Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1916 — Page 7

GOLD

By STEWART EDWARD WHITE

SYNOPSIS Talbot Ward’s challenge to Frank Munroe to a personal encounter to determine whether Munroe Is fit to make a trip to California in search of gold is accepted. Munroe gets a hammerlock on Ward and wins the bout. Arriving at Chagres, Talbot Ward’s knowledge of Spanish and his firm treatment of the native boatmen help wonderfully. The party enters a tropical forest. They reach Gatun, and, after passing through several villages where Ward always diplomatically handles the natives, they arrive in Panama. Ward forces steamship agent to refund passage money because ship isn't available. Tank has provided accommodations for all on board a sailing ship. They arrive In San Francisco. Ward puts it up to each man to get $220 in one day. Munroe makes $25 as a laborer. Johnny gambles and gets $220. Ward astounds the party by telling how, by shrewd business deals in one day tn the Golden City, he accumulated several thousand dollars. Ward decides that he will not go with the party to the mines, but will stay in San Francisco, where he thinks more gold is to be found. The party dig their first gold. They are not much encouraged when told that the of their first pan is 12 cents. Don Gaspar, a Spaniard, and his manservant Vasquez Join forces with the trio and the gold is divided into five parts. After working like beavers several days the miners decide to take a day off and attend a miners’ meeting in town. For sls a week in gold and a drink of ■whisky twice a day Bagsby promises to lead the party to a rich unexplored mining country. A band of Indians come into the camp to trade. They are thankful for blankets. Later the Indians attempt an ambuscade, but are routed by rifle shots. CHAPTER XVII. We Send Out Our Treasure. WE had a good deal of trouble finding the exact spot where we had left him, for we could get no answer to oui calls. He was down in a heap, cov ered with blood and quite dead. The savages had scalped him. In our long companionship we had grown very fond of him, for he was a merry, goodnatured, willing soul. “God!” cried Bagsby, deeply moved. *l’ll put a ball through the next one of those devils I meet!” We returned slowly to the fire, carrying the body, which we laid reverently one side and covered with a blanket In all our hearts burned a fierce, bitter anger. Sullenly we turned to prepare ourselves a meal from the supplies our. hosts offered us.

The latter were the father and five sons of a backwoods family from the northwest, Pine by name. They were all tall, heavily built men, slow moving, slow speaking, with clear, steady eyes, a drawling way of talking and the appearance always of keeping a mental reservation as to those with whom they conversed. Just now they stood tall and grim behind us as we ate, and the gray dawn and the rose dawn grew into day. Nobody said anything until we had finished, then Yank rose to his full height and faced the attentive men. “I want vengeance,*’ he announced in an even voice, stretching forth his long, lean arm. “Those devils have harried our stock and killed our pardner, and I’m not going to set quiet and let them do it” He turned to us. “Boys,” said he, “I know you’re with me thar. But I’m going to git our friends yere to go with us. Old man,”

"I want vengeance, he announced in an even voice.

be 'said to Pine, “you and yore sons help us with this job and we’ll locate you on the purtiest diggings in these nills.” “You bet!” agreed McNally. “You don’t need to make my boys no

offer,” replied Pine slowly. “Those dlvils were after our bosses too, and they’d have got them If you hadn’t come along. We’d been told by a man we believe that there wan’t no Injuns in this country or you wouldn’t have seen us sleeping es close to our fire. Whar do you all reckon to come up with them?”

