The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-12
Lone Woman Wrests Fortune From Hills

Z WING alone in a frontier cabin on
the great front range OF the Rocky
mountains. twelve miles from Col
orado Springs, Colo, is one Of the most
unique characters in a section of the coun-
try noted for its conglomerate population.
Under the sObrtqUet OF Captain Jack"
Mrs. Ellen 7. Jack is working q mining
1llnty mountains Although miles from
her nearest neighbOr. Captain Jack lives
serenely content in her peculiar fashion,
ana expects to continue her busy, but
lonely, life until the end. Although near
ing the three score and ten years allOt-
ted to humans, she Is active as a girl and
still retains the striking characteristics
that years ago won for her the title OF
Mining Queen OF the Rockies.
To look at the quaint little woman one
would not imagine the terrible hardships
that have been hers since coming into
the mining regions more than thirty years
ago. A deep scar on her forehead is q
grim reminder of probably her most ter
rible experience. This was in the fall Of
1880, during the last serious Ute Indian
uprising in the GunntsCn district in the
western part OF Colorado. The scar was
made by a Ute brave, who attempted
10 scalp her alive. but who sacrificed his
life in so doing. Thirteen Indians were
killed by Captain Jack and two men
companions who fell into the path of the
warning Utes. Since that time Captain
Jack has been credited with being dead
shot with any sort of shooting iron
that can be handled conveniently by one
person.
A Strange Life.
A chronicle of her strange life is re-
markable in its variety. Born in Not
tingham, England, Nov. 4, 1912, Captain
Jack came to this country as q girl, mar
rying Civil war yaptaiI. IN 1851 Her
husband died in 1874 ana three Of the
four children born to them were laid away
within a few years Following these sue
Cessive deaths in her family came the
collapse Of a bank in which all her money
had been placed, leaving her peuniless,
nearing middle age, with young girl TO
support.
Leaving the daughter with wealthy
friends in Brooklyn. y. Y, Captain Jack
came west in the late EOS, hoping to find
forgetfulness Of her misfOrtunes in the
stirring life 70 be found IL the newly dis
covered land of gold. During her thirty
years Of life on the frontier she has fought
Indians discovered and for a time owned
the Black Queen mine, which later sold
for S6,00O,O0O; has written novel dealing
with the west. entitled The Mate of
Harry, written song, THE Veteran 5
Cry; become an expert revolver shot
and recognized authority on gold and
silver mining.
Upon her arrival in western Colorado.
alone almost discoura ged and broke,
Captain" Jack introduced herself to
the rough looking, but sympathetic
miners as Captain Jack. adopting the
nickname OF her husband There was
much for a woman to do in the new
mining camps in those days and she
experienced little difficulty in estab-
fishing herself. The miners were fond
OF cooking that reminded them of
home; they needed and paid we'll for
daintily prepared food and deity sewed
patches in their clothes.
Greater Things.
But Captain" Jack yearned for
greater things. The lure of the gold
was rampant, and she was eager to
try her luck at prospecting. The Lead
Vile excitement was sill on, and
Creole was undergoing that period of
its existence described by Cy War
man when he wrote It's day all day
in the day time. And there is no night