GhostMiner

  August 29   2002

   The three of us did the gold weigh. It took us most of the day to get it done & we ended up with a measly 5.1 ounces. None of us were happy about it but gold is gold and we will stay with it until the season ends.

   After the weigh was done we had supper and talked about tomorrow morning's hearing with the judge and prosecutor. Jacob was pretty nervous about it and started talking about heading out of here tonight and not going into town tomorrow. He said he could hide out up on the mountain and they’d never find him. I told him that was a bad idea and it would be best for him to just get all of this over with. Conor agreed but said that if Jacob wanted to hide out he would go with him. It was anyone’s guess what they intended to do and it was out of my hands. 

   Jacob said he would never go to jail and they’d have to take him by force. This concerned me a great deal because I knew Jacob and knew he meant what he said. I spent the next hour talking with him and trying to calm him down. I am hoping he decides to go to the hearing in the morning. 

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

According to Jacob this would have been a normal night at the town tavern.

   August 28   2002     Part Two

   We went down to the jail and they had Jacob locked in a cell. Bail was set at $500 and we got him out. We were told there would be a hearing or meeting in the judge's chambers on Friday the 30th at 9:00 AM. That will give us a chance to do the gold weigh tomorrow. Jacob asked if he needed a lawyer and all they said was it was his choice. I told him to wait until Friday and see what is going to happen. Then we headed back to camp.

   It was close to dusk and the day was nearly over. I told Jacob we had a bunch of concentrates to clean up tomorrow and that put him in a better mood. I cooked up some canned hash and some hot dogs and we had ourselves a feast. After supper we cracked open a few beers and talked about the day.

   I asked Jacob what the warrant was all about. He said he figured it to be over one of the fights in the tavern that took place back in 1937. Evidently he and his crew had been in an altercation with some loggers who were shooting their mouths off about gold miners. He said there was always bad blood between these two groups and when they met the trouble would start. Jacob told us he had beaten one of the big mouths up pretty bad and he’d heard the logger ended up in the hospital. Jacob went on to say that he was surprised there was only one warrant on the books. My way of thinking was that the judge was having this hearing quickly in order to dispose of the case. Unless they surprised us with a witness or the injured party. That, of course, could lead to an indictment and court trial. We won’t know anything for sure until Friday morning.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

9 hours ago, geof_junk said:

Adult witness to the event would be hard to find as they would be at a minimum of 84 years old and most likely have poor memory, died or moved away. So I'm got high hopes for Jacob. 😀

In regards to that - the police must act on warrants regardless of how old they are. They have no choice & unfortunately it was a warrant in California. If it had been another state I think that state would have waived extradition. There were rumors that brother Jed had warrants in California and Nevada but of course he was deceased. There was also another rumor that Jed Stevens was a wanted man in Mexico as well. Not sure about any of this. However, when I refer to the Stevens brothers as outlaws I think it is a correct statement. They had been pushed into this because of all that went on at and around the claims by the various thugs who couldn't care less about laws. They weren't the kind of men who run to others for help even if it was available which most of the time it wasn't. So they handled their own affairs - sometimes with violence. 

2 hours ago, Mike Furness said:

Battery in 1938 and it was then 2002! Wow! Someone must be getting desperate to nail something to Jacob! Hope the judge takes a look at the age of the warrant and dismisses it. In all likelihood the person or persons he may have caused battery on are no longer living in 2002! 

Old warrants never die nor do they fade away with time. 

   August 28   2002     Part One     Law Dogs & Warrants

   I was at the dig site early with Conor and we washed 50 yards of gravel and shut down. We got cleaned up and had a quick lunch and headed for the hospital. When we arrived Jacob was finishing his lunch and there were discharge papers for him to sign. They also gave him a sack of medications to take and he was told to return for a check up in five days. He was mighty glad to be getting out of there.

   As we headed for the parking lot I noticed three deputies coming towards us. I thought it was odd but soon realized what was happening. It seems that when Jacob was in the hospital they had somehow run his information. He had an old arrest warrant for battery dating back to 1937. None of us could believe it and we were stunned. They put poor Jacob in handcuffs and were taking him to jail. They told us the judge would set bail that afternoon and we could most likely be able to get him out. The main deputy wasn’t sure how all this would play out because the warrant was so old but he said they never expire. As they led Jacob away I told him not to worry and we would get all this straightened out. He looked as forlorn as an old man could get.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

   TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THE 1936 JOURNAL. JED & JOHN DEAL WITH SOME TRESSPASSERS. 

