Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-08-30
REVIEWS THE PAST
Joe Lewis Continues His Story of
Early Day Life in the West.
HAS POOR LUCK AT MINING
And Spends Winter Working In a
Hotel at Phillpsburg. Mont. Con-
Guides His Story Next Week.

any mshap. Billy found employ
ment on Napias creek. ! met au
old friend, DR.. Turner, who had
been steward In the army and now
posed as full tiedged physician.
This was the case with good many
in those days.
There was another class of men
whose object was 10 BALD them
selves up in the estimation of the
miners. These were the men who
had served both in the union and
confederate armies. They had all
become generals, colonies and cap
tains-with no rank below captain.
A friend in Leeeburg introduced
me to bar tender as haying served
in the Union army. I" What rank
did you hold" was the first question
asked. When / told him that ]
served as a private, he said, "Let's
have drink together. have often
wondered if both armies were made
up of officers, as you are the first
private I've seen in these parts"
DR.. Turner offered me 500
month to work on his ranch-he had
several cows and was selling milk.
/ told him that did not care to fool
away valuable time working for
those wages. was broke as the
time, but had come to the noun
tains to make a fortune or nothing.
He offered to loan me $40 which l
gladly accepted.
About this time there was quite
an excitement in camp over the re-
ported rich strike that had been
made by Barney Hughes, one of the
discoveries of Alder creek, and
nearly everybody mixed out for the
new diggings. | struck out on foot
for Salmon City, got my horse and
Joined the crowd. The first day |
fell in with German named Bow
man and two Swedea. Bowman had
burro on which was packed the
belongings of the three men and the
little animal had about all he could
toddle under. We went into camp
that night together and after supper
an agreement was entered into by
which Bowman's burro was to carry
my blankets and provisions and We
were to take turns riding my horse.
We took a short cut through the
hills, striking the north fork Of
Salmon river a short distanse above
its mouth. La crossing the stream,
the water being SWIFT and the burrc
having about 900 pounds on hi,
back, lost his footing, upset and
fioated down the stream. Bowman
was excited and yelled to me, min,
Gott, Joe save mine Yack-I los,
nine Yack." Fortunately the burr'
lodged against log short dis
lance down the stream. / hurried
y threw my lassp over his head ant
we pulled him ont, more dead thai
alive, and q more forlon looking
animal ! never saw IN my lite. Gu
blankets and provisions were soake'
and We had to 90 into camp to dr.
hem out. We made our sugar int
syrup and what flour we had W
baked into bread.
The next day we started on fo
Hughes creek and on arriving ther
found a few claims being worked
but the report Of the rich strike va
all a fake. We prospected alon
several streams, but found nothin
that paid. Il
We finally drifted into Big Ho
Basin, and vent TO work in an Of
mine that had been abandoned. "
did very well, making an average
IS per day TO the man. We =
manned there about two months ar
then struck ont for Bitter Root Va
ley, intending to winter there. "
followed dow n the BIG Hole riv,