GhostMiner

The gold strike was real and done by hand a small crew in 1936. The area of raised bedrock was 20 ft by 30 ft where over 1000 ounces of gold was removed. Completely true. I believe this was only a small amount of the gold in that deposit. That area was long forgotten until I re-discovered the strike in the government report of 1965. The main deposit is probably 20 ft deeper as true bedrock was never approached by the crew. My best guess is that there is still several million dollars in gold about 70 to 80 ft below the surface.

An action adventure series based on a true gold strike. The journal is fiction. Like reading a book.

Time will tell.

April 12 1937 This is a sad day for me. It marks the one year anniversary of when my brother started mining here. Normally it would have been a day of celebration but instead it is quite somber. In honor of my brother we are taking the day off and will have hoover stew, beans, hot water cornbread, and Bushmills whiskey for supper. These were Jed’s favorites. There will be two empty chairs near the campfire circle for the entire season. One for Jed and one for Whiskey Jack. I am betting that they are digging gold somewhere up above and talking about mining and prospecting around a fire every night with their cups filled with whiskey. The weather today matches my mood, cold and some light rain off and on. I just don’t feel like doing anything. TO BE CONTINUED .......................

Most of Jed's cut less 10 or 15% so maybe over 400 ounces I think.

Is that someone you know LOL?

Yikes !!

April 11 1937 Part Seven I wanted to know how they knew where the gold was hidden. I told them to talk. Jim said they had been secretly watching Jed’s camp after the crew left. They had followed him to the area and waited to see what he did. They had figured that at some point he would go to his gold either at camp or somewhere else. They got lucky the day they followed him. Jim said he didn’t want to kill Jed but Slugger said he didn’t want to take the chance of getting caught and dead men tell no tales. He said Slugger shot Jed in the back of the head. My brother never knew they were there. Jim told us that Slugger had murdered several people in the mountains for gold and money. Slugger hung his head and refused to look at me. John and I stepped away and had a talk. I told him that there were other families and friend who had lost loved ones to these guys and it was up to us or the law to solve the murder cases. I had no time to hold these goons and play detective. I also told John that if we kill them we could someday face charges. As bad as I wanted them dead I couldn’t do it now. John thought it over and agreed with me. We decided to turn them over to the law. We took them back to camp and told the crew what we had decided. We got the informant and John and I took all three over to the sheriff's office. It was daylight now. When we took them in the law dogs looked at us in amazement. They asked us what the hell had happened to these guys. They were a mess. I told them everything we had learned and also introduced them to the witness who overheard them talking in the tavern. I lied and said they had put up a long fight and we had to do what we did to them. They took our information and said they would be in contact. Both of the goons were heading to the hospital before going to jail and trial. TO BE CONTINUED .................

April 11 1937 Part Six When we got to the cabin we took out a flashlight and helped Slugger walk us to the place where he said the gold was buried. It was there. I asked him how much of it was left. He told me nearly all of it. He had only spent maybe ten percent or so. It was in a steel container and we took it back to the truck. We put Slugger in the cab between us and I drove. On the way back to camp John worked him over some more. He was nearly unconscious when we drove into camp. I told the crew we had recovered most of the gold. We tied up the two goons and threw them in the back of the truck. I told everyone to watch the informant and make sure he didn’t leave and be on high alert. I said that John and I had some business to attend to. I drove and John stayed in the back of the truck with the two tied up goons. We were taking them to the place where they had committed the murder of my brother. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That’s what it says. When we got to the place Jed was robbed and killed I pulled the truck over and we dragged the two thieves to the scene of the crime. It was still dark so I shined a flashlight where they had found Jed. I told them to take a good look at the place they murdered my brother. They were begging us to turn them over to the law. I told them that was too good for them. They were both crying for mercy. We stood them up against a big rock and pulled our pistols. I asked them which one wanted it first. There was no answer. TO BE CONTINUED ......................