MAY 5   1936

   Last night's watch was quiet. There didn't seem to be anything moving on the mountain. After breakfast I told John I wanted to divide our day. We would dig in the morning and take 30 buckets directly out of the fault as we worked it into the east. We moved rock with our bars and picked away at anything compacted. Around early afternoon we made two trips with the truck taking the buckets down to process. About supper time I had the panning finished with John's help. He was learning fast. Then came the weigh. I had pulled what I thought were very good pay gravels out of a nice pocket under some boulders. When we saw the scale I just blinked and started laughing. John asked if it was good. I said hell yes John, this is a good one. We had pulled just shy of an ounce out of 30 buckets. This must be a glory hole. We will glory hole the spot and get rich.

   This was beyond rich to me and we proceeded to hoot and holler and broke out the bottle. My glory days are getting closer every day. We drank into the night and never did go up to the dig site on our watch shifts.

   MAY 6   1936

   John and me woke up late this morning as we were both deep in our cups well into the night. We decided to go up to the dig site together and bring down 20 buckets and then wash them. Neither of us is up for hard work today but the excitement of seeing gold is pushing us to dig. The morning was clear and quiet with a warm sun. As we arrived with the truck we once again had a surprise. Three men I had never seen were at the hole and looking around. I did not see side arms on them but one carried a rifle. John always wore his Colt and we both got out of the truck with rifles in hand.

   The three men looked to be in their thirties or forties and looked like a rag tag crew. I was in no mood to be pleasant and gruffly asked them what they were up to. The oldest man said they were looking to mine gold and were roaming the area looking for likely places. He said it looked like we had a big dig going and asked if we were on good ground. I told him the ground was all claimed up with all the filings done legal. He asked me if we needed a crew for digging and said they would work for gold. I just laughed and said we hadn't even found any gold but were stubborn in our efforts. He asked me if I knew of any good areas ready to be tested and worked. I bluntly said no, nothing around here. The three of them kind of looked at each other and said thank you and hiked up the mountain. We watched them until they were out of sight.

   John looked at me and asked  what I thought of them. I said I didn't think much of them and they looked no good to me. He agreed and said we need to make sure to stand our watch tonight. My head was pounding from all the whiskey but I worked the bar and shovel along with John. We kept the rifles close. As we worked the heavy ground east into the heart of the fault we encountered a large boulder maybe six feet in diameter. We went to work with pick and shovel while using a bar to move smaller rock beside and underneath the big boulder. The digging was very hard but we got 20 buckets down to the tom. We worked until nearly dark as we had got off to such a late start. Then we did a weigh. We had three and one half ounces in the pan. I nearly passed out and John started to cry.

   MAY 7   1936

   Last night we stayed out of the whiskey and slept good. I took first watch and John was up there on second shift. Then things headed south once again. We were fixing coffee, biscuits, and bacon for  breakfast when the three rag tags walked into camp like they belonged there. The one with the rifle said they tested ground all over the mountain the last few days and none of it looked any good. He asked again about his crew working with us for a small percent of any gold found and coffee and beans. Once again I told him we weren't finding any gold and didn't need anyone. Then he started to argue with me and said being camped up and such a big excavation going we must be on to something good.

   John had stood up in front of the guy and had his rifle in hand. I was caught flat footed. The last statement by the guy made John snap. I had never seen this in the ten years I had known him. John rammed the butt end of the rifle into the guy's belly and he went down on his knees. Then John whacked him in the face with the butt end and he slumped over on his face. I jumped up off my chair ready for anything coming. One of the younger guys made a lunge at John but John caught him on the side of the head with the rifle barrel, withdrew it, and brought it up hard under his chin. He went down hard as well. The other guy stood there shaking.

   The second guy eventually got up and was cursing up a storm at John. John made the guy tell him where they were camped. I'm not saying how he did this. Then John told him to pick up his friend who was still passed out and git. And he made them leave the rifle. After this we followed them up to where they had a rough camp set up. The first guy had come around by now. We busted up their camp and told them to pack up and leave the area. John told them that if he saw them on our claims again it would go even rougher for them. They left but they weren't happy about it. Regardless of what anybody hears about this event this is the way it all happened.

