The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-06-10
PIONEERS STORY OF
B0D|E AND AURORA
Continued from Page one)

covered by one Cord horst, a Norwe-
gian from Sonora, Cal, in 1858. With
in a, year Monoville had a population
of about 300 men, w. S. Body, a Mo-
hawk Dutchman from northwestern
New York being one of them. Body
wandered away from Monoville one
day and discovered the mining region
which, twenty years later, became
famous as Bodie mining district,
where in 1879 you and / had very
pleasant and satisfactory business
relations.
1.-The real name of the d%iscoverer of
the camp was Waterman S. Body-not
William Bodie,' nor old Bill Bodie,
as the late brilliant Charles L. Van
Loan called him in his Ghost Cities
of the West
Early in the spring of 1861 found
the original notice of location of
Body's discovery. 1t was written on a
page of paper obviously torn from a
small account book, and was signed
w. S. Body | believe it was in De-
cember, 1859, that Body and a friend
commonly called Black Taylor, were
overtaken by a fearful snowstorm
while packing supplies on their backs
from Monoville to Body's camp, when
Body became confused and btnumbed
by cold and wandered from the trail
and was frozen to death. His body
was not discovered till the following
summer. when it was buried in the
sagebrush flat where it was found.
minus n arm, which the coyotes had
carried away. Black Taylor was
killed by Indians in the spring of
1862, and a few years later no one
could be found in the community who
could tell where Body was buried. !
r~e-discovered the grave in 1872, and
in 1879 the remains were exhumed
and reinterred in Bodie cemetery with
imposing ceremonies.
Bow Rowland was the first sign
painter to reach Aurora. and he was
the one who changed the name Body
to 'Bodie.' He was given an order to
paint a sign for the irst public stable
at Aurora, which was a log stable
built by Ben Hazelton, owner of the
'Bodie' ranch. Bob painted it Bodie'
Stables, and that spelling
sticks yet.
The Aurora mines were discovered
in August. 1860. / went there early in
1861, but up to September, 1863, we
did not know whether we were in
California or Nevada territory. Our
district was claimed by both-for
revenue purposes, I think. Aurora
was the county seat of Mono county
Cal, and of Esmeralda county. New.
the same time, and we voted
early and often without any objec.
ton or charge of fraud at the polls.
Il became acquainted with Samuel
L. Clemens when he first came to
Aurora, about the date of the Battle Of
Antietam, 1 believe. He was no
known there as Mark Twain, but
as Clemens. The last time !
him was at Victoria. b. c., in
1895, when he was starting on hi
tour around the world, and the first
thing he said when we met was. Nc
clinton. you've forgotten something
"'What is it% l asked.
you've forgot to grow old he re
piled. shaking his long gray locks at
me. / was only about three years
younger than he was. but my hair had
not become gray.
AT Aurora seven boon companions.
including Clemens, frequently spent
u evenings together, and I was the
youngest member Of the gang and |
am now the sole survivor of the seven.
I was also well acquainted with all of
Mark Twain's literary associates at
Carson City and Virginia City, and
Tom Fitch is now the sole survivor of
those brilliant men, several of whom
richly earned and are entitled to be
awarded a larger degree of fame than
has been given them. Fitch was the
peerless orator of the Pacific coast in
those early days. and was at all times
a fearless champion of the right dur
ing the dark and dangerous days of
the great rebellion, and yet envious
men of his W party defeated him
in his first attempt to gain a seat in
congress. Envy loves d shining
mark
During the latter hall OF the re-
bell'0L and during the DAYS OF local
turbalance, and subsequent vigilance
committe government, I was engaged
in the drudgery of trying to eiit the
ESmpFalda Dai1y ITpfan opJ 4 gfiIt