Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-11-28

Merchant Got His Gold Dust Treas
ure Through 10 tho fsnst In the OLD
Days OF s;ngeconch Travel.
the carly sixties. Then greenbackS
were practically unknown in Virginia
City. Gold dust was the circulating
medium, and every counter and bar
was equipped with gold scales. and in
stead Of Icing dollars and cents thu
reckoning medium was ounces and pen.
nyweiglts. Every miner had his buck.
skin pouch Instead OF poclietbook.
ana gencraily This pouch had several
ounces of gold dust III IL. for those
We're the days of plenty in Alder gulch
and ali other parts of the territory
which is now known rs Montana.
When his Stock of goods was sold
out Mir. Filing decided that it would
Hc good Investment if he should
make trip overland 10 the States.
purchase new stock of goods AMI
continue in tue clothing business. IIa
had about $4,000 in the best of gold
dust 10 his credit in the banks then
established i'll Virginia City, and u
question: which bothered him sorcly
was how To get this money To civiliza.
ton without losing il. for road agents
often disputed the right of way with
Tie stagccoachcs. and they levied fire..
qucnt tributes on the passengers, some
times stripping them to the hide.
Wells. Fargo n Co. made practice Of
shipping gold dust east for the min
ci's. but this was expensive, the ratio
FOR insurance being sometimes as high
as 10 per cent on tho amount carried.
This meant a great deal of money 10
man. even III those days, and Mr.. FL
ling thought he could find way to get
his money 10 Omaha which would beat
that scheme Ill hollow.
After considering the matter in its
different phases he finally expressed
tic money TO his own order rs far as
Salt Lake City. taking passage OH the
same coach. 10 Salt Lake City the OK,
press rate was not so high, and practi-
cally the danger zone of road agents
was passed after this point was reach
cd, tho Portuenf canyon and Beaver
canyon i'll Idaho and the section along
tie Bcavcrhcad valley between the
Pete DAILY ranch and Williams juno.
ton, in what Is now Montana, being
the most dangerous.
Mr.. Filing and his gold dust arrived
in Salt Lake City without incident.
For some reason the road agents had
not learned that the coach carried a
great amount OF treasure. and no at
tempt ~ II holdup was made, though
more than ono of the passengers
breatheu hard and had his heart in his
mouth when some unexpected stop was
made during the dark hours OF the
night, for the coach Travelled night and
day and rs fast ns four or six horses
could bowl it along. and it made IN
average speed of about ten miles IN
hour
After days rest in Salt Lake City
the journey was resumed Mr.. Filing
had already Secured his gold dust, and
IA II was strictly against the rules of
The company TO carry gold In the bag.
gage lie was in n qualldary for awhile
,is 10 the manner in which he could get
tha, gold TO Omaha. The express com.
pany' knew lie had the dust and knew
lie yves going on 10 Omaha, so IT
was watching him. The morning the
coach WAS hitclied up and drove around
10 the hotel after him he wandered into
the back yard OF the hotel and spicd a
pair of boots hot too badly Worn which
some one had discarded
These gave him an idea. His gold
lust WIS in two packages. and secur-
Ing stout bUckskin string. lie tied the
two boots together ny their cars, and.
putting 4 part of the gold into either
boot leg, he threw then into The bottom
OF tho coach. with the remark that his
boots hurt him and that lie was taking
The old ones along so that he could
change if his feet got 20 hurting him
too badly.
Nobody had suspicion that there
was $4,000 in those old boots. and Mr..
Filing kept them under his feet night
#nd day until he reached Omaha.
When coaches We're changed he gcncr-
ally carried the boots across his arm
ana. retiring 70 some convenient room.
would actually change his boots. in
this manner hoodwinFing the express
messengers. the driver and every one
else as To the mount Of money he WAS
carrying with him. and he got great
Heal Of sympathy from the rest of tho
passengers on account OF The pain he
WAS suffering from his tender feet
Anaconda Standard