   By then it was nearly noon so we decided to both go up and dig for a few hours and get back down to the creek until we felt sure they weren't coming back. We only dug 15 buckets and worked the tom. Once again we got a cracker jack return on our labor. Almost one and one half ounces. We are in something special.

   August 27   2002

   Conor and I were up early and got a good start to the day. Things ran smooth and we ended up processing another 200 yards of gravel. We got cleaned up and headed back to the hospital around Jacob’s dinner time. He was in a regular room and was in a very good mood. He said the doctor was going to release him just after lunch time tomorrow. I confirmed this with the head nurse. Jacob couldn’t wait to get out of there and back to the mine. I told him we were running pay gravel and I did see some nice gold and we’d be doing a cleanup soon. Seeing as he was getting out in the early afternoon I figured we would run the trommel for a few hours and call it a day. Then the day after Jacob was back we could all do the cleanup together. Things were looking up again.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

   NOT IN THE JOURNAL  :   September 2015. My wife and I were prospecting an area 2000 ft south of the 1936 gold strike of 1936. We had hit gold several feet below the surface in an area right where an old hydraulic cut dropped off 100 feet into a ravine. The area was remote and secluded. We were actually screening and dry panning to test the area when we hit $100/yard pay. We had a 14 ft recirculating long tom set up in a secret location in the woods another 1000 ft to the southwest. I had to hand carry 6 gallon water containers from a water pipe in the mountain to a holding tank and use a 12 volt bilge pump to send it 300 ft to the tom where we started washing it. To get the pay to the tom I had to hand carry 60 pound buckets of the gravel down a 100 ft rock slide and through the ravine and then back up the other side to the tom - a 1000 ft plus distance. I did this for weeks and we got some nice gold. If I were to work that area again I would buy a drywasher and do it onsite. 

   We were camping at the tom in the woods. One evening three guys walked up to our camp just as night was falling. We didn't have a fire going but had our lanterns lit and were sitting near our cook stove with our shotguns when they walked in. I don't like strangers walking into a camp in the middle of nowhere and I didn't exchange pleasantries. I didn't like the looks of these creeps and we told them to git and picked up the shotguns. They got the message and we never saw them again.

1 hour ago, Bedrocker said:

That Tim dude must've been tougher than leather noodles.

I think he was.

8 minutes ago, GhostMiner said:

   NOT IN THE JOURNAL  :  Back in October of 2012 I met a guy that prospected the Sierra Nevada mountains. I was camped out on one of the claims with one of my partners. The snow was getting ready to come and the nights were clear and very cold. One night we had a nice campfire going when a man walked into our camp. He'd been roaming the mountain near our claims and as it got close to dark he had spotted our fire. Everything he owned he carried on his back. Simple prospecting tools and a 45 revolver. A bedroll, and a tent. 

   He said his name was Mountain Man Tim and he travelled the mountains year round. He had been to places where no man had ever been and found his share of gold. He was in his 50's now and been travelling since he was twenty. It was the only real life he'd ever known. The three of us sat out under the crystal cold sky and we swapped stories about freedom and gold. Tim didn't much like society and was a true loner at heart. We offered Tim our camp to sleep in that night but he said he needed to move on. Out in the cold dark of the Sierra Nevada. We never did see him again. If you're still out there Tim, this song is for you. 

 

 

I would also like to dedicate this song to GoldSeeker. 

   NOT IN THE JOURNAL  :  Back in October of 2012 I met a guy that prospected the Sierra Nevada mountains. I was camped out on one of the claims with one of my partners. The snow was getting ready to come and the nights were clear and very cold. One night we had a nice campfire going when a man walked into our camp. He'd been roaming the mountain near our claims and as it got close to dark he had spotted our fire. Everything he owned he carried on his back. Simple prospecting tools and a 45 revolver. A bedroll, and a tent. 

   He said his name was Mountain Man Tim and he travelled the mountains year round. He had been to places where no man had ever been and found his share of gold. He was in his 50's now and been travelling since he was twenty. It was the only real life he'd ever known. The three of us sat out under the crystal cold sky and we swapped stories about freedom and gold. Tim didn't much like society and was a true loner at heart. We offered Tim our camp to sleep in that night but he said he needed to move on. Out in the cold dark of the Sierra Nevada. We never did see him again. If you're still out there Tim, this song is for you. 

