The chronicle=news., 1913-01-11
Ren,iniscences of
Frontier Days
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Men were not always 70 honest
that II hurt them and some of the
old timers had clever little tricks OF
their own in showing over u good one
whenever tho occasion was offered.
Everybody who brOwsed around tho
great Georgetown mining district In
the early ,0's remembers the story
OF Classy Thompson and the snow
tunnei-that IL they will rccollcct
both OF these historical things II they
are still alive. hut alas the most
OF them are dead and gone. Father
time and his long scythc Ia n deadly
destroyer and has moved down many
u goo man In forty years.
This Classy Thompson must have
been man who lived ahead OF his
time for In ways that were dark and
tricks that were taiu he was puit"
rs spry ms are thousands OF other
mining sharks and promoters who
have shysterc d along behind him.
Just over the hills In summit coun-
~ nj n place known as the Horseshoe
on the. Snakt which flows into the
Blue from the east was located the
Peru claim. The men who owned IL
were not especially verscd In the In
trica,e science OF mining but had the
faith OF Damon when he stood on the
scnffold awaiting the return or Py-
'hias and were willing TO put conf
dcncc In any man who knew u pick
from shovel. II came 10 pass as
winter was coming on that they con-
IL A. fn on In hn nar
tract In good faith with Classy
Thompson TO drive hundred foot
tunnel on the prospect.
Classy got onto the ground just
ahead Of the snowfall and had taken
,out little dirt ~ as TO define the
face OF tho workings when winter
came on for sure. He got out some
iimbcrs and while the snow piled ur
in great banks all around tho mouth
OF the proposed Peru tunnel n bright
thought flashed upon Inn. lie could
see where n lot OF bother could hc
saved by the aid OF ingenuity. In
stead OF pushing the tunnel Into the
hard quartz he would work u clever
scheme by crawfixhing on the job
and accordingly tho tunnel was built
backwards through tho great drifts |
of incoming snow instcad OF driving
II into tho mountain. lie began nj
the face and timbcrcd outward thru
tn. rapidly growing mountains OF
fluffy and In II short time he was
really proud OF tho fine pob he had !
made of the snow tunnel.
Then he and his helpers camped
comfortably In tho bunk house for
the long hard winter. The snow
KEEP, pilIng up no heavily that the
timbcring OF the tunnel was COM |
plctciy buried and thus II remained
nil winter. In April the directors OF
the Peru snow.xhoed In on the crust
70 examine the property and accept
tho work on tho tunnel. They saw
thnt II was n fine job or Mt least II
looked tha; way and never suspected
the inEracioux trick which the iratc-
sic Classy had slipped over on them.
They paid him IN full ax they had |
and the hoax was not dis
covered until the following July /,
when thcs now went off and there
In the golden sunshine stood the bare |
aud rugged outline OF GaSsy's frame |
work looming up In the ambient at
mosphcrc like = phantom in tho moon
light. Meanwhile the cursed Classy
had slopcd 10 tho western slope and |
dcd n few years afterwnrd IN the San |
Juan country-unhonorcd aud un-
sung. hat deccntly inferred for all
that. The great mining heart never |
hcsitates to bury Its own and they
M
grow cold. Field and Farm.
The Coloncl's Fighting Rooster: |
Long before the railroads had reached
Helena. Montana. the citizens enjoy
cd the express privileges provided by
Wclls-Fargo and Company. Their
agent at Helena was peculiar trad
or known as Colonel Broahwntcr who
was something OF an old sport in
connection with several OF his other
Uncle Cruccr also
thought he was something OF a sport
himself and learning one day that
Colonel BrOadwater possessed a fight.
ing cock he sent east to buy the best
game bird OF the Red Pyle variety |
that money would buy. Then he
strolIcd around to see Broadwater and |
found that this cstmable old sport |
was willing to bet n thousand on his |
bird. although as he said: The |
blooming thing is only dunEhill
fowl aud not much of fighter" In
a few days a splendid bird came by !
express for Uncle Cruce and when
Rroadwater saw It he knew at Il
glance that II could lick his scrub. |
Nan. l.ncl., Csilna Ind naror soon