** Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine ** A Miners Journal **

[Old Miner Don]

3 hours ago, GhostMiner said:

One thing that happened on the other mine in 2019 was a black bear attack. This happened before the crew was there. It was late May and I set up camp. It took 2 days. One night I had finished eating. I'd been having problems with bear up there. I had been warned about them by the mine owner. He said one night they got so bad that the crew slept in a metal storage container. For me, several would come into camp and circle it bawwing the entire time. I'd fire off a few rounds from my semi auto and they would leave. This particular night a big one came down the mountain. He had followed an old, abandoned mining road that ran for several miles. Camp was at the bottom of the road. I fired off some rounds but he refused to leave. I didn't have an airhorn which was something we also used to signal each other or scare critters with. But I always had bear spray on my bibbed coveralls. This bear was what I would call a rogue. He came straight in and towards my little table where food had been. I grabbed my bear spray as he took a swipe at me with his paw. I was moving backwards and tripped over a rock and landed on my back with the bear looking straight down at me and bellowing. He started to stomp up and down and he was almost on me. Somehow, I slipped the safety off the spray and let him have it. Square in the face. He let out a loud bellow and sauntered out of camp. It was nearly dark and I was lying there with the spray in my hand when I noticed my hand was shaking. I never saw that bear again. True story. 

Did the bears scare you more than the hooligans scared you?

[GhostMiner]

3 hours ago, Bedrocker said:

Did the bears scare you more than the hooligans scared you?

I think they did.

[GhostMiner]

   July 6   2002     Part One

 

   We fired up the trommel and I went up to start the pump. Before I got it running Jacob was on the radio to me. He said the trommel was down and it looked like someone had put sand in the motor. I got back down there and Jacob was madder than a wet hen. We had taken turns on night watch but it was impossible to keep an eye on the pump, water line, and trommel at the same time. They were 2000 feet away from each other and trees and mountain between them as well. We would need a new pump from town.

   Jacob said we should be able to get one and have the trommel running by afternoon. He also came to the conclusion that we needed two full time night guards. Otherwise there was no telling what might happen out here. He also wanted one day guard as well to patrol the water line and pump. So now we would have to hire three reliable men and that would be a challenge. I left Jacob to watch the mine and headed for town to get a motor.

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

[GhostMiner]

   July 6   2002     Part Two

 

   I got back to camp late morning with a new motor. I suppose it could have been worse. There was no attempt by the saboteurs to contact us and put pressure on us to make them partners. How could anyone make a business deal with thugs like that? They could never be trusted and would most likely murder us in our sleep at some point. Something has to be done. There is quite a ways to go with the season and we are not safe by any means.

   Jacob and I had lunch and got the motor on the trommel. We had everything running by 2:00 PM and washed gravels until 6:00 PM. We didn’t even bother to pull the mats and headed into camp for supper. As we ate hamburgers we discussed the problem of the intruders. There was just no way we could guard everything with just the two of us and we both needed sleep in order to keep working. If it had been September I would have pulled the plug on the operation but we were starting to hit it big now and neither one of us were quitters. We would have to figure something out.

   Jacob said that the thugs probably were watching us and getting impatient. He figured they knew we had just run gravel but left gold in the sluice. He was thinking they might attempt to steal the mats to see how rich our pay dirt was and get some easy gold. He wanted to post watch near the trommel and I would guard the pump area. There would be no sleep but perhaps we might catch ourselves some crooks. As dark settled in we pretended to go into our campers but after 15 minutes took cover with Jacob near the trommel and me at the pump. Heaven help anyone who tries to steal those mats from Jacob.

   TO BE CONTINUED ..............

[GhostMiner]

   July 6   2002     Part Three

 

   Around 1:00 AM my walkie talkie came to life. It was Jacob saying he saw flashlights coming down the mountain towards the area of the trommel. He saw three of them. I radioed back that I would come down the water line trail and take a position and not to shoot his gun as we needed to catch them in the act. If only we still had Vern & Jim I was thinking. I took good cover with a position about 30 feet to the west of the trommel and Jacob was just 50 feet south east of it. We had them cut off unless they headed back to the north up the mountain. However, that was tough going with no trails and it would be hard for them to make a fast getaway if they chose that route. I was sure that Jacob was willing to cut them to ribbons with the Thompson. Our camp was just south of the trommel and everything was dark so they must have figured we were sleeping. 

