
dherfeet hero. yez win all be sure TO call me
Kunnel Casey. And when they bese gone
yez viii all take drink
He had q big lot OF men in his employ,
for he was q warm-hearted Irishman, and
never turned away any man who wanted
. job. the result being that the miners
were 90 thick In his shafts that they could
hardly move around, Once when he was
feeling happy he called down to some men
In little prospecting shaft:
How many Of yex are down there?'
The answer came, Five. Col. Casey and
then said the genial Pat:
'Yez viii come up. half Of yez at time.
and take q drink with the Colonel
He heard that there was such a thing a.
q diamond drill used in mining, but had
not the remotest idea what it was, but he
was with difficulty dissuaded from buying
one. having got II into his head that Il 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 any
thing and the wife supporting the family
by taking in washing. One day her Gus
toners 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 inery sitting on q wooden
stool on the DIRT floor OF the log cabin. She
received him with great cordially. and
produced champagne and cigars.
INV old man has struck 1t rich. 80 have
retired from business. said she.
There were In Leadville three brothers.
prospectors, Gallagher by name, who had
discovered q mine called the Pine or
something like that, which suddenly turned
out rich. They sold II. realizing about
500 600 each. They had always been
day laborers; had never had any money, and
did not know the difference between 500 900
and 81 900 900. 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 prin-
ciole ambition had always been to own
a gold watch. 10 the frst thing he did was
I, go to the Denver Tdany's and buy Elk
o The largest possible SIZE with chain
l. aving five OF the watches In the hotel
sair, he sailed out to promote the circula-
ton OF currency, good fellowships and wet
goods. When he came back the hotel clerk
pointed out to him that his watch chain
ing. He asked for another watch and Il
was given to him. But In trying TO fasten
II on the chain Il slipped through his fingers
and fell on the marble floor with q bang.
Pat made several friitlees efforts to pick
It up. Then he stesdied himself against
the counter and said:
sNever mind Gimme 'uuther watch.
Few Of theee men kept their money, and
In most CASA less than six months found
them once more taking up, not the shoyei
axe and returning 10 the night shift for
their daily WAN.