Our old trapper interposed. “Their rancheree is down the valley sonmwhars,” said Bagsby, “and we’ll have to scout for it. We must go back to camp first and get a-ready.” McNally and I murmured against this check to immediate action, but saw the point after a moment The Pines packed their slender outfit We bound the body of our poor friend across his horse and mournfully retraced our steps. We arrived in camp about 10 o’clock, to find Johnny and Don Gaspar anxiously on the alert. When we had imparted our news their faces, too, darkened with anger. Of us all Vasquez had been the only man who never lost his temper, who had always a flash of a smile for the hardest days. Hastily we threw together provisions for several days and arranged our affairs as well as we could. We all wanted to go, and Don Gaspar, in spite of the remains of his malarial fever, fairly insisted on accompanying the expedition. “Senores,” he said, with dignity, “this was my own man from my own people.” Nevertheless somebody had to stay in camp, although at first some of us were inclined to slur over that necessity. “There’s a strong chance that Injuns will drift by and take all our supplies,” Bagsby pointed out “Chances are slim in only a day or so. You must admit that,” argued Johnny. “Let’s risk it We can scratch along if they do take our stuff.” “And the gold?” That nonplused us for a moment “Why not bury it?” I suggested. Bagsby and Pine snorted. “Any Injun would find it in a minute,” said Pine. “And they know gold’s worth something, too,” put in Yank. “This is a scout not a house moving expedition,” said Bagsby decidedly, “and somebody’s got to keep camp.” “I’ll stay fer one,” offered old man Pine, his eyes twinkling from beneath his fierce brows. “I’ve fit enough Injuns in my time.” After some further wrangling we came to drawing lots. A number of small white pebbles and one darker were shaken up in a hat. I drew in the fourth turn and got the black! “Hard luck, son,” murmured old man Pifie.

The rest were eager to be off. They leaped upon their horsos, brandishing their long rifles, and rode off down the meadow. Old man Pine leaned on the muzzle of his gun, his eyes gleaming, uttering commands and admonitions to his five sons.

“You. Old." he warned his youngest, “you mind and behave and don’t come back yere without’n you bring a skelp!” About 3 o’clock of the second day Pine remarked quietly: “Thar they come!” I was instantly by his side, and we strained our eyesight in an attempt to count the shifting figures. Pine’s vision was better and more practiced than mine.

“They are all thar,” said he, “and they’re driving extry bosses.” Ten minutes later the cavalcade stopped, and the men dismounted wearily. They were, as the old man had said, driving before them a half dozen ponies, which Governor Boggs herded Into the corral. Nobody said a word. One or two stretched themselves. Johnny seized a cup and took a long drink. Yank leaned his rifle against the wall. Old man Pine’s keen, fierce eye had been roving over every detail, though he, too. had kept silent. “Well, Old,” he remarked, “I see you obeyed orders like a good sojer.” The boy grinned. “Yes, dad,” said he. And then I saw what I had not noticed before—that at the belt of each of the tall, silent young backwoodsmen hung one or more wet, heavy, red and black soggy strips. The scalping had been no mere figure of speech. Thank heaven, none of our own people was similarly decorated!

So horrified and revolted was I at this discovery that I hardly roused myself to greet the men. I looked with aversion and yet with a certain fascination on the serene, clear features of these scalp takers. Yet, since in the days following this aversion could not but wear away in face of the simplicity and straightforwardness of the frontiersmen, I had to acknowledge that the atrocious deed was more a product of custom than of natural barbarity. Though these Indian troubles had nothing to do with it, nevertheless they marked the beginning of our change of luck. We suffered no definite misfortunes, but these things did not go well. The slight malarial attack of Don Gaspar was the first of an annoying series. I suppose we had all been inoculated on the marshes of the Sacramento. fend the disease had remained latent in our systems. The hard work in the open air bad kept us healthy, but the fever only awaited the favorable moment of depression or of overwork. The combination of ice cold water around our legs and burning sun on our heads was not the best in the world. Fortunately Yank, who came from an ague country, had had foresight enough to bring a supply of quinine. For two months one or the other of us was ailing, and once for a few days five of us were down! Then, too, I think the zest of the game was palling on us a little, strange as it may seem. We could dig gold from the soil almost at will. It would seem that this single fact would..keep

normally acquisitive men keyea to'a high pitch of endeavor all the time, but It was not so. I suppose we needed a vacation. We began to discuss what we would do when we should see the city again. No one for a moment dreamed that we should quit these rich diggings. We were here to mate our fortunes, and the fortunes seemed to be ready for the making. Only, the novelty having passed, it had become hard work, just like the making of any other kind of a fortune. The Pine family camped below us, used our corral at our invitation and set placidly to work. They were typical frontiersmen and settled down in the well built cabin which they quickly ran up as though they meant to make of it a permanent home. For two months, which brought us up to the end of July, they lived a regular and leisurely life. Then one morning, without any warning at all. they rode over to our cabin, leading their horses, fully packed. Old man Pine explained. while his five tall, steady eyed sons sat their horses quite immobile in the background, that they<bad dug enough gold for their necessities, and that they were now going down to the lower country to pick out some good land. These men were the very first I happened to meet who had come into the country with a definite idea of settling.

