Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-08-12

of the Indians, but never told to the
whites.
But the Filing expedition, after several
brushes with the Indians, won its way
through, and with their heavily laden
wagons of frontier goods, treked up the
main street Of the greatest placer gold
camp of the west, with its streets crowd
ed with humanity, and the trip was at an
end.
psychological moment. Every one had
been 80 intent on the mining Of placer
gold that the opportunities of commerce
had been overlooked. The town was des-
titute OF nearly everything but the raw
precious metal which the sluice boxes
and cradles were yielding, and miners,
with their buckskin pokes full of gold
dust, were eager to buy.
Filing made a corral OF his wagons at
a convenient place and the e. morn
ing trading commenced. The miners al
most mobbed him and his partner in
their eagerness to make purchases. They
would start as early in the morning as
light would permit, far into the night
the trading place would be Illuminated
by boiAires that business might continue.
In all the annals OF merchandising there
was never such a sale. 1t continued for
four days, and at the end of this period,
Filing, who had not had time to eat or
sleep, looked at his unshaven face in the
glass and knew hat the fortune of his
firm had been made.
The next day the partners took stock.
Two thirds OF their 10000 stock had
passed into the hands Of the miners. and
in exchange Filing and his associate were
possessed Of about S100, 900 in gold dust.
They acquired q little shack on the
principal street. and opened up a store.
Trade continued brisk, but 1t was MOTH
ing like it had been for the first few days
after their arrival. Filing turned prac-
tically all Of his gold dust over to his
partner, the arrangement being that he
was to return to st. Louis, pay off the
firms obligations, n return IN the fall
with a larger stock OF merchandise. ELL
ing, with vision hat stood him in such
good stead in later years, instructed his
partner to invest what gold he had left
over after paying for the old and new
stocks OF merchandise In United States
paper money, which at that time, in the
middle OF the civil war when the repub-
lies fortunes were at the lowest ebb, was
selling for so cents on the dollar. He
was willing to back his Judgment that
the north would win, and money would
go back to par. h partner, acquiescing
in the Filing judgment, took the back
trail for st. Louis, and with him went
the quickly made fortune of the partners.
ana when he rode away he rode out OF
Henry Filings life and ken. Filing never
heard from him again. Nor did he hear
OF the money. Whether he and his gold
were taken by one OF the many
bands OF bandits that then infested the
country and watched the trails for the
collaborating prospector. bound for out
land, or whether he took his treasure into
some new country where there would be
no division. no one ever knew. His dis
appearance was one of the great myster-
les OF ole Alder.
Months later Filing learned Of the dis
appearance OF his partner and the loss
OF the fortune through a representative
OF the st. Louis creditors, who came out
to Virginia City, and demanded payment
for the original stock of goods. Filing
paid and continued to do a thriving busi-
ness. He recouped his losses before the
season was over.
BY this time Alder gulch was at the
height OF It's glory. Every foot OF ground
along the stream. from Summit, 10 miles
above Virginia, to the little town Of Aid
err, a modern development at the mouth
OF the gulch n perhaps nine miles be-
low Virginia City, was being worked for
the rich deposits that we're found every
where along the bed Of the stream, and
a stream Of gold was pouring into the
Golfers Of the merchants, business men,
saloons and dance halls OF the American
Eldorado. Nowhere on the continent was
there anything like 1t. except perhaps In