White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-04-15

had a lot of the offscourings of Vir-
ginia City and was a bad one
One peculiar thing. according to
Mr.. Dart, is the way the old-time
riders and stage drivers have been
killed off. Sometimes they were
killed by Indians, others by robbers.
and stranger still it seems to have
been tate for most of them to die
violent deaths at the hand of man
and with their boots on. There are
yet some survivors besides himself,
one of whom is A. ID. Campton,
father of Ely and founder of the
mercantile company bearing his
name.
Mr.. Dart had a particular crony
in the person OF w. B. Graham, who
died more than a zeal ago, but their
associations were as prospecting
partners, in which both had their
share of experience. He speaks in
a most kindly manner. too, of Thorn
as f. Haley, whom he remembers in
his day as a wholesale meat dealer
at Eureka and who enjoyed the con-
! ndence of everyone. as he still does
in Ely. where he is probation officer
In later years Mr.. Dart pioneered
around Touopah, Goldfeld and Rhy-
olite. Into Tonopah from Thunder
mountain he rode a sorrel single
%footer. of the Copper Bottom breed,
which he had purchased for sac.
This horse. like many others he had
ridden. was good for ten miles IN
hour for five hours at a time and
was a wonder of on animal. ssre.
jim Butler took a fancy t. the an
imal and rode him. She kept the
horse for his feed for a time ana
when Mr.. Dart left for Death valley
he took the animal away. He left
Death valley for Daggett, on the
Santa Fe, thinking to go back east
but changed his mind and rode back
10 Tonopah. He was afraid he would
meet the Buffers and be asked to sell
the horse, and soon he met Jim, who
Mr.. Dart had a desire to go back
cast, so he told Mr.. Butler he would
sell the horse If he could sell the
outfit, too-meaning caddle, bride,
blankets, eft cetera Butler bought
these and gave him his check fof
$40. Mrs. Butler bought the horse
for $3.50. Soon Butler met Dart
again and asked IL he had seen the
Hold lady He replied that he had
and had sold her the horse. How
much?" queried jim. Mr.. Dart told
him and then Butler said, You're
a damn fool. You could just as well
have had $500, for she'd o. paid it.
During the star route investigation
by a congressional committee Mr..
Dart, with hundreds of other driv-
ers and employees of Gilmore & SAILS
berry, was summoned to Washington
as a witness. He stayed there several
weeks at government expense end
finally was placed on the stand.
Did you drive the stage between
Ward and Osceola for Gilmore &
salsberry?" he was asked. to whic.
he replied that he did.
How often did you make your
trips?"
Three times a week"
Were you the only driver on tina
route''
yes"
That was all. Gilmore e ~Salsbcrry
were being paid IN enormous sum
on a daily contract, az they were on
hundreds of other routes. The ex-
animation Mr.. Dart says took less
than half a minute.
Jack Gilmore was the western rep-
resentatiye of the firm and handled
the men and directed the manage
ment of the stages and ponies and
executed the details of wnat was
proved to be a colossal swindle. Mr.
Dart has a mos, kindly memory of
him, for he treated his men well and
they had the best in the land. This
went for the public, too, for nothing
was too good for a stage driver OF
mail rider. Mr.. Dart was entertained
handsomely at the Gilmore home at
Salt Lake and one of the incidents
ne remembers Wal VI Jhch 1lll1OTe
showing him his tomb that he had
constructed and which his remains
for years have occupied, for he died
within a few years Of the visit.
Mr.. Salsberry was the eastern rep
re%sentative and lobbyist at Washing
ton. In the art OF handling con-
gressmen and the other necessary
functionaries at Washington he was
a past master and then some. In
that respect the county has not pro-
duced his superior. His remains rest
at Salt Lake also.
Without any account of the ille-
climate phases of the enterprise It
was a Zig one from any angle 1t
meant the owning of thousands upon
thousands of the best there was In
horseflesh, buying feed for them at
fabulous prices and distributing 1t
over hundreds of routes covering
thousands of miles. 1t meant the
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