The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-10-09
WEALTHY FOR A DAY.
The Harvester Salesman Relates His
Experience as a Mine Owner.
(ChicaSo 49,

Chicago News.)
1T is a fine thing 10 be rich said
the harvester salesman, putting his
thumbs IN the armholes of his vest, SIS
he leaned back and shifted his cigar to
the extreme corner of his mouth for the
better convenience of conversation.
Its good to feel that there isRt q
thing money will buy that YOU can't
have if you take notion that you
want it. OF course, there are some
things that money can't buy. but Il
feels good TO have ii in unlimited
quantities all the same. Yes, | made
my money mining
we were a party. One Of my COM
paniOns in prosperity was Rapid City
druggist. jim Gilmore; the otter was
very decent gambler. George Curwen.
There was 4 third. nut be WASH; 4
particularly companionabie fellow. We
took him along because he GAINED 20
know the country and to be able to
make good batch Of biscuit. His
name was Swayner, and he owned the
team that We hired.
We started about IKE middle OF April
and we scratched around over the
hills until the end OF June before We
finally struck it, We were on our way
back and we stopped over night at Tim
DUugherty's ranch on Poodle Dog. We
had a bully good supper there, and
after supper Gilmore pulled out Of his
pocket some of the rock that he had
been loading himself down with all
Gay.
~"Old Tim pounced onto one piece of
the assortment. That looks like yell
low Jacket rock he said. yellow
Jacket was a mine that was running
out $50 and 800 ore right alOng-the
biggest thing that had been known for
years. We all crowded around while
the old man took more careful look
through a magnifying glass. Then he
went to a mineral cabinet he had and
picked out a specimen and laid IL By
the side Of Gilmore's. 1t was impossi-
bic TO tell them apart except by the
shape
That's yellow jacket 1loat.' said
old Tim, pointing to his lump. Yours
is float, too. Now IL you can find the
vein. boys, you're all right
You may bet we were VI and hunt
ing as soon as il was light enough TO
see in the morning, and by II O'Clock
we found the vein. CurWen il was
who found il, too He was picking along
the side of the mountain, like a hum
CRY hen pressed for time. when we
heard him yell. We ran, but before we
got to him he was down in a fourfoot
hole, up against two feet of the vein.
with two feet of porphyry cap We
worked like beavers that afternoon. all
four of US, and what do you think we'd
got? An eight-foot vein. and within a
quarter of a mile of tie Burlington
railroad. 80 freighting. no milling. no
nothing, except to skip that $50 or 500
ore down to Omaha.
When il was beginning TO get dark
we staked out our claim-tenj acreS-300
by l.5G0 feet, and put up our notices;
then we stopped and took breath. We
didn't go back TO Tins. but built a fire
and made camp close by the discovery.
Old Swayner cooked up bite, but we
couldn't eat We couldn't speak above
hoarse whisper.
Wen be shipping inside of ten
days, Missed Curwen. BY ginger.
they could run cars without any track
over that ground, boys! Do you re-
slize it yet2'
L don't growled Swavner. You
wait till YOU see the assay
AS quick as a flash Curwen snaked
out a corpulent pocketbook and began
skinning off bills. The next instant he
was rubbing a roll under Swayner's
nose. Smell that he says; there s.
$4,000 there and a certified check on the
Drovers' at Cheyenne for $4,000 moro.
It's yours for your interest in this find.
Is it a go?'
"Swayner drew back and grunted. I
guess / don't want to sell FOR no such
hgger as that he said
'0h. we were an affiuent crowd, and
we began spending our money right
there. I hadn't much more than scat
tered the first dividend when dawn
came. though. Then ] went to Tins
and got his horses l went to Dead
wood to make the filings. Gilmore and
Swayner took Swayner's team and
started for Rockford 10 bring hack the
assay outfit, which we'd sold there. and
Curwen strapped on his a. and went
down to guard the property.
When we got back Curwen was ly-
ing asleep under a tree in camp We
woke him with some degree of sudden
ness.
He informed us that jim Collins. the
owner of the Yellow Jacket with whom
he had stud poker acquaintance, had
happened along while he was on guard
and had given him the merry laugh
when he saw the claim notices. The
ore was similar, Collins admitted. the
only difference being that the Yellow
Jacket carried gold and ours did not
"Curwen had been skeptical, where
upon Collins had conducted him 10 the
Burlington, tunnel and showed him
where the Industrious hoboes had quar-
ried' through three-quarters of a mile
Of our lode. They always called Cur
wen a cheerful loser, but he was not
cheerful as he told this His laugh
was hollow and mirthless. Gilmore re-
fused 10 believe him and made assays
far into the night. but beyond an oc-
casional trace there was nothing to
reward his search.
Yes concluded the harvester sales
man, Il was rich beyond the dreams Of
avarice-fOr that day and a half We
all got over ii in. time-all except
SWayDer He went home and died of d
broken heart. He said in his last mo-
mont that he mayer did believe there
was any blamed color in the goi-
blamed mine. but what killed him was
/ That he hadn't sense enough To take
Curwen's offer OF $4,000 for his inter-
gc. ~ sr, -