The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-12-01

''old Man. Finley succumbs After
Years of Search.
(Bullfrog Miner.)

"Old Man" Finley, the well known
desert prospector, died at Msnse,
about rs miles south of Bullfrog, last
Sunday. Death was the indirect re-
suit of a severe cold contracted last
winter in Death valley, the effects of
which Finley was never able to shake
of.
"Old Man" Finley, known by all
the old California and Nevada prospec-
tors, was one of the characters of the
desert. If he lived until February Fin
ley would have been so years of age,
yet he was hunting almost up to the
day of his death for a rich mine.
The rich mine that Finley was espec-
tally prospecting for was that found
by Breyfogle in Death valley. Finlev
knew Breyfogle very well and saw
some of the fabulously rich ore tina.
Breyfogle brought out of the district.
Breyfogle, whose name has been em
blazoned on immortality's pages by
reason of the mine that has never
been rebound, lost his reason soon aftec
making the rich discovery and could
give nc information as to the location
of his new-found treasure vault. Since
that time thousands of prospectors
have tried to find the lost Breyfogle
mine, and hundreds nave lost their
lives in the fruitless search through
Death valley. Many insist that "Mys-I
terious" Scott has the Breyfogle, but
the old timers do not think so.
"Old Man" Finley registered q
solemn vow, when Breyfogle died, that
he would find the mine that drove his
old friend crazy. For years he has
tramped the burning sands of Death
valley, prospecting first at one end,
then at another, with the persistency
of a man who had neither nerves IT,
rack or human flesh to torture. He
died without redeeming his vow or
reaching the goal of his ambition.
But while this was true, Finley was
far from being a pauper when he died.
He had what is said to be valuable
mining property at Resting Springs
and other places throughout Nevada
and California. A short time ago he
sold for $4,000 in cash a bunch of
claims at Resting Springs. His part
ner in this property was j. S. Stotler,
of Tonopah and Los Angeles. Each re-
ceived $1,000, and it is presumed that
Finley had his share intact in a Los
Angeles bank when he died.
Finley has a wife and son living
somewhere in Montana. From the for
mer he was separated years ago, but
the cold Man. gave her $4,000 with
which to educate the boy. When Fin
ley got sick a few weeks ago he tent
word to the boy. The son wrote him
a letter, so it is said, asking the "O!d
Man. if he 'Ethought he would die
SOON" Finley didn't like the tone
of the letter and he proceeded forth
with to fix his will so that the son
would not get a cent of my money
Finley was one of the 49ers, and
came to this part of the country over
a half century ago. He did not, how
ever, come across the country in a
prairie schooner, but he came in a real
sailing vessel. He and a party of
young New Workers who were en-
Unused by the reports of California and
Nevada gold discoveries, chartered the
vessel and made the long and peri
lous water trip via Santa Cruz and
Cape Horn.
Personally the "Old Man, is said
to nave been, in his prime, a fine man
physically, and above the average in
tellectually. He is said also to have
been a man in whose vocabulary there
was no such word as fear. He has
lived at Eureka, Palmetto, Resting
Springs, Manse, and other places, but
of late years "Old Man." Finley was
partial to the last two named places
because of their proximity to Death
t---1Ax,