The Republican journal., 1904-09-22
BILL MAGE OF PINE NUT.
An Epic of Nevada Mining Camp.
Try SAM DAVIs.)

(BY SAM DAvIs.)
Twas dreary day at Pine Nut, and gloom
was everywhere
There was sadness in the little camp and
sorrow in the air.
A more dOleful set OF faces one would not
care to see.
The day the boys laid out the corpse of
Bill Magee.
Twas pneumonia or whiskey-they couldn't
quite decide
That sent the heeting soul of Bill across
the Great divide;
But with very little wrangling over life's
extinguished lamp,
They arranged mighty funeral to adver-
tlse the camp.
l know of places where man who shuffles
off his coil
Is pitched face down with boots on in
scarce foot of soil;
But now the boys of Pine Nut said such
things had had their day,
And they'd bury Bill with socks on, in the
decent, Christian way.
So they hired Carson preacher of noted
funeral skill,
And agreed on forty dollars for some extra
words for Bill.
There are some parsons in the land that'd
go little higher,
But this man was no CRATER but my own
llluStrouS sire
At . O'Clock the coffin passed through Bill's
wide cabin door,
With Otto Schultz and Joe Raycraft and
jackson at the fore.
Tony Kramer, with his goggles, helped to
hold the coffin up.
Then followed tall Miles johnson and his
little hrndie pup.
Pratt, with Hoffman tiour-sack sewed
firmly on his pants;
Bill Peckham, Badly Adams, Lew Steven
son, Old Nance;
And loOmin' up ahead of all, the big long
bearded Zern,
All headin' toward the bourne from which
no travellers return.
They finally reached the grave that yawned
beneath spreading tree,
The parSon told how pure had been the
life of Bill Magee;
And as they heard the kindly thing the
clergyman had said,
They almost thought that angels wings
was Sproutin' from the dead.
They lowered the coffin down with hands
as steady as clocks
And then began to shovel in the gravel on
the box,
When suddenly they stopped the work.
Somebody hollored 'Whew!'
And then a golden nugget came a-t1ashing
into view.
Joe Raycraft, straddlin' DER the gave call
ed out, 81 locate hereH'
And then Lew Stevenson gave Joe swat
upon the ear;
Next johnson jumped aboard of Lew in a
most decided way.
And then the savage brindle pup plunged
headlong in the fray.
Then Badly Adams pulled his gun, and Bill
ly Peckham his,
And in bout half a second the lead begin
to WhiZ.
For several humming minutes it was fear
full fray,
With all upon the ground before the smoke
had cleared away.
The parson when he heard the shots, whip
ped up his old gray mare,
To find the coroner and send that function
AIRY there.
When that official reached the spot immedi-
ately did he
Tack location notice on the headstone of
Magee,
Remarkin' to the wounded: 81 regret you
can't agree,
I'll record these placer diggin's and consid-
er it my fee
ordS was complete
All in accordance with the laws at Douglas
county seat.
And now that thrifty coroner. as many are
Is Twin off that placer claim, a muti-mil-
nonalre,
While the parson oft has mentioned, conf
dentiaily to me,
From that eventful day to this he never got
his fee.
While the foregoing may have sort of
quickSand foundation the characters are
taken from rea, life; most of them are still
living, though Il few of them have Joined
the lamented Mr.. Magee spoken of in the
poem. The Carson preacher mentioned
was the late Rev. G. K. Davis, with whose
name and personality his poetical son was
often wont to take liberties. Otto Shultz is
BILE there, while Tony Kramer was a press
man until he went blind. Miles Johnson
was gambler, but 'cashed in" some time
ago. Pratt (E. c., did a little mining, a
little newspaper work and little of every
thing at different times. He finally be-
came State Surveyor. Hoffman (Pete) is a
Douglas county farmer. Lew Stevenson 81.
L. is salesman and cultivator demon
strator for the II. c. Shaw Company of this
city. Fern (BilD was the original discover
er of the rich Pine Nut Mines. He had
very rich claim, but one day ton of ore,
mostly gold. caved in on him and killed
him. Wealth came to him rather too sud-
denly to be endured. Billy Peckham, if the
writer remembers right, was the Justice of
the Peace at Genoa, Douglas county. He
was related to the late Officer Nap Edwards
of this cty.-Stockton Mail.
The above was sent us from McCloud,
Calf, by F. E. Knowlton, with the remark
that it ''may be of interest to journal read
ers."-Ed. Journal.
For Over Sixty Years.
AN OLD AND WELL-TRIED REMEDY.
Mrs; Winslow's Soothing Syrup has been