After the departure of this strong force, began our discussions as to the safeguarding of our gold. It had now reached a very consirerable sum — somewhere near $35,000, as I remember it. Bagsby was very uneasy at its presence in camp. Buck Barry brought up strongly the advisability of sending our treasure out to a safe place. His argument was given point by the arrival in camo one

“Don’t come back yere without you bring a skelp!”

evening of three evil looking Mexicans, shabbily clothed, but well armed, and mounted on beautiful horses. We fed them well, but saw to the caps of our revolvers and the security of our corral before turning in for the night. In the morning they departed before we were stirring, witln nt so much as a word of thanks. These mysterious visitors had given us no faintest inkling of their business or destination. Don Gaspar stated flatly that they had come to spy us out, having heard of our presence in the valley. from the Indians. / “And I told them,” said he triumphantly. “that essoon we would be sen’ out for the food.” He went on to argue that thus he had prepared their minds for the fSct that pack horses would soon be going out. By distributing the gold its presence would be unsuspected. I suggested a strong guard, but both Bagsby and Don Gaspar opposed me. “There’s enough of these yere robbers to git us anyhow, even if we all went,” said Bagsby, “and that’s why I want to send the stuff out now. The place they’ll tackle will be right yere, if they tackle anything at all” I will not weary you with the pros and cons. At the time I thought, and I still think, the whole arrangement most ill advised; but against me was the united opinion of nearly the whole camp, Including the most level headed members of my own party. It was finally agreed that Yank, Buck Barry and JDon Gaspar should take out the gold. They started very early in the morning, carrying the treasure in saddle bags and across the horns of the saddle. I argued that Yank rode much the lightest and had the strongest horse, and managed to get the others to confide to him a full half of the metal. At the last moment we had modified the original plan to suit everybody. The horsemen encumbered by pack animals were to push on as rapidly as possible in order to reach by nightfall the settlement where dwelt the Italian friend. Once there they could feel themselves reasonably safe. Johnny, Missouri Jones and I would ride with them until noon as a sort of escort for the uninhabited portion of the journey. By that hour we figured we should have reached the outskirts .of the regular diggings, where, our experience told us, our companions would be safe. Accordingly we pushed our mounts hard. Unhampered by pack animals, and aided by knowledge of the route, we made great progress. By noon we had passed the meadow of our night’s camp. After a hasty lunch we accompanied our men a few miles farther, then said farewell and godspeed and hurried back in order to reach home before sunset (To be continued.) Many a fellow leads the van in life and winds up at the tail end in death.

GREAT EARN JODIES ENDORSE PRESIDENT

National Congress Grateful for Peace and Prosperity Under Wilson Administration. LOYAL SUPPORT PLEDGED Appreciative of Laws Enacted for Benefit of Farmers—lllinois Grain Growers Voice Like Sentiments. Endorsing President Wilson's foreign policy, and applauding his courage and patriotism, the Farmers’ National Congress of the United States, in its thirty-sixth annual session at Indianapolis, on Oct. 17, telegraphed hearty congratulations to the President. It also expresses appreciation of the Administration’s “constructive and effective legislation enacted for the benefit of the farmers of America.” The President, unable to attend, sent Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Carl Vrooman to “convey to you my personal greeting and assurances of sympathy and good will. The loyal and effective support which has been given by your organization to further the passage of legislation In the interest of the farmer during the present Administration is most sincerely appreciated.” The Congress sent this reply: “Your message of good will has been received with great enthusiasm. This Congress, at Omaha, September 30, 1915, adopted the following Resolutions: '

“ ‘Resolved, —That this Congress commends the foreign policy of President Wilson, while standing at the head of the American nation during one of the most critical and trying periods of its history. “ ‘Resolved,—That we express absolute confidence in his courage, patriotism and diplomatic ability. “ ‘Resolved, —That we offer him our loyal support in his effort to protect the rights of American citizens and to maintain impartial neutrality.’ “The Farmers’ National Congress extends to you, as the Executive head of the Nation, its profound gratitude and appreciation of your successful efforts to keep the Nation honorably at peace during one of the most trying periods of its history. “This body notes with grateful appreciation the constructive and effective legislation enacted for the benefit of the farmers of America during your administration with the iqyal assistance of those representatives of all parties who have supported the President in his efforts to promote”the general welfare. Accept our sincere thanks and assurances of continued loyalty." The Farmers’ Grain Dealers’ Association of Illinois, in Convention at Decatur, adopted resolutions which, in part, stated: “During the last three years there lias been a record of unparalleled achievement in Federal legislation and administration in the interest of the farmer. This association acknowledges with gratitude the endeavors made and results accomplished in behalf of the development of agriculture and the advancement of the interests of the. farmer, and tenders its grateful appreciation thereof.”

