Year: 1869

coming manners OF me company AL tht
expenses Of fitting out and travel to The
mines to be an additional cost. he uau
also very careful In selecting The mem.
berS Of the company, and in one Instance
refused q bonus Of $500 for nenber-
ship, the applicant, AS be said, being
Questionable.


These arrangements occupied Robin,
sons time down to June last, when
everything being in readiness the mem
bers Of the company were notified to
rendezvous at New York, on given day,
when Robinson would be there ready TO
lead them to the land Of gold. The
eager treasure seekers were on hand at
the time fixed, and were then somewhat
astonished to learn that instead OF
journeSing by the overland railroad, il
was necessary to go to St. Louis and
thence make their way up the Missouri
Rivera long and tedious trip. Robin
son was demonstrated with, but on this
point he was inexorable, and at last the
gold hunters consented to follow him
on his long and tiresome journey. Full
three months was occupied in ascending
the Missouri, and many hardships were
experienced by the company of young
men, none of whom were accustomed to
the rough life of the frontier. Like
everything in this world, their trip up
the River finally had an end, and about
the middle of August the company of
treasure seekers reached Fort Benton,
safe and sound. Here preparations
were made for continuing their journey,
and having procured suitable outfits,
and a comfortable buggy for Robinson,
who declared be could not ride on horses
back, they continued on to Helena, and
thence to Missoula City, where they
camped for a day or two to rest, prepar>
atory to journeying across the mountains
where they were to find the treasure for
which they had travelled so many weary
miles.


As was perfectly natural the young
men Of the party preferred to remain in
town, and left their animals camped out,
some six miles distant. One evening
Robinson announced that be felt like
taking ride, and would 60 out to the
camp and pass the night. He rode out,
accompanied by his brother. in-law,
who was one of the party, and at the
same time left word for the balance of
the company to join him at the camp
the following morning. Early dawn the
next day found our treasure seekers on
their way to camp" and judge their
surprise when they arrived there to find
that Robinson had not put in an appear
snce, and that the men in charge of the
animals had not seen him. Search was
instituted for the missing man, but with
out avail, and gradually, as in the case
of their Portland predecessors, the idea
dawned upon them that they had been
the victims of huge "sell." The party
then scattered for the purpose Of huntN
ing up the man who had brought them
en- their "wild goose chase" but thus
far without avail, the fellow seeming to
have effectually covered up his tracks.
Some FIVE or six of the young men who
composed the party are now in Wslls
Walia, and it is from the lips Of one of
them that we have CLEANED the details
Of this last and greatest of Robinson's
SELLS" Fortunately his victims in this
instance are men of means, and 90 they
can return to their homes and look back
to their trip across the continent in
search ofs gold mine as an interesting
episode in their lives.