  August 26   2002     Part Two

   We got into the hospital around 6:00 PM. Jacob had eaten his dinner and was in pretty good spirits. When the nurse came in she said the tests on Jacob’s heart were good and they were going to move him into a regular room tomorrow as long as nothing changed. Then it would be up to the doctor as to when he would be released. She figured another day or two but couldn’t be sure. 

   That was good news and we were all happy to hear it. I told Jacob we had run 200 yards of gravel through the trommel and he gave us a nod and told us to keep up the good work and he’d be back in no time. Things were looking up.

   When Conor and I got back to camp it was getting dark and we built a small fire. The temperatures were dropping into the upper 40’s at night now and the day time temperatures were topping in the mid to upper 80’s. We had a couple of beers after we ate our late supper and I told Connor we might have a good ending to our season. Snow out here could come as early as October or might be later. Conor said that if Jacob was still willing he wanted to stay on the mine for the Winter with him. Or at least part of it. I told him that Jacob should not be left alone out here and he was stubborn. I knew he wanted to stay right through the bad weather. If Conor stayed past Fall he would have to commit to the full Winter season. There was no way I was staying past November. Period.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

Dreamwind Canyon. 

   Something Not In The Journal  :  Dreamwind Canyon. This is a deep and remote canyon running north/south on the mountain just above the claims & written about in the journal. Much of the canyon was explored for gold back in the 1850's with varying results. It is told that in the Summer of 1859 a group of prospectors from Montana were working some ground there. The canyon walls are more than 500 ft high in part of the area and the floor is covered in boulders and Manzanita and some  Ponderosa Pine. Temperatures in July and August can sometimes reach 120 degrees. It is not a place for the faint of heart and injury up there can quickly turn to death. 

   It seems that the prospectors had a run in with a group of miners from the local town led by the town doctor. This is the same town that I refer to in the journal. The town doctor had been having an affair with the wife of one of the prospectors. She was staying in town while her husband prospected for gold. Somehow the prospector had heard about the affair and had gone into town looking to gun him down. They had indeed got into a gunfight on main street and the prospector was wounded and treated by the doctor that shot him. When the miners from town and the doctor stepped into the canyon they had no idea what was about to happen.

   The prospectors knew they were coming to steal their claims and work them. I think they had heard this in town. When they got up there the prospectors, led by the guy who had been shot, opened up on them with rifles. There was quite a shoot out with several men from each side being killed. The doctor survived but the prospector who had been previously shot did not. The doctor killed him this time. They say the ghost of some of those guys still roam the mountain. I believe it as I have had many crazy experiences on the claims and on the mountain itself. I may add more info about Dreamwind Canyon sometime. 

   August 26   2002     Part One

   Conor and I went in to see Jacob early this morning. He was not in his room but was undergoing some tests on his heart. We talked with the nurse briefly and she said he would be undergoing several tests today and we may want to come back in the evening. She told us his condition had not changed and he was stable. He would be staying in intensive care a little longer, possibly another day or two. So we headed back to camp and got to work. We figured Jacob was in a good place and was getting good treatment. He was where he needed to be for the time being.

   The water pump was not priming properly and I ended up purging the line. After that it was fine. Pumps can be finicky at times and I don’t pretend to be an expert on running them. Conor has been working and staying out of the whisky. Aside from the pump problem the day went well with no major issues. We washed 200 yards of gravel. We are going into town soon and see how Jacob is doing. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ..............

1 minute ago, GhostMiner said:

   Going back to the ending of the first mining season of 1936 & the death of Jed Stevens. 

 

                                        EPILOGUE 

 

   At this point there were no further writings in the journal. Several days after the last entry Jed Stevens was found dead. His body had been discovered by some hunters about twenty miles from his claims. He had been shot through the back of the head and was lying on the ground near a large boulder. There was a small hole that had been dug out underneath it but when the hunters searched there was nothing there. He was identified and law enforcement notified his brother of his tragic death. Evidently he had been murdered for his gold. The perpetrators were never found. It is said that his ghost haunts the mine to this day. 

 

   A NOTE TO READERS :    Be sure to watch for the next edition of this series as the 

                                            miners return to the claims and resume their adventures in

                                            the search for gold. 

 

                                                        See you up in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

 

                                                                              GhostMiner

   I will tell you that there are the ghosts of more than one gold miner who haunt these claims.

   Going back to the ending of the first mining season of 1936 & the death of Jed Stevens. 