Lincoln’s Cousins for Wilson.

Among the S,(XX) Pennsylvanians who journeyed to Shadow Lawn, N. J., on Saturday, Oct. 14, to hear President Wilson speak, were Alfred J. Lincoln and Richard Lincoln of Berks County, Pa. They are cousins of the martyred President and both announced they were going to vote for President Wilson.

BANK DEPOSITS REVEAL PROSPERITY OF FARMERS

That the farmer is getting a generous share of the national prosperity, is evidenced by preliminary reports from seven states, recently filed with the Comptroller of the Currency, in Washington. These show increases in bank deposits as follows: Ohio, $26,000,000; Kansas, $12,000,000; Indiana, $11,000,000; Connecticut, $10,000,000; Nebraska, $5,500,000; Washing-' ton, $4,000,000; New Hampshire* $3,500,000. 1

Upon Penrose and Roosevelt—a strange Combination when you recall 1912 and later, but after all not an unnatural one, when you get to the last analysis of their characters—Republicans are basing their hopes of saving Pennsylvania to Hughes. One by one the old reliable Republican States are slipping their moorings. Massachusetts and Ohio are about as certain to go Democratic this year as Arkansas and Texas. ✓ Mr. Hughes’ voice threatens to give out, but there is one voice, the voice from Oyster Bay, that will continue to go on and on forever.

SURE HE'S HAPPY.

STANLEY in Cincinnati Times Star “His Great Big Beautiful Doll.”

FORECLOSED FOR WILSON.

Chicago Tribune, Supporting Hughes, Says Women and Labor in Illi- . nois Are With President. < The Chicago Tribune is one of the most bitter papers in the country in behalf of Hughes. In reviewing conditions in Illinois October 2 the Tribune said: “Illinois is a doubtful state on the presidency. At this moment the chances are even that Wilson will carry the state, taking all conditions in Chicago and downstate into consideration. These are the facts in the case and Republican state leaders know that they are. “Two things stand out with impressive force in stacking up political conditions as they now prevail in Illinois: “I—The failure, or the lack of initiative, in organizing Republican women voters downstate. “2—The apparent concession, without any objection raised by the Hughes managers, that the labor vote in the downstate industrial centers is foreclosed for Wilson.”

WHAT WAR MEANS.

Worse Than Sherman Said It Was and Still Roosevelt and Hughes Want It. The French ministry of war reports the grand totals for the first ten months of the war as follows, as far as reports have been received: Killed Wounded France 460,000 660,000 England “... 181,000 200,000 Belgium 49,000 49,000 Russia ...1,250,000 1,680,000 Germany ...1,630,000 1,880,000 Austria 1,610,000 1,865,000 Turkey 110,000 144,000 5,290,000 6,478,000 What can any or all these countries win in the war that is worth the price of the lives of these fathers and sons ? Wilson hat? kept us out of war by an honorable diplomacy, gained every concession he has asked ahd Hughes and Roosevelt, who seek to run the government, are denouncing him for not taking a course that would have meant war and lost us hundreds of thousands of our fathers and sons. The financial debt which these countries owe as the result of the war is far more than all the real money in the world.

“WHERE WERE THEY AT?”

The conspicuous thing about the Indiana reception to Beveridge at his Chicago meeting was the absence of all the men who hold places as candidates on the Republican ticket in Indiana, and for whom Beveridge has refused to speak in the campaign. A summary of the telling points made by Mr. Beveridge in his speech are forcibly summed up in this paragraph : “When true Americanism shall have finished its creative work and a new and homogeneous people shall appear among mankind, it will form a nation related to every other nation of the Occident. Thus it and it alone will be fitted to lead all the peoples of our blood to that union which must come if western civilization is to advance or* even to survive.”