   I watched the beam from their flashlights bouncing around and off of the trees and rocks as they slowly worked their way down the hill. They were still about 50 yards from the trommel and had no idea what was waiting for them. I knew what Jacob might do if he saw them messaging with the sluice. I was hoping to intervene and capture them at gunpoint if possible. The alternative was not pleasant and I asked myself if I was capable of shooting a thief. I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...................

[GhostMiner]

   July 6   2002     Part Four

 

   The three goons slowly made their way to the bottom of the mountain where the trommel sat. Sure enough, after they thought the coast was clear, they made their way to the sluice with a few large buckets. They began trying to unfasten the mats. Obviously, they were going to put the mats in their buckets and haul them off. To Jacob’t credit, he had not fired a single shot. I knew it must be killing him not to open up on them.

   As they started to pull the first mat I charged in with my semi auto and hollered for them to freeze and not make any moves. Jacob stood up with the Thompson. I told them if they moved they would be cut to ribbons by his machine gun. Only one of them was armed with a pistol which he dropped. I ordered them to their knees. 

   Jacob came forward with his Thompson and held it on them. I demanded to know their names but they weren’t talking. I asked them several times to identify themselves but they refused. They had no wallets or I D on them. We had no idea who they were. Then Jacob spoke up. He said it really made no difference to him who these guys were and he would deal with them in his own way. I looked over at him and his face was like stone. 

   He went over to one side of the trommel where we kept some supplies and grabbed three shovels. He marched the thieves over to an area south of camp which was a deep pile of very old mine tailings from previous years of work here. He threw the shovels on the ground and told them to pick them up, which they reluctantly did. They had still not uttered a word but I could see them looking nervously at each other. Jacob told them to start digging a hole and if they stopped he would cut them down where they stood. I was horrified. He was forcing them to dig their own graves.

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

[Old Miner Don]

22 minutes ago, GhostMiner said:

   July 6   2002     Part Four

 

   The three goons slowly made their way to the bottom of the mountain where the trommel sat. Sure enough, after they thought the coast was clear, they made their way to the sluice with a few large buckets. They began trying to unfasten the mats. Obviously, they were going to put the mats in their buckets and haul them off. To Jacob’t credit, he had not fired a single shot. I knew it must be killing him not to open up on them.

   As they started to pull the first mat I charged in with my semi auto and hollered for them to freeze and not make any moves. Jacob stood up with the Thompson. I told them if they moved they would be cut to ribbons by his machine gun. Only one of them was armed with a pistol which he dropped. I ordered them to their knees. 

   Jacob came forward with his Thompson and held it on them. I demanded to know their names but they weren’t talking. I asked them several times to identify themselves but they refused. They had no wallets or I D on them. We had no idea who they were. Then Jacob spoke up. He said it really made no difference to him who these guys were and he would deal with them in his own way. I looked over at him and his face was like stone. 

   He went over to one side of the trommel where we kept some supplies and grabbed three shovels. He marched the thieves over to an area south of camp which was a deep pile of very old mine tailings from previous years of work here. He threw the shovels on the ground and told them to pick them up, which they reluctantly did. They had still not uttered a word but I could see them looking nervously at each other. Jacob told them to start digging a hole and if they stopped he would cut them down where they stood. I was horrified. He was forcing them to dig their own graves.

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

Well good for Jacob. Just let him handle it since nobody else can. 🤣

[Mike Furness]

1 hour ago, GhostMiner said:

He was forcing them to dig their own graves.

The three didn't know for sure they were going to die or not. Maybe Jacob will get their names by this tactic as they get closer to a 6' deep trench! 🥺🙃🤣

[GhostMiner]

2 hours ago, Mike Furness said:

The three didn't know for sure they were going to die or not. Maybe Jacob will get their names by this tactic as they get closer to a 6' deep trench! 🥺🙃🤣

Jacob was living by his own rules. He really didn't care about laws. No outlaw does. His mind was set in concrete in the yr 1937. 

[GhostMiner]

   How Tresspassers Die.