The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-05-07
Golden
Ia1ERfOnlS
FASCINATING TALES
OF LOST MIN Is
LETTER IN THE WALLET
u. Bg EHEGEIa L. Watson

The speaker had driven up TO
q farmhouse in Wet Mountain valley,
ar the foot of the Sangre de Cristo
range in Colorado, and was telling his
story to the farmer.
George came West in 1850. eight
years ago" he continued. 'and after
he left our home in Illinois we heard
no more Of him. I am very anxious
TO find out if he is alive or dead /
met a grocer in Denver who said that
he sold George a bill of goods that
year, and that my brother left some
money in his care, saying that he would
not need 1t in the mountains, and that
he would come back for it in the fall,
but he never returned All can learn
further is that lie was headed for these
mountains"
The farmer shook his head. Il do
not know anything about IT," he said
but you must stay here, tonight, and
in the morning We viii see"
The next morning Skinner and his
host went through the valley asking
questions. but no one knew anything
about his brother. At last Skinner
decided 10 90 up into the mountains,
on the chance that he might find some
traces of the missing man, and 10 this
end he hired a guide and spent the
summer wandering about, following
every likely lead, but without success.
Autumn came. II was time 70 re-
turn to the valley. On the way Skin
ner and his guide camped one night
at Underline on the eastern slope of
Horns peak. Nearby stood the re-
mains Of a cabin, and Skinner idly
explored the lOng-deserted place, find
ing nothing of interest but an old
leather wallet. wound around with
wire. This he put into his pocket TO
be examined at leisure.
During the night a snOwstOrm COM
menced, and in the morning the two
men packed hurriedly and started for
the valley. The wallet was forgotten
for the time being, but sometime later
Skinner remembered his find, and care
fully opened it Its contents caused
his heart to leap. for ii was letter
written by his brother George about
six months after he left Illinois.
The letter related that George had
found a wonderfully rich mine. He
was planning a trip TO "the settle
ments" to spend the winter QUILTING
for the next spring. when he planned
TO return TO the mine Realizing the
hazards Of travel through the noun
tains, George had given the location
of his mine in this letter, which he was
leaving in his cabin, and also asked
that anyone who found it should notify
his brother in Illinois.
Skinner said nothing about his dis
cOvery; but as soon as spring came
he went to his guide Of the previous
year and said that he was anxious TO
begin his search where it had been
broken off-at the old cabin on Horns
peak
The location was not hard TO reach;
but when they arrived, they found ev-
erything changed. Snowslides had
peeled the face Of the slope; trees had
been carried away, great rocks had slid
down and others from above had taken
their places. Nothing remained as 1t
had been, and the cabin had disap-
peared entirely.
Skinner was greatly disappointed.
Still, he thought. he might find some
thing more in spite Of the changes
made in the scene, and so he and the
guide spent the entire summer at the
place in the hope of finding some
further trace of George, or of locating
the mine But fall came again, and
they had learned nothing. They re-
luctantly started back
They followed a different route from
the one they had taken before, and the
trail led them along the face Of steep
precipice. II was a dangerous place:
rocks doomed high above them and the
bottom Of the gorge was far below,
while the footing was narrow and In
secure. One Of the pack-burros began
TO plunge and rear, and finally Ii fell
off the trail, rolling down into the
depths below them.
As soon as they could safely do so,
fCA4AlCT anu lie eA4AC G4AA4BC0 AONI
TO get the animals pack, for the burro
itself had been killed in the fall As
they approached the dead animal, they
saw two skeletons, one Of a man and
the other Of a burro, which had ap-
,parently been there for years.
II seems a coincidence too apt TO be
true, but when the articles strewn
about were collected, a book was found
among them which proved to be George
SINNERS diary, and showed that the
skeleton must be that Of the missing
miner. The diary referred to the
wallet left in the cabin, and its last
ENTRY was apparently written the day
after George left the mine. The camp
ing outfit which had been packed on
Georges burrO lay strewn about where
the animal had fallen, and consider
able gold lay nearby, showing that
Georges death had been accidental,
and that no one had ever come across
the body until the day, nine years
later, when his brother made the dis.
c0very.
George SINNERS bones were in
tered where they lay, and his brother
returned TO Illinois. The next summer
he came back. attracted by the idea Of
finding the lost mine. and for several
years he spent some time in the search,
but the snowslide had done its work
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