Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-16
ORIGINAL DEADWOOD
DICK TELLS WONDROUS
TALES OF ADVENTURE
IRA II. BROWN IS VISITOR IN CITY
No Nook or Corner of Most 0ut-ofthe-Way Parts
of the Globe but Are as Open Books to the
Miner-Actor-N Musician, Who Typifes the
Fast Disappearing Frontiersman

dragged him forth then and made him
work for his passage.
When the boat reached the wharf nj
Portland he had not a cent. A Young
man. noticing his predicament, took
MIN to the Union hotel and found him
job as n waiter.
Earns Money with Banjo
His banjo playing attracted william
Nickson, proprietor of the Essex sa-
loon of Dallas, ore. He offered him S25
night to play in the saloon.
Harry Knox afterward hanged in
PIorence, Idaho, for the murder of Ma
gruder, engaged him after this at $50
a night TO play In Canyon City.
lie had no way to get from Canyon
lily but to walk He put his pro-
Visions inside the drum hoop of his
banjo and started without blanket or
matches. Fortunately for him a caval-
cade met him short way from town
and let him ride the bell horse 20 Cam
yon City.
Julia Deane Hayne the greatest act
ress California knew in those days,
picked him UP after he had been in
canyon City while and took him to
Idaho City.
He was playing the grave digger in
Hamlet there one night when the
alarm of fire was given The cabins
were all built of rough pitch pine lum-
per. In half an hour the town was re-
duced to ashes and all Mr. Brown had
saved was the clothes he wore and his
banjo.
His next theatrical venture was at
san Francisco where he played in
Gilberts Melodeon, corner Clay and
kearny streets. This was then the
business portion of the city. Among
his associates were Jeff D. Angelus'
father, Lottie Crabtree and Joe MUIR
phy, who have all since become famous
in the theatrical world.
He was at Oroville when he read an
article in the newspaper describing a
woman whom he thought he recognized.
He started out Immediately to Dutch
rats. from where the article had come.
A Chinese was pointed out to him as
the one who told the story.
Finds Mothers Skeleton
He gave the oriental a twenty-dollar
gold piece to lead the way out of town.
straight to the mountains. On their
way they ordered the livery stable
keeper to have a hearse on the top of
a certain mountain near there. They
walked silently along the trail for
three hours. AS they went farther the
path grew narrower.
AT the base of a mountain the Chi
nese turned and began to toll up the
steep ascent.
They had proceeded for half a mile
when the Chinese stopped and mo-
tlohed Mr. Brown to go ahead to
small ledge. He went a hundred feet.
At the side of the path was some
thing white and bleached. He touched
IT. Two yellow papers fell on the
ground. A pair of spectacles went
bounding over the rocks. 1t was the
skeleton Of his mother.
Tenderly as he could he gathered up
the feshiess bones and placed them
In sack. Without help from his
guide, who was superstitious, he slung
it over his shoulder and started up the
ascent. the Chinese following several
rods behind 1t was a mile and A
half to the top of the mountain. On
the summit the hearse was waiting.
They put the sack within. Mr.. Brown
up with the driver and the
Chinese walked behind. This was the
funeral.
His mother had been dead a year.
from all appearances. 1t was prob
able that she was travelling alone with
a small amount of money. Some Chi
nese learned of it.
Murdered by Chinese
They followed her from the town
and on the lonely road had murdered
her. Taking the money they had
dragged the body up the steep ascent,
where it lay unnoticed until his guide
had found it. Mr.. Browns brother
died soon afterward and he has never
been able to locate the grave of his
father.
He began mining again in the Sierra
Nevada mountains at Meadow lake,
near Chico, Cal Here the snow fell
to depths of twenty to twenty-five
feet and completely covered the cab
ms In the long winter months there
was nothing to do but reread the old
novels they had, play cards and eat.
of pork and beans, bread and coffee.
For a bed they cut the tops of the
spruce trees, shook them down on the
floor and laid their blankets over
them. Their pillows were also of
spruce.
They could not get much firewood,
as all they could cut of the trees were
the tops which projected from beyond
the snow. Even these they had diff
Guilty in getting, as they would have
to climb up to the roof of thier cabin
and start out from there on their
snowshoes.
From mining he returned to Truckee,
where he played his banjo in George
Stevens saloon. When the last spike
was driven connecting lHe central 1d-
cific with the Union Pacific from the
east at Promontory he went to Salt
Lake
Plays for Brigham Young
Here he met Brigham Young and a
great many of his wives. He gave
several recitals on the great organ in
the Salt Lake Mormon tabernacle and
appeared for some time at the Salt
Lake theater.
He made his home with Claude
Spence and his six wives Many times
Mr. Brown noticed the official shad-
over, Bill Hyde, watching him to see
that he did not prove a traitor.
His travels next took him to Den