                                        EPILOGUE 

   At this point there were no further writings in the journal. Several days after the last entry Jed Stevens was found dead. His body had been discovered by some hunters about twenty miles from his claims. He had been shot through the back of the head and was lying on the ground near a large boulder. There was a small hole that had been dug out underneath it but when the hunters searched there was nothing there. He was identified and law enforcement notified his brother of his tragic death. Evidently he had been murdered for his gold. The perpetrators were never found. It is said that his ghost haunts the mine to this day. 

   A NOTE TO READERS :    Be sure to watch for the next edition of this series as the 

                                            miners return to the claims and resume their adventures in

                                            the search for gold. 

                                                        See you up in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

                                                                              GhostMiner

  August 25   2002     Part Two

   We stopped for supplies after visiting Jacob and got back to camp late morning. Neither one of us felt much like mining but I asked Conor if he would like to feed the trommel while I dug up gravels. After all, it’s what Jacob would have wanted us to do. So I fired up the water pump and trommel and Conor fed the beast as we called it. I did some digging with the excavator adjacent to the stockpile of pay and before you knew it was 3:00 PM and we had washed 100 yards of gravel. I signaled to Conor that we were shutting down. Then we washed up and got something to eat before heading to the hospital to check on our mining partner. The day had gone extremely smooth.

   We got to the hospital just as supper was being served to Jacob’s area. They told us we could stay for an hour this time which I figured was a good sign. Before I went in I asked the nurse how he was doing. She said he is feeling pretty good and wanted some canned stew and a cup of Bushmills whisky. She said instead of that he’s getting beef broth, pudding, & tea. Conor and I had a good laugh on that and we went into his room.

   The first thing Jacob asked was if I had brought his whisky. I had come prepared. I gave him a wink and told him to eat his supper and I had a surprise for him. After he finished the meager meal I pulled a small flask out of my back pocket. It contained a double shot of his beloved Bushmills. There was a grin on his face from ear to ear. He downed the whisky in two swallows and said it was the best medicine he’d had since being in the hospital. Then we all had a good talk and before you knew it the hour had passed and they kicked us out of his room. Conor and I drove back to camp in good spirits and we were hoping Jacob would be back with us soon.

   TO BE CONTINUED ..................

   August 25   2002     Part One

   It was weird this morning without anyone in camp but me. I didn’t get much sleep last night and what I got was restless at best. I had some oatmeal and coffee and headed for town. I didn’t know what to expect. 

   When I got there they told me Jacob was in intensive care. I was not allowed to go there at this time. So I went to the small lounge which adjoined a little cafeteria and found Conor who was sitting at a table looking forlorn. He perked up when I came in and sat down across the table from him. I asked him if there was any word on Jacob. He told me he was waiting for a doctor to come and talk with him. He hadn’t heard anything at all last night. He looked exhausted.

   We sat around talking for about an hour when the doctor finally came into the room. Jacob introduced me and the doctor told us how Jacob was doing. They had him on a heavy course of blood thinners and were keeping him quiet. The doctor said that Jacob was extremely dehydrated and was getting iv’s as well. It would take several days for the blood thinners to start dissolving the clot. If Jacob came out of that ok then he would be moved to a general room for a few more days. He also said they were going to do some tests on Jacob’s heart to determine its condition. He said Jacob’s pulse was strong and he seemed to be in good health for his age. I asked if we could visit him and he said yes but only for ten minutes.

   The doctor walked us to his room and announced to Jacob that he had some visitors. Jacob was sitting up in bed and drinking juice. When he saw us he smiled and gave us one of his winks. He said he needed some Irish Coffee. The doctor laughed and said none of that for you today. Then the doctor left us alone with him.

   Jacob said he was feeling pretty good and wanted to check out of the hospital and get back to mining. Conor and I looked at each other and chuckled. We told him they needed to fix him up first and then we’d make up for lost time. Jacob told us to get back to mining and he’d be ready to go back to camp soon. We talked for a little bit and then a nurse came in and said it was time for us to go. Jacob pulled me close and whispered to me. He asked me to smuggle in some Bushmills. He said it would do him good. I laughed and told him I’d never get away with it and we’d have some whisky when he got back to camp. I told him it wouldn’t be long and to listen to what the doctors and nurses told him. Then we shook hands and we told him we’d be back in to see him in the evening. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ..................

3 minutes ago, Gold Seeker said:

Rest In Peace Toby

Amen. Last song he performed.

