The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-02
SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1904
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,
A POSTPONED CELEBRATION.

POSTPONED CELEBRATION.
It was a hrecracker that was the cause Of all our
troubles cannon frecracker, six inches long and
most two in diameter with three fuses and vicious
appearance It had been left in the front window
of the that belonged Dufeys father the day
after the Fourth because soldiers had to
and we had celebration at all in Kaseve. 1t
dreadfully dull time especially to three boys Herb
and Duffey and But the way that frecracker got
mixed up with us, was like this
The glorious Fourth had long since gone by, the
frecracker had been put away almost forgotten
school was to open in few days, and looking
for something exciting
Now LANNON'S lead mine bore peculiar reputation
No knew exactly why, except that there
evil uncertain story of its days, that
1t was lonely, deserted and generally summed We de-
cided to explore it.
started early morning with dinner
pals crammed and pockets bullying with candles
matches. After a long four-mile
the last hill and approached our destinations huge
heap of broken, yellow rock rotting log hut, and
mighty wndlass ready to fall with standing above
the great, black hole of the shaft.
Say said Duffey II wonder if there amt
other way down? Ought to be for ventilation, you
know. Let's look and see."
Sure enough, 200 or 800 feet away down on the
slope of the hill found it; straight
steep the first and already provided with old and
rickety ladder.
Down we went slowly and fearfully one at time.
We left the daylight and entered smoky gloom that
deepened descended, and finally found
selves in at the foot of the ladder We
lighted candles and started Downward went,
along crooked and uneven gallery, most of
the way creeping painfully hands and knees.
candles barked shins and skinned knuckes,
TANNED ribs hit against rocks.
At first there oppressive of the great
weight above smohering closeness of the air. and
trembling of the place and its uncanny memories.
After hundred feet the gallery opened out
into spacious chamber junction of several passages
where could stand erect There an DID, ncrust-
ed shovel here pick and empty powder half
eaten with rust. candle smoke
ceiling and then started explore the other
passages. These led about in corkscrew
twstings and turnings at all angles and many levels
Durng the mO we had a M of hen1
to their ends but had not yet been able to find that
which to he
At carried lunch pals into a
chamber. The low roof forbade standing up but
in the shadows Of its farther there urked
sibilities Of discoveries Somehow appetftes
not good. In that ghostly silence gloom
apple pie ginger bread their wonted attrac-
tons, the grewsomeness of the place settled
like wet blanket and we wished we hadn't come.
Then 1t ALL Duffey blew out the candles and
"Lanyon, you know, the old fellow who used to
work the mine way back in the sos and he muir
dered. He a strange old Lanyon Here
in this lonesome hole he worked with living creature
him and hearing sound but the blows of his
pick and the echoes of his blasting powder. After
whole long months of he % town,
his then start in to drink. Even when
Lanyon sober he wild and frightful; hatess,
with his shirt open at the throat and his hair and
beard uncombed uncut. colorless
living underground and his eyes fierce and
ing beneath his great eyebrows. And when he was
crazy with whisky-well after it all would
back to this mine and bury himself again.
"You know what folks say" said Dufey, "about
the blue lights seen around here at night Hark What
was that
We thought heard something too. Dufey got
up investigate and around bend in the near
where crawled in heard him strike a match
minute he back.
"Just my Imagination, I guess" he went you
have heard old Higgins driving along
here night and something and would never tell
And how Billy Jensen past here just
after dusk and tall and white thing with eyes
chased him and he and dead with fright
when he got to Miltimore's?
zone cold night in winter. when the was
hidden by dark scudding banks of clouds Eve were
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