Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1910-09-24

ago, confined him to his room, which
he never left until death claimed
him.
Col. Thompson was born seventy
six years ago last July in little
town seven miles from Buffalo N.
Y. He came of an old Virginia fam
lily, but his parents at the time of
his birth were residents of New Or
leans and then on a visit to the
New York town. When young
man of twenty years, he crossed the
continent in 1854, the party with
which he traveeld having many
thrilling adventures with the In
dians. He reached California
where he entered the mining bust
ness and there gained knowledge
of the industry which served him
well in later years. He advanced
in his profession and became con-
nected at different times with many
of the well known mining compan-
les of California and Utah. In 1876
he was in London, England, engin-
eering a Nevada mining deal, when
he was sent for by Cliff Chambers,
superintendent of the Ontario mine
in Utah and one of the trusted lieu
tenants of George Hearst. Cham
bers wanted him to examine the
Homestake mine in the Black Hills,
| which was at that time interesting
Haggin and Hearst, and the colonel
arrived here for that purpose on
May 10th, 1877. He sampled the
mine and made favorable report,
but Kellogg, another adviser Of
Hearst's turned the proposition
| down. Chambers so relied on the
Thompson report, that he induced
Kellogg to come here himself and
after he had gone over the property,
his opinion was changed and he is
sued the report upon which William
A. Ferish was finally persuaded to
visit the mine and advise its pur-
| chase by Haggin and Hearst. Col.
Thompson examined the Caledonia
and upon his report Gashwiler under
took it's development and made of it
a great producer before it was abb
sorbed by the Homestake. One of
| his principal successful moves here
was the acquiring in conjunction
with Judge Kuykendahl, of the wa
| ter-right near Hanna, which is now
owned by the Homestake company.
He left here in 1879 and operated
| in California mines but 1882 found
| him in New Mexico, where he was
on the ground early when the Black
Range excitement broke out. He ac-
mine, from which he took a profit
of more than 100000. The fol-
lowing years he spent in Chicago,
where he was noted as a liberal
spender, devoting his wealth to the
| entertainment of his friends. In
1896, when the Ragged Top excite
ment was on, he returned to the
Black Hills, and for several years
divided his time between various
mining enterprises in which he was
interested. He always regarded the
Columbus as a property of great pos
sibilities and when Henry ]. May
hem undertook the organization of
the Columbus Consolidated COM
pany Col. Thompson was principally
instrumental in gathering together
the various pieces of mining ground
which now compose it's holdings. He
was made general manager of the
company and with Bryan Rossiter,
as superintendent and Fred Rossi-
ter as mine foreman, he was at the
head of it's active operations until
the suspension came. Since then he
has been patiently waiting for a re-
sumption of work on the Columbus,
believing that some day it would be
a second Homestake, but the fatal
disease overcame him and took him
away before his dream could be real
lied.
Col. Thompson is survived by a
wife, who for ten years past has
been an inmate of a sanitarium in
Chicago. He leaves also two daugh-
ters, Mrs. T. ]. Fleming and Mrs.
John L. Jones, both of Los Angeles.
The daughters last night wired Col.
w. J. Thornby that it would be i'm
possible for them to come here and
asked that the interment take place
in Deadwood. According to present
arrangements, the funeral services
will be held tomorrow afternoon,
probably in the city hall. The re-
mains are now at the Schultz under
taking establishment.