April 11 1937 Part Five Jim began begging for his life and crying. He was hard to understand as his teeth were gone and he was bleeding badly from his face and mouth. I had beaten him badly. He said that Slugger still had most of the gold. Jim said he only got a small amount and had spent his cut. We turned our attention to Slugger. He was still trying to play the tough guy. I asked him if he had heard of us and of what we did with criminals and thugs. He said he had heard things about us in town. I told him he had better tell us where the gold was or he would die a slow and painful death. He still wouldn’t talk. I told Sarge to shoot out his good knee. I don’t think he believed I meant business. Sarge pulled out his pistol. Slugger started to holler out not to do it. I told him to start talking and fast. He said he had the gold hidden near a cabin about ten miles from town. He lived there and said he had put it in a hole under an old stump back in the woods but we’d never find it alone. I told him it looked like we were going for a ride. I told Sarge and the crew to stay at camp with Jim. John and I put Slugger in the truck and we headed for his cabin. I told him if he was lying he was a dead man. TO BE CONTINUED .....................

April 11 1937 Part Four The two hooligans were laying on the ground. John and I had given them quite a beating on the way back to the mine. Jim was covered in blood and I had plenty of it on me as well. There wasn’t a tooth left in his face. I think John had broken Slugger’s knee with his club and John had pummeled him as well. Both were still conscious. I got two chairs and the crew put them on them. I asked them which one killed my brother and where was the gold. They both played dumb. I told them that I was only interested in which one killed my brother and would let the other one go free. Of course I had no intention of doing that. They refused to talk. Sarge tied their hands behind their backs. I told John to take over. John rammed the billy club into their guts and they gasped out trying to get air back into their lungs. Then he cracked them across the face with his gloved fist. I told them I would use the brass knuckles on them next. I told them I would beat them until they prayed to be hung. Sarge wanted to shoot them in the knee caps with his sidearm. I told him to go ahead. He pulled out his pistol and cocked it. The one named Jim cracked. He cried out for mercy and told us Slugger had shot Jed and took his gold. He said he wasn’t involved. He said he was there but had no idea Slugger would kill him. Slugger began to curse Jim and told him he would kill him when he got loose. I told him he would be in no shape to kill anyone once he was loose. I asked Jim where the gold was. I told him he had better tell me or Sarge would take out his knees with his pistol. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

It might be time for justice. Slugger, Jim, this is the last place on earth you want to be now.

April 11 Part Three We walked up behind them and they were drunk and didn’t even notice us. John carried a weighted billy club and pulled it out and I had brass knuckles on. We also had sidearms. John eased up behind the one they called Slugger and pretended to know him. He said he had a bottle of good whiskey over at the truck and pointed over there. Slugger acted like he recognized him or knew him and said let’s go drink it. His buddy Jim went along easy until we got near the truck and spotted me wearing brass knuckles. Before he could say anything I let him have a right hand square in the face and took out his front teeth. John clocked Slugger in the knee with the billy and he went down and started hollering and cursing. John cracked him across the face with his fist twice and we threw them in the back of the truck and jumped back there with them. I told Sarge to get the hell out of here before someone sees us and he drove back toward the mine. The two thugs were moaning and cursing and we let them have more of the same and told them to shut their mouths if they wanted to live. We pulled off the main road and drove up to our camp. Ben,Will, and Hudson were waiting for us. We threw the two goons off the truck and onto the ground and the entire crew and security team was staring down at them. TO BE CONTINUED .......................

April 11 1937 Part Two I told Sarge to go outside and keep the informer at our truck. We might want him later. I told him John and I would go back outside as well and wait for the two hooligans to exit the tavern. I didn’t want anyone seeing us in contact with them because if they were the ones responsible for my brother’s murder I would kill them both. John wanted them as bad as I did. We all had weapons in case of a shoot out but killing them that way was far too easy for them. I also wanted to get back Jed’s gold. Sarge moved the truck away from the tavern parking lot and kept the informer inside the cab with him. John and I waited in a secluded area across the street from the tavern. It was getting late and I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before the suspects came out. Around midnight we saw them going out the door and starting to walk down the street. The big one was laughing and joking about how easy it was to steal gold and rob people. The other one was laughing as well. My fists were clenched in rage and I told John “Let’s get them.” I was going to make them talk. TO BE CONTINUED .........................