  August 24   2002     Part Two

   We got to the hospital and carried Jacob into the emergency room. This was a small hospital and there was only one person in the room waiting to be seen. I explained what had happened to one of the workers and they got Jacob into a room quickly. He was still breathing but looked to be unconscious as far as I could tell.

   Conor began to cry and was going on about how much he loved his uncle. I told him that Jacob was as tough as they come and not to count him out. After about ten minutes a doctor came out and said they were taking him into the hospital for some tests. He suspected a possible blockage around the heart but couldn’t be sure until they did further work. Then a lady came over and took Conor to the office to get information on Jacob. I sat and waited for about twenty minutes and Conor came back out. We went to a little waiting room. After another hour or so the same doctor came back out to talk with us. He said Jacob had a clot in an artery and the blood flow to his heart had been compromised. Then he said it was good we got him there fast and they were putting him in intensive care. He didn’t think there would be surgery but instead they had started a course of blood thinner injections to deal with the clot which of all things was not near the heart but actually in his leg. It had not traveled to the heart yet and he said that probably would have killed him. However, he was in grave danger of the clot doing just that and they were attempting to dissolve it with the thinners. He would be kept immobile and monitored closely.

   Conor said he wanted to stay at the hospital with Jacob and I agreed. I told him I would watch over our camp tonight and be back at the hospital first thing in the morning. We shook hands and I told him to buck up and Jacob would beat this. Then I headed back to camp.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

   August 24   2002     Part One     A Great Legend Goes Down

   The three of us had an early breakfast in the cool morning air. I had gotten into eating oatmeal most every morning but Jacob and Conor had their bacon and eggs. Conor was excited about the cleanup and was watching Jacob and I work at cleaning up the large tub of heavy concentrates from the 670 yards of washed pay gravel. By mid afternoon we were finish panning the last of it. Our total came out to a slightly disappointing 13 ounces exactly. Jacob didn’t like that number and said it was a bad omen. I didn’t believe in things like that but I could tell he was not only upset but also not acting like himself. Just before supper time Conor came out of Jacob’s trailer and said Jacob was having trouble breathing. I went inside and talked with him to see how he was. He would say a few words and then gasp for air. He wasn’t able to get out of his chair without help. I took one look and told Conor we were taking him into town and straight to the emergency room of the small hospital there.

   Jacob didn’t argue with us and was kind of going in and out of consciousness. We carried him to my truck and placed him on the seat. I told Jacob to hang on and we were getting him to the hospital. He kind of grunted and gave me a kind of really weird smile. Then he passed out. Conor jumped in and we sped off towards town. I was thinking please don’t let him die God, not now. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ............

   Something Not In The Journal  :  There were many things that happened during the 2002 mining season that weren't put in the journal. One of them concerns Conor and his obsession with finding a lost gold cache. This came from his brief friendship with Bill Anderson. Sometimes the two of them would discuss mining and their belief that there was 1000 ounces of gold buried in a casket near The Hidden Mine. Just below that mine to the south was what we called The Upper Drift Mine where Bill had spent years secretly working the quartz vein that contained some high grade material. Below that mine was our entrance to the lower drift mine which turned out to be the same mine as the tunnels connected.

   Evidently, according to Jacob, Bill had hinted at the possibility that he had hidden or buried a fair amount of his gold somewhere close to The Upper Drift Mine area. He had never come right out and said he had gold but on a couple of occasions after some heavy drinking he had mentioned this to Conor. Jacob went on to tell me that Bill never disclosed any locations of a gold cache but told Conor it wouldn't take him five minutes to get his gold if he needed it. So Conor was sure Bill's gold was close to The Upper Drift Mine area. There will be some information about this subject later in the 2002 journal.

   The other subject pertaining to 1000 ounces of gold hidden in a casket  ---   well, Conor spent quite a bit of time detecting all around The Hidden Mine. He was on a treasure hunt up there because of what Bill had told him. I think he told Conor more than he told us. I also think that the two of them were scheming to find the gold and take off without telling us. I have my reasons for thinking this. Conor was very secretive about that area - even with his Uncle Jacob. I think Bill knew more about that mine than he told any of us. I think he only gave us half the story. Unfortunately, what he knew went to the grave with him. There's a lot more to come before the season ends - some good and some bad. And there's a lot I didn't write down but may convey off the record. Cheers, GM.