Well, What’s the Argument?

“Nothing is more senseless or unjust than the demand that Mr. Hughes should assume the nature and character of some one he is not, for example, Abraham Lincoln or George Washington.”-—lndianapolis Star.

WHAT’S THE MATTER?

Mr. Fairbanks hastens to say that he and Mr. Hughes and Mr. Roosevelt do not want war. Then what are they complaining about? We surely have peace. Everybody is at work. Nobody is being sjiot in the trenches. The country is prosperous. Wages are the best ever paid. We have no railroad strike. Democrats have paid $2,609,000 Republican debts in Indiana and have over $2,150,000 cash in the treasury. Eighty thousand men in Chicago the other day were freely given “the eight-hour day without reduction of pay and time and a half for overtime.” What in the world are Republican candidates complaining about? Are they miserable because other folks are happy ?

FARMERS AND PROSPERITY

Speaking before the Farmers’ National congress at Indianapolis last Tuesday, H. E. Stockbridge of Atlanta, Georgia, president of that body, talked at some length on the prosperous condition of the country as related to the farmer, and among other things said: “We are told by misinformed parties that the farmer is a mere incidental beneficiary from the general prosperity resulting from the foreign war demand for American products. Careful study, however, shows no justification for such assertion. “It is a fundamental law of economics that the origin of wealth lies in the productive industries. It is obviously true, therefore, that the greatest of all productive industries the production of crops—-must be chiefly responsible for the increase in wealth and the present national prosperity.

“It is primarily the products of our soil which have made profits for our merchants and have overburdened our transportation facilities. Those who have argued to the contrary have simply mistaken effect for cause. A single fact will demonstrate the correctness of this conclusion. The total export of war munitions—of which we hear so much —for the last fiscal year was barely 1 per cent of the total value of all our manufactured products. “It is inconceivable that this 1 per cent —however profitable its production may have been—could be responsible for present general agricultural and commercial prosperity. If these conditions really are the congests of peace the lesson shpuld be clear. If the American farmer, for whom and to whom we speak, owes his present exceptional prosperity to the fact that In the whole world we today stand alone as the one really great nation, free from the unspeakable throes and devastation of war, it behooves us as citizens to demand —and enforce the decree—that our own country shall not be involved in this cataclysm of insane strife. “This paramount issue of the time has more direct and vital significance to the farmer than to any other class of citizens. When plowshares are beaten into swords or guns, it is most largely the farmer boy who becomes the man behind the gun. It is a truism that tn peace the farmer feeds the world and in war he fights its battles. These facts not only justify, but at present demand the earnest consideration of the men who represent the great agricultural interests and class involved. Reason dictates that we endeavor to locate the danger and then protect ourselves against It. Mr. Stockbridge, touching on the subject of the danger of war for this country, referred to Mexico, and said: “I conceive that the threat of most imminent danger lies with our neighbor south of the Rio Grande.” He praised the present administration for Its manner in handling the situation, but took occasion to condemn the facilities for mobilizing and equipping an army, which, he asserted, had shown themselves to be weak. He declared that the European war had shown that successful warfare, offensive or defensive, depends greatly on the degree of industrial preparedness.

“Preparedness being merely another term for efficiency,” he said, “we come to a consideration of that indispensable form of efficiency in which we are most directly interested— agricultural preparedness. “The present prosperous condition of American agriculture is the best possible proof of a degree of efficient management on American farms. Since this congress was last in session several national laws have gone into effect which are in a material degree responsible for present conditions.”

“NO HOPE,” SAYS BEVERIDGE

“The agents and newspapers at the old Republican machine are trying to make believe that the standpat reactionary Republican leaders have been driven from party power. Look at facts. From ocean to ocean the ablest, shrewdest and boldest of the reactionary leadership that wrecked the Republican party is in command. Here in Indiana the Republican managers are men who were lieutenants in the old machine, whose orders the Republican organization are carrying out thin very moment. ' Promises of a reform from a party so controlled insults the Intelligence of the people, for breaking promises te , their specialty.’’—Senator Albert J. Beveridge to Progressive state convention, Indianapolis, April 18» 1915. ,

Good advice —People who never look before they leap should refrain from leaping.