White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-08-26
STORY OF TONOPAH,S
INTELLECTUAL BELL WETHER

AAo PNNoAho NOASSp "a Joo opihS ~
take the responsibility of this young
mans life on your shoulders and not
let the jury have all the facts in this
case?'
Bowler always declared that the
reason he weakened and allowed the
letters admission was that he
thought that the jurors would pro-
nounce it a forgery and give it no
consideration.
But declared Mr.. Bowler many
times in after years, the unwritten
law was strong in Nevada mems
minds at that period and If it could
even be limited that such was the
motive the life of the victim was a
gift to any person who cared to take
it. Mrs. Booth was made out to have
confessed to things in that letter that
not only happened, but never
were suspected, done merely to save
his miserable neck. To save his life
her reputation was the barter, and
all without her knowledge. fer she
was not there and did not know of
the letter..
Booth was acquitted because of the
letter. He followed his wife to Cali
fornia and probably because of the
children they became r%econciled
They settled at Jimtown, a little
mining burg in the Sonora district,
where Booth started a little paper.
His wife was sick a good deal and
they had an Italian girl working.
Booth made advances to her. She in
formed Mrs. Booth. The wife laid
a trap for him and with the girls
shawl over her met Booth at the
back of the orchard that night. She
exposed herself and the next day
Booth disappeared over the moun-
coming back to Nevada. The
paper suspended instanter
In the early days of Tonopah he was
tending bar for Cal Brougher in the
old Mizpah saloon. Cal backed him
to start a paper and that was the
of Tonopah's first newspaper,
the Bonanza, which began in June,
1901. T. L. eddie was general man
ager for the Tonopah Mining Com
pany and then gained his immortal
of being unable to say
no. People would ask him fo- lots.
He had M authority to donate
The lots, but he would give them to
every applicant, as they were not
costing him a cent and he was max
ing a hit as a prince OF good fellows
and to play politics by it. To the
credit of the Tonopah Mining Com
pany every promise of Oddie's except
the Implications were made good.
Many saw through it and gave him
The nickname Easy Oddie. He
give the same lot to two ana
in one case three different people. If
q woman happened to be the appli-
cant for a lot. sure she got it too. He
had given one lot to two miners from
Bishop. One held his document
showing title from Oddie. but left.
going back to Bishop. He turned
The paper over to his partner, who
But Oddie saw his chance
and gave the lot to a Oma The
miner told her he owned the lot and
had his written document of title.
She appealed to eddie. AS the miner
'eturncd a little after noon he found
0ddie and Booth and a mob of rough
lecks that they had gathered, piling
Up his tent. bed and all his effects in
he middle of the street and before
he miners eyes and set fire to the
reap and burned it. Booth did a lot
6 J-,,J fa11y,,,r ar nv ~ taI1 !
the miner not to be seen in To-
lopah after a O'Clock that afternoon.
of starting across the 60
lesert to SodaviTTe, the nearest habi-
alton, the miner disappeared for al
ime, then came back into town arm
ID with all the guns he could strap
IN him. He marched up and down |
he streets but no Booth nor eddie. |
after Z that evening Booth |
the Butler saloon where the !
man was Booth did lot know |
he miner was there, and pretended
lot to see him. But the miner
stamped the floor and faced Booth a
gun in each hand. Then Booth said:
II thought ? told you to get OFT
If town before 4 o'clock" |
You cross hat crack in the floor
md you're a dead man, = lie Said to
Booth.
well, you see that you leave to-
morrow morning" Booth whined to
him
The miner stayed at least ten
,ears after that and is understood to
have died in Tonopah about 1912.
He sued Oddie and Booth, winning
the district court, and they took
It to the supreme court where he
beat them again. eddie was in the
money then as a big mining man and
MT Of the Tonopah railroad
He paid the Judgment, Booth not
paying a nickel.
In his years in Tonopah Booth al
ways posed as a bad man. and he
honestly believes he is a real desper-
ado. He never goes without a gun
and often carries two. In that time
he has probably threatened the lives
of no less tha 200 men. and strange
TO relate he never was called by =
man who cared enough about it To