The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1904-06-16
JOSIAH THE CLAIM-JUMPER

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~ OSIAH GODBOLT was new
III the Shasta hills He was new
any hills, and, of course, he wa
new to the mines- He was new to e.
erything western. and new to almos
everything not relating directly or ind
rectly to the swamp lands of the Mi:
sissippi, where boys grow so fast int
human saplings that by the time the
are stubbly Of chin their legs are lon
enough for them to stride away, or {
the locomotion OF a St Louis stree
car. Godbolt had been a conducto
on street car until that eventful da,
when his car collided while he was en-
gagged In helping small girl with hel
basket, and he was discharged Hs
had had wages due him sufficient Il
pay his fare to California. which seem
ed the place most distant from the
scene Of his yielding to a weakness.
Hither he had come in a hurry. But
Josiah knew. or, to be precise. he al
lowed that he wanted a copper mine.
As he had no snug fortune with which
to buy one, his recourse was TO dis
cover a new ledge and plaster his no
tice Of location upon it These are
sideHghts upon the trail along which
Fate led Josiah to Pete Barclay.
Barclay was tenderfoot-nearly
twenty years before Josiah was born
-Four decades he had spent In getting
into such close and fortune-hunting
communion with the "likely spots" OF
the Sierra Nevadas and the Coast
Range, that he had really become
part of the mountains. He was SO
gray and weathered, and 80 perfectly
attuned to the surroundings, that he
could squat among che little powders
ON Shasta hillside and jack-rabbit
might hop over and scratch its back
against corner Of him without noting
the difference Fortune had not al |
ways been mean to him, and II he was |
forever at the ebb it was mainly be- |
cause. like all chronic prospectors, he |
knew q good deal more about hunting
for mineral than about using it after
he fousR it Once, At Cherokee, he
took S-st nuggets as large as buzzards'
eggs; at Oak Bar he piped down
bank which washed ten thousand dol
larf IN ten days. and a week later. in
\ gambling house-but that Is not this
story
Josiah Godbolt, tired Of mucking at
he Iron Mountain, and resolved to
make find for himself, drew his sti-
pend and went to Redding. Pete Bar
ciay, driven away from the high alti-
tudes Of Coffee Greek by the flying
NOW, was in town with the price Of
four weeks living used out Of his shall {
ow dust-sack when he met Josiah In
he Blue Goose resort. You're fresh I
Dnoush from nowhere to have some I
Ireenhorn luck with you" commented
You're long enough on the '
,elt to teach me how to find copper I
nine" was Josiah's theory. And 50 t
no partnership was formed b
Barclay did know Of copper pros
ect which seemed large enough to o
meet the ideas Of the young Missou-
ian, to say nothing Of his own hopes, s.
ow modified by experience. He knew o.
here a streak as OF half worn or red n
amt ran through a ravine and over K
Illtop, back from Copley, within rifle hi
not of the great Balaklala. This red fc
1ssan meant more than an iron crop b'
INK. of that he was certain. On the hi
ourth of July, when every miner of h'
% section had gone to Redding for I'll
< celebration, he had improved the th
watched opportunity to pick into the CO
dn where the hill sloughed away, and be
had found copper sulphurets. The ne
stacle which prevented Barclay from co
king up the two claims which the ey
streak crossed was that they al WI
Rdy bore the location notices Of Hen w
F1atfoot, half-breed, drunkard and I'm
hfof. The half-breed had been keen ph
No, but too lazy to get down to 1t, fe'
even to do his assessment work, re- m,
Ired BY law. Pete Barclay had wait
his opportunity. In another night In,
year would expire, and with it the hi,
afion notices Of the half-breed- The no,
{ man upon the spot after the hour w,
midnight could relocate those two I'm
U4OI0 Cl8lkuD. L 1t buItol way WAS f-<
q man to be on each Of the claims ue
city at twelve O'Clock to tear down 60,
tfoots notices and post new ones of tbt
b own. This was what Pete Bar tb,
had Ia mind In taking partner. his
n old miner and young one drop still
from the caboose Of the afternoon slit
vhtSefln az O.,5se,, and slung down sile
r packs while they went In to pat ris.
re the bar, which constituted half hin
town. The older miner was care VIII
to explain to the dispenser of re- vol
yhments and the loungers in the in
. that he and his companion were the
1g 10 the baiaKlala TO work. See aga
you've got Jobs, 1t amt worth bru
said the proprietor, but oui
an Flatfoot. who's a-gambling in tha
back room now, says he's willing WEE
>ay big for somebody to go up the emo
with him tonight and keep some b,rt
claim or other from being jumped ton,
no remark was not lost upon Josiah he
bolt, and as he toiled after Barclay nipl
y the trail, winding up hillsides not
around little peaks, sometimes I'M n
trees and usually through dense n,qt
mise. he asked: "Will this Flatfoot naIr
y try to interfere with us tonight, lone
ron reckonr hod,
You'd better save your wind to get bref
these hills. instead OF wasting Il ure,
ne questions" answered old Pete; torn
besideL . pine trss, such ~ you unti
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