Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-01-19
A PATHETIC STORY
OF SAILOR 0IGINGS
A Tale of Pioneer Days and of a
Little Orphan
Girl

Immediately after the discovery Of
gold at Sailors Diggings, now known
as Waldo, there was a great rush for
the new mines. Men gathered there
from all parts Of Oregon and Califor-
mia, and among the first to reach the
New Eldorsdo was a Frenchman and
his little daughter, whose name 8
we're Low. Little Brownie, as she
was called, was the first white
woman who came to the place and
was about 10 years Of age. In those
days of mad rush for gold when men
were here today and there tomorrow,
and everyone was a stranger to every
one else, few questions were asked
as TO who or what ones neiRhbors
were and no one knew anything
about the Frenobman more than this
he was a man Of few words, and was
much given TO drink. Mr.. Low
bought cabin in Allen gulch and
here he and his little daughter took
up their abode.
Those must have been lonely days
for Little Brownie, as her father was
over at the stores drunk every day,
and she was left at home alone. She
was seldom seen, as she remained
constantly at the cabin, but those
who did see her, while passing ur
and down the gulch, all agreed that
she was indeed beautiful little
maiden. They had been about three
weeks in the place when one morning
Mr.. Low left the cabin as usual for
the stores where he drank all day and
in the evening someone, while pass
ing over the trail to the gulCh, found
him lying dead in the road. He had
taken more whiskey than he could
stand and had died on his way home.
| His body was carried back to the
stores and the following morning was
laced in a box, grave was dug on
the hillside and here Mr.. Low was
buried. Little Brownie was there
but she shed no tears, nor spoke a
word to anyone, and when the work
of burying her father was over sand
the few miners who were there began
leaving the sTot, fhe walked slowly
back to her home alone. The miner
went their different ways and thought
no more Of the drunken, FIenchman.
OF course these men supposed that
the little girl had friends who would
care for her and a week had pssse {
before any inquiries weIe made cen
csrniDg the little maiden. II wal
then remembered tina. she had moi
been seen since the day her father.wai
buried. Inquiries were made through
out the camp but no one knew any
thing about the little girl and it be
came the general opinion that som'
friend had carried her away from the
diggiDgs and the whole matter wal
soon forgotten.
Several years after the disappear
aDce of little Brownie Low, some on'
found on the hillside in Allen gulcl
what appeared to be grave anC
lying beside it was the docayed re
mains of woman. These remains
lay face downward. braid Of lonI
dark hair covered the white skull,
necklace of golden beads enciIcleC
the neck and small rusty dagge
was found sticking point upward
through the bones of the breast
The story Of the finding of lhes,
remains was told at the camp, but n,
one knew anything about it until nj
old lrishman was found who remem
bered the burying Of the FrenchmaI
on the hill and the sudden disappear
anco Of the little girl, aud the crue
knife found with the remains tol,
plainly the fate Of little Brownie
Lett alone without father, mother o
friends, her grief was greater thar
she could bear and she had takel
this knife, gone to her fathers grave
lay down on the ground aud guidinI
the point of the knife to her heart
threw her weight upon it and he
young life went out,
Her remains were gathered up
placed in little box and there, afte
so long time, by the grave of he
father and ON the spot where she ha,
died, was buried all that remained o
little Brownie Low, of Sailors Dig
gings. JAMES CHIrWOOD.