The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-08-20
CHINAMAN PLAYED TRICK.
Got Good and Even With Prospector
Who Made Him Hunt for
Gold.

"I was readin' somewhere the 9TH
er day. said the weary pilgrim,
"about man that located mine IN
graveyard. I had knowed of lots Of
fellers locatin' graveyards in gold
mines, lots Of 'em; but this was other
way about.
"The average man will start out
huntin' gold an he don't know no
more about mineralogy than billy
goat knows about roller skates; and
he II mess around in cold water and
sleep on bed Of pain and sage
brush; an he'll eat hard tack an
corned mule; an he'll work like a
Kansas farmer; an if he washes up
on an everage Of % cents worth Of
gold a week he wouldn't trade his
chances of wealth with the fattest-
salaried guy in Chicago.
"All Cinnamon are like thet. But
Cinnamon are lucky. They find the
dust. Why, Chink will wash a bunch
o. gold outen pile Of pine sawdust,
sew it in the tail Of his empire gown
an be half way to China with the
bones Of his Uncle Mike rolled up a
customers shirt before white man
has got through locatin' gold-bearing
quartz with the help Of a willer wand
an bottle Of whiskey. Huh! Me!
Look not upon the mine when it is red
clay!
"When me and Bill Pooley was in
the Black Hill we met up with a
Chink thet had just finished washln'
two ounces of gold dust out Of 2.oOO
tons of dirt thet he'd been through
tn Homestake gins. We figured tibet
practical miner like him was too
good to lose. So we took him to tn
hills with us to hunt gold.
"I disremember now whether he
wanted to come or not. Anyhow, we
didn't ask him. We roped him to a
burro's tail and fondly promised him
a kiln if he hollered. He didn't say
nothin' back-jes' come PATTERN
along, an when we let him loose he
lit into tn pantry an begun cookin'
dinner with heading gallop thet
would hev' made the banishment OF
Mazeppa look like a dump cart wait
in for funeral to pass. We was
right pleased with him.
"Me an Bill located in the nlost
unlikely place We could find an';te-
can putting down a shaft. We work
ed the windles and tn Celestial did
the pick and shovel work. An we
didn't let him out only to cook the
meals.
'FWell, sir, I s'pese we I'D been
digging yet if somethin' hadn't stop
ped us. An thet somethin' was the
Chink. He was workin' away like
sixty one day an was down about
fifteen feet when all Of sudden ne
let out an awful yell.
"'Gold!' sez he; 'Alle samee heap
mucheeH
"Well, me an Bill was about crazy.
We was afraid to let the Chlnk stay
down in tn hole fer fear he'd steal
tn mine, an we dasen't go down
while he was there, eos they wasn't
no one to pull US up. So we pulled
John up an we both got in the buck
/ ct an told tn Chinaman to lower
away.
"We forgot tibet one little nubbln
like him couldn't handle two big men
like us, but we recalled this fact to
mind right away. The bucket went
down like whiskey down an Injun, an :
we hit the bottom all in heap. But
tn poor Chink! Thet win lass twisted
him I'D an spun him out like yarn
from grandmother's spindle. An
when he let go he got slung clean
across tn canyon an then turned
hardsprings and summersets for about
mile. I wish it had killed him.
"Why? Why, do you knew wot
thet abandoned, lost in darkness
heather done? He come back an cut
tn rope an left us in thet hole! Yes,
sir! An then he went away with ev-
erything we had except few tracks
we had made about tn place. An it
took US three DAYS to cut steps an
get out, am two more days before
ue oot TO feedin' place.