April 11 1937 Part One Last night we were visited once again. Sarge brought a guy into camp that said he wanted to talk with me. He told me he hangs out in the tavern in town. He claimed to overhear a couple of guys talking about us. One of them was talking about a large amount of gold he had gotten and laughing about someone working hard to mine it and he took it without having to do any work and now he was wealthy. The guy was getting drunk with another hooligan and he was there now. I thanked him and asked if he'd go there with me to identify the men. He said he would. He told me they were bad news and carried guns and knives. One of them was called Slugger and the other Jim. Slugger was the bigger of the two and he was the one doing most of the talking. I took John and Sarge as well as the informer into town and we parked the truck in front of the tavern. When we walked in, the informer pointed out the two guys. I thanked him again and told him he’d better clear out for his own safety as this might get real ugly. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

April 10 1937 This morning we saw a group of prospectors heading up the mountain along the creek. They stopped and talked with us. There were five of them and they had come out from the coast. It seems our reputation was being discussed even in the coastal towns now. These guys wanted to shake our hands and thank us for all we had done last year. They were aware of our run-ins with hooligans and how we had run them off. They also knew Jed had been murdered and told us if they heard anything they would contact us. It seemed we had some supporters along with our enemies. I wished them good luck in finding ground to stake. We got to work and the temperatures were warm for early April. John and I kept a steady pace with our shovel work. We would need to adapt our bodies to the long, hard work days once again. It will take some time. We ended the day with half an ounce. Not nearly what we expected. The gravels at the upper area of the kettle were getting weaker but I had committed to finishing everything there. I figured a week or two at the most and we’d have it cleaned out for good. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

April 9 1937 Things were quiet last night and we all got some much needed sleep. I decided to send Will and Hudson into town for some supplies in the morning while John and I did some exploring east of the kettle. We got back to camp around lunch time and Will and Hudson were there waiting for us. They told us that a few people in the general store were talking about us. They didn’t seem to know that Will and Hudson were part of the crew. Some guy was saying that we were on a big gold strike and that’s why we came back for another season. The guy he was talking to said he heard we were a bunch of rough characters that beat people up or shot them at the drop of a hat. It seemed we were thought of as some kind of mining outlaws. I just laughed it off and we all had lunch. It was a fairly nice day so I told the crew we should do some mining. We decided that Will and Hudson would be the pump operators and John and I would do the digging. By about 2:00 we had water running through the tom so John and I went at it with the shovel work. It felt so damn good to be mining again. I kept thinking I’d see Jed in the pit with us. We worked for about three hours and shut down the water and cleaned out the sluice. All four of us did a quick cleanup and weigh showing some good color that weighed up to about a ¼ ounce. I told the crew this is our first gold of the season and we are going to get a lot more. TO BE CONTINUED ......................

