The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-07
ORIGIN OF THE
SUICIDE MINE.
IorlginaL1

and camping alone on Clear creek. |
was sitting at night in my tent--l was
only staying temporarily-re some
old letters by the light of a candle for
the want of something better to pass
the time till | turued in, when sud
denly looked up TO see the most for
lorn face, the most detected pair of
eyes, looking straight Mt me out of the
darkness. | started as though I'd seen
a ghost. When | determined 1t was
only man. and an inoffensive man ut
that, swore at him for startling me.
stranger" he said, "can you lend
me something to blow my brains out
with?"
EN- blow 'em out for you," answer
ed sharply, "if you don't quit looking
at me that way"
"Tve beeu prospecting without find
ing anything till I'm dead tired of the
business I've got family in the east
that's depending on me, and | haven't
anything to send 'em. The wife's sick,
and they're about to be fired from the
hut they're in. Say, stranger, lend me
your gun"
"See here, my friend, I'm pretty
hard up myself. If lend you my gun,
It will be useless without cartridge.
Now, | don't see any use wasting am
munitkon that way. Just you wait a
minute and I'll think up way for
you to get rid of yourself without cost
ing anything have it. You keep
right on. Dye see the north star up
there? Well you follow that star for
about a mile and you'll walk OFF cliff
into an abyss 500 feet deep. There are
rocks beow-ponted rocks-and they'p
make mincc meat of you"
"Much obliged" the strange man an.
swered. "Ill do It, Any way to end
this torture. How far did you say 1t
| Isl"
"Just mile. You cross rise in the
ground, then walk on a level till you
| come to a sort Of ravine. Cross the ra-
vine. count about hundred steps, and
you'll be right ON the brink of the
precipice."
"Much obliged to you, stranger. l
reckon I'll find it,
You can't miss 1t. 1t extends ten
miles to your right and five to your
left straight across your path. Keep
looking up at the north star, and you
won't know when you get to It,"
There wasn't any use of his looking
up to avoid seeing the gulf, for the di-
vide was high on either hand, shutting
out so much sky that nobody could see
two steps ahead. He went on, after
thanking me again for putting him on
to such an economical way of killing
himself, and started in once more on
my letters. | was thinking of getting
Into my blankets when the fellow
came back.
whats the matterY said. Didn't
you come to it,"
"Well. yes" he said. 81 came to II
all right. crossed the rise and the
ravine, then counted my steps till they
numbered ninety-fve. Then though
I'd like to see how near the gu!f was,
so took match out of my pocket
and struck it. There not ten steps
from me, was the great black dark.
ness, and knew was right on to IT,
Somehow It scared me-"
you shouldn't have lit the match"
! said. you should have walked right
off the cliff without knowing where
you were going to fall, You've spoiled
the whole business"
II reckon I'd rather do the lob with
gun. I've got something here that's
worth a dozen cartridges" And he
handed out little brown stone.
What do you mean?" asked.
"Well, the match lit shone on some.
thing bright. | picked up this stone
and saw that the fame was shining on
particles of gold"
moved the stone about In the light
Of the candle, and 1t sparkled from
various parts.
"See here" ] said to the stranger.
You turn In here with me, and tomor-
row We'll 20 down and hunt for more
Of this. Maybe we can find the place"
ITS right on the edge of the gulf"
"Ratsl There isn't any gulf. | knew
YOU wouldn't walk into 1t anyway.
Only lunatics choose horrible deaths.
and ! saw by your eye that you were
not lunatlc. You're only discouraged.
The abyss you saw was created by
your, imagination"
! gave him something to eat and a
couple of my blankets. He was tired
out and slept soundly till morning,
when | put some bacon, hard tack and
tin cup full of coffee into him. Then
we started toward the gulf. When we
got TO the top OF the rise ! had men
toned we looked across the rayine,
and there was nothing but dead level
, ahead to the foot Of the divide. The
man looked at it astonished. We count
cd ninety-hye steps due north from
the raylne and began to pick up mug
gets.
Well, that's what led up TO the dis
covery of the Suicide mine. The
stranger and ! have long been pards
and either Of us could sell ont for Il
million. He built a fine house and
brought his family out TO live In IT,
lie took ME in and returned the loan
of couple of blankets when lie was
would be suicide with a suit of apart
ments In his home and an elder down
guilt to cover me nights.