Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-03-14
Death of Sandy Gibson.

Isaac Gibson, better known as SANDY"
I died in Custer at the home of T. B
Davis on the evening Of March 5, 1908,
ased 81 years.
The funeral took place on Saturday
the 7th, and his remaisfs wrre buried in
the Custer cemetery, Rev. w. r. jeffrey,
pastor Of the Methodist church, officiat-
ing. In the passing away of an old
timer who has lived among us so long,
it is fitting that the event should he
marked by q few lines which we deem
appropriate to the occasion. His rela
tives are unknown, except one sister
Susan Gibson, who fifteen years ago was
living in the town of Pontiac, Illinois.
There are other relatives still living, or
presumed to be, but Sandy seemed to
know but very little about them, and
nothing Of their whereabouts. II. n.
Ross, who knew Sandy in Montana, says,
he came to that country in 1868, when
he was great big ganging red headed
boy, and engaged in placer mining at
Virginia City. He was lucky and struck
very rich diggings md it is reported by
others who knew him in those days, that
he took out of the ground as high as
thousand dollars a day. These were
haIcyon days for Sandy but they proved
his undoing, as he plunged into excuses
Of every sort. When he came from
Montana to the Hills in 1877, he had
nothing to show for all his acquired
wealth, but constitution more or less
broken, and the taint of disease which
fingered with him until the day of his
death.
He WAS a man Of herculian strength,
raw boned and standing full six feet and
four inches in height, it was said of him
fifteen years ago that he could shovel
more dirt into a sluice box in day 4,
than any other man in Custer county
1t is known that Sandy in the early days
Of mining on French creek took out a
good deal of money, but what he done
with it no one could ever find out. In
this country he was never known to
drink to excess, and never seen to spend
any money except for the barest neces-
sites Of life. We have heard that he
made the statement once to a certain
party that he had sent as much as $1,000
to his sister (who was unmarried) to pay
off q mortgage on their home. For the
last five years Sandy has been a burden
to himself, and his days have been de-
void of pleasure. Still he clung to life
and was not reconciled to his fate. But
if ever death came to any man in the
form of angel of mercy, it was thus he
came to Sandy. For when a man has
lost all interest in the things of this
world, when he is bereft of health, be-
reft of money and bereft of friends, ex.
cept few whose friendship was mostly
charity, he is ready for the change. The
chill hand of death is then a kindly
hand, it touched his wrinkled forehead
and beconed him away from the dreary
scenes of earth to a higher life where he
can stand erect and well, a pier among
his associates and rejoicing in his free
dom. 1t can not be said of Sandy that
he was very good man, and yet to our
knowledge there was never crime laid
at his door and he never harmed a man,
woman or child But his was not life
such as father would point to and say
to his son "go thou and do likewise"
But let us not speak i'll Of tho dead,
rather commend him for the virtues he
possessed, and let his faults lie buried
in the grave where his body slumbers,
while his freed spirit finds peace and
comfort and pleasure in a different
sphere and in better land.