Imperial Valley press., 1913-07-29
J. w. MILLER FINDS HEALTH
AND SOME LITTLE MONEY

CAMPO, July 29.-J. w. Miller looks
with pity on the struggles and ambi-
tons, and scores the pOmp and glory If
this world, as he rides behind his pa
| tient donkey and travels where he
will. His is not contempt born nf
pride, for he left no high estate to walk
| he might show his strength and great
ness Of soul above eaSe-lOving.mOrtalS
Seven years ago he was cook on a
Mississippi steamboat. Malaria crept
| into his bones and the heat that came
| from the galley range began to dry his
lungs Broken in health, he left for
| the northwest and became trappcr.
"a have trapped now these seven or
eight years and ! love the life" he
said "No man is my master. | am
free to go and come. My home is ev
erywhere--the desert, the mountains.
the valley, the sea"
| Miller had come from Imperial val
| ley. where for year he had trapped
f! !muskrats along the irrigation canals.
! He campcd one night at Campo on his
way to the north, where he might buy
little ranch, but if he does not, what
is the care? \ spring, a loaf and 4
donkey are all he needs.
II did we'll in the valley during the
year l was there" he continued. "The
irrigation companies pay so cents for
every rats scalp. and ! cleared six and
seven dollars a day. | banked the
money in the north, where l might buy
a little ranch. but don't know"
There was questioning tone in his
voice as he ended the sentence, and a
/ little sigh revealed the charm that
after all flreside holds for every hu-
man heart His eyes, brown as his
face. rOved over the long ridges of the
stark rock covered mountains that rim
The shimmering desert beyond and
slope gently through a blue haze to
miles Of a green, fertile oak dotted
valley Cattle were grazing everywhere
in lazy herds and far in The distance
distinct, but like toys. a few head Of
horses were grouped in the shade.
Anyway" he continued after a
bobcats. coyotes, coon and other
things if come back. Especially
coon. They eat the rats I've caught
before | can get to my traps. One
| day caught~tweaty rats and got only
four. The coons ate the rest. / may
! 90 down the big canal along the Mex
tules got too high. Ht couldn't break
There are thousands of beaver down
| there.
Miller LETT the valley because the
through them in the marsh any longer.
Didn't you get touch Of malaria
your old complaint, in the marshes?"
Yes" he replied, 'but | beat it out.
| mean, hike and hike and hike: until
/ get it all sweated and worked out of
me-" '- ~ g. = ~
And Miller knows "the rat" He
mas had daily acquaintance with the
long-tailed rascal who bores through
the canal banks and lets thousands Of
dollars worth Of precious water escape
every year and lose itself in the sandy
waste.
"They are cunning animals" he ex-
planned. "At first they used to burrow
through the tops of the banks and it
was easy to catch them by setting
trap at each hole. But sometimes the
water is low and sometimes high and
when the water is low their holes were
left dry. They soon got wise to that
fact and now they burrOw only from
the bottom Of the canal. This makes
them harder to catch because some of
those canals are fifteen feet deep-too
deep to set traps. A rat hunter now
has to set his traps on the slides the
rats make in the mud as they come in
and out of the water"
Muskrat houses were described by
Miller as cone shaped and often as high
as shock of corn The diameter is
sometimes ten feet. A walk runs from
top to bottom through the middle and
| is cut crosswise by shafts which lead
to sleeping chambers.
The trapper's rickety wagon was
loaded with 800 pounds Of personal ef-
fects, including library on photo
| graphy, his hobby. s-