The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-05-28
THE DAYS OF GOLD
SOME ODD CHARACTERS OF THE
MINES.
Amusing Antics Of Poor Men Sudden
ly Made MiIlionaires by Trick OF
Fortune-Why Mrs. Flanagan Sud-
denly Retired from Business.

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 or write, and could
hardly count. But when he was
working on little prospect hole one
fine morning a single blast disclosed
great vein of wonderfully rich gold
ore and he became at once Mr..
Casey"
His mine was one 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 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 IL use
twilve lid pincils 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 a speech
to them from the dump pile.
"Byes," said he, when there bese
teendherfeet here, yez will all be sure
to call me Kunnel Casey. And when
they bese gone yez will all take a
drink"
He heard that there was such a
thing as a diamond drill used in min.
ing, but had not the remotest idea
what II was, but be was with difficulty
dissuaded from buying one, having
got II into his 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
fnery sitting on a wooden 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 it rich, so
have retired from business" said
she.
There were 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 it, 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 he 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 fell
lowships, and wet goods. When he
came back the hotel clerk pointed
out to him that his watch chain was
hanging down and lis watch was
missing. He asked for another watch
and 1t was given to him. But in try
ing to fasten 1t on the chain il
slipped through his fingers and fell
on the marble floor with bang. Pat
made several fruitless 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 less 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
| wage.