Glad you are enjoying it and many thanks,

April 8 1937 Last night we were awoken to the hellish sounds of the bobcats once again. I had forgotten how loud they could be with their screeching. It was around 3:00 in the morning and the stars were all shining and it was cold. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I sat up and got the campfire going again. I could see the silhouette of Sarge over at his post with his trusty BAR. Ben was down near the road with the Thompson. I poured a small whiskey and thought about Jed. I was sure he was watching me from somewhere. Just before daybreak I heard Ben holler from down below and there was a burst from the Thompson. Sarge hollered out to wake the crew if they weren’t already up. They all came out of their tents with weapons in hand. Ben hollered up that a couple of guys had gotten past him. Then I heard Sarge holler out halt and he fired the BAR. I saw two guys standing near camp to the south. Ben had come up behind them and Sarge had them at gunpoint. They were both drunk. They were cursing at us and said they wanted the dirty cowards that had beaten up their brother at the tavern last year. It seemed that the town folk already knew we were here. John walked over to confront them. Will and I walked over and so did Sarge. John got within a few steps of them and told them their brother was a thief and got what he deserved. I told them we were here to work and wanted to be left alone. I said that if they wanted a fight then now was the time. They just stood there cursing and calling us all kinds of names. John walked up to them and cracked the closest one on the jaw with his fist. Sarge rammed the other one in the side with the butt end of the BAR. They both went down hard. One of them had a pistol and Sarge relieved him of it. The first one got up and John cracked him again. The other one didn’t want anymore. We dragged them down to the creek and threw them in the icy water. They came crawling out cursing and hollering and staggered down the mountain to where their car was parked. I told them not to ever come back and tell the same to all the rif raf in town. After all that we had a good breakfast while we talked over the situation. John didn’t think they’d be back. I wasn’t so sure. Then we got to work setting pumps and running water line. Tomorrow we will take the tom up to the dig site and start washing gravels. I am hoping for a quiet night. TO BE CONTINUED .........................

April 7 1937 I am probably getting everyone out here a little early in the season. It is still cold with a mix of rain and snow at times although there is no snow on the ground today. John and Will were first to arrive on site followed by Hudson. We all shook hands and cracked open a bottle of Bushmills in Jed’s honor. There were many tears shed and his ghost is everywhere I look. Somehow we will move forward without him and Jack. A few hours later we were setting up camp and heard the familiar rumble of Sarge’s White truck. He and Ben had arrived. They gave me their condolences and said they wished that Jed had left with the rest of the crew. I had tried so very hard to talk him into leaving with us but he wouldn’t hear of it. It is all in the past now. We are setting camp at the lower site to the south where we ended the operation last season. I am going with what Jed wanted which was to finish the south kettle. There is a little less than half way to go and we know there is gold there so it makes sense. We finished up with the camp today. Sarge and Ben scouted the area to set up watch posts as well. They have brought out all the same weapons from last year and the crew is feeling safe. We’ll have a good supper and get some sleep. Tomorrow we will set the pumps and run the water line up to the kettle. If we are lucky we should be mining in two days. There has been no sign of any activity up here in our absence. Thieves are lazy. They don’t want to work for gold but will steal it after it has been mined. I will not let that happen. TO BE CONTINUED ..........................

LOST GOLD AT THE DEAD MAN’S MINE SEASON TWO April 6 1937 My name is Jacob Stevens. My older brother Jed started our mining project and was murdered last year. His gold that he worked so hard for is gone. I have had no luck in finding the filthy scum who killed him. If I ever do, they will pay dearly. My brother was a hero to me and was responsible for our gold mining success. We were able to find the journal he kept and it is in my possession now. I have what possessions he left behind. His truck, camping gear, all of the mining equipment, and some odds and ends. Seeing as he kept a journal of the activities here I feel it is now my duty to continue the journal so everything that happens here is documented. Jed and Whisky Jack believed there is still a great deal of gold remaining to be mined on the claims. I am taking on all mining responsibilities for this season and I have a good crew ready. They are hard workers and battle tested. I am not expecting an easy time of it as we have made enemies. However, I will not let that stop us from achieving our dreams of gold and riches. The mining crew will be made up of Will, John, Hudson,and me. Sarge and Ben have committed to working security for the entire season. I have arrived at the claims ahead of the crew and the rest of them will be here tomorrow. I will be staying in town tonight and when the crew arrives we will set up our camp and mining equipment. I want to make my brother proud. It is going to be very hard to get used to working without him here. It will be hard for all of us. May God be with us. TO BE CONTINUED .................

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Doing some editing. Back up soon.

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