The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-04-06
A PAIR OF OLD BOOTS
THEIR LINING WAS PRECIOUS AND
THEIR OWNER ANXIOUS.

OVVNCN |iNNi0SOs
The Odd Manner In Which a Montana
J Merchant Got His Gold Dust Treas
ure Through to the East In the Old
Days of Stagecoach Travel.
| Henry Filing came to Montana in
the early 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 being dollars and cents the
reckoning medium was ounces and pen,
nyweights. Every miner had his buck.
skin pouch instead of a pocketbook,
and generally this pouch had several
ounces of gold dust in it, for those
were the days of plenty in Alder gulch
and all other parts Of the territory
! which is now known as Montana.
When his stock of goods was sold
out Mr.. Filing decided that it would
be good investment if he should
make a trip overland to the States,
| purchase a new stock of goods and
continue in the clothing business. He
had about $4,000 in the best Of gold
dust to his credit in the banks then
established in Virginia City, and a
| question which bothered him sorely
was how to get this money to civiliza.
ton without losing it, for road agents
| often disputed the right of way with
the stagecoaches, and they levied fire.
quent tributes on the passengers, some.
| times stripping them to the hide.
Wells, Fargo & Co. made practice of
shipping gold dust east for the min
ers, but this was expensive, the ratio
for insurance being sometimes as high
J as 10 per cent on the amount carried.
This meant great deal of money to
man, even in those days, and Mr.. Ell.
ling thought he could find way to get
his money to Omaha which would beat
that scheme all hollow.
After considering the matter In Its
different phases he finally expressed
| the money to his own order as far as
Salt Lake City, taking passage on the
| same coach. To Salt Lake City the ex.
press rate was not so high, and practi.
cally the danger zone of road agents
was passed after this point was reach.
ed, the Portneuf canyon and Beaver
canyon in Idaho and the section along
the Beaverhead 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 q
great amount of treasure, and no at.
tempt at holdup was made, though
more than one of the passengers
breathed 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 as fast as four or six horses
could bowl it along, and 1t made an
average speed Of about ten miles an
hour.
After days rest in Salt Lake City
the journey was resumed. Mr.. Filing
had already secured his gold dust, and
as it was strictly against the rules of
the company to carry gold in the bag.
gage he was in quandary for awhile
as to the manner in which he could get
that gold to Omaha. The express com.
pany knew he had the dust and knew
he was going on to Omaha, SO IT
was watching him. The morning the
coach was hitched up and drove around
to the hotel after him he wandered into
the back yard of the hotel and spied q
pair of boots not too badly worn which
some one had discarded.
These gave him an idea. His gold
dust was in two packages, and, secur-
ing stout buckskin string, he tied the
two boots together by their ears, and,
putting a part Of the gold into either
boot leg he threw them into the bottom
of the coach, with the remark that his
boots hurt him and that he was taking
the old ones along so that he could
change if his feet got to 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
and day until he reached Omaha.
When coaches were changed he gener-
ally carried the boots across his arm
and, retiring to some convenient room,
would actually change his boots, in
this manner hoodwinking the express
messengers. the driver and every one
else as to the mount of money he was
carrying with him, and he got great
deal Of sympathy from the rest of the
was suffering from his tender feet
Anaconda Standard.
The Lights Of the Sea.