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

[dig4gold]

As I thought. The "thugs" would return.

[GhostMiner]

August 22   2002     Part Two

 

   After I hollered out I saw Nick Allen and the other three of them turn quickly towards us. We were about 70 feet apart as Conor and I walked toward them. Allen looked surprised. I asked again what they thought they were going to do on our claims. Nick Allen gave me a sleazy sort of half grin and said arrogantly that they were testing gravels from our unfinished dig site. I told him he had not asked our permission to take any samples and we would not give him  permission. 

   Nick Allen quickly changed the subject. By now we were ten feet away from each other. He said we should keep a close eye on Conor because he had told him all about our mining operation when he was in the bar. He said  we should put him on a short leash. He continued to insult Conor and was saying he was a drunken cry baby who couldn’t hold his liquor and that we needed to kick him off the claims. I looked over at Conor and he was fuming. His face was red and his teeth were clenched. I noticed his right hand start slipping towards his 45 which was holstered on his right hip. I touched his arm and shook my head no.

   I told Allen that he had no call for that kind of talk. Conor was more blunt. He called Nick a big mouth con artist and said he’d put a hole through his head with his 45. Allen wasn’t carrying a gun. I only saw one sidearm on one of the men unless some were concealed. I told Allen to put the buckets down and get off the claims. He said they needed to make a few tests on the digsite before his investors made us an offer. Once again I told him we were not interested. Before I could stop him Conor pulled his 45 and fired a round about a foot over Nick Allen’s head. He dove face first into the wet gravel by the creek. I  told the other three to get the hell off the claims and pronto. They said they were just prospectors who had been hired by Allen to do some sampling. They didn’t know anything about the claims or who owned them. I told them to git and never come back. They turned and walked off following the creek south towards the road.

   Allen got up slowly. He had some nice clothes on that were now covered in dirt. He was the type that didn’t do manual labor but was there to supervise the other three prospectors. Conor walked over to him and smacked him across the face with his 45. The blood gushed out of his mouth from the front teeth that had just been removed. I told him the same thing, get out of here and don't ever come back. He had his handkerchief stuck up in his mouth in an attempt to stop the bleeding and staggered off in the same direction the prospectors had gone. I looked at Conor and we gave each other a nod. I told him his father would have been proud of him. He was showing me that he had some sand to him. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

[GhostMiner]

   Ghost Riders or GhostMiner In The Sky

 

 

[GhostMiner]

   Conor passed away some yrs back. He had told me about his personal problems and about his wife leaving him which I don't think he ever got over completely. This was a song he would listen to every now and again. This one's for you Conor.

 

 

[GhostMiner]

   The sad thing for me in posting the journal is that they are all gone now except for Vern. Sometimes when I am on those claims at night and alone I still see them and hear them talking about the dreams of gold. There's no one left to tell the story now but me. 

[snakejim]

1 minute ago, GhostMiner said:

   The sad thing for me in posting the journal is that they are all gone now except for Vern. Sometimes when I am on those claims at night and alone I still see them and hear them talking about the dreams of gold. There's no one left to tell the story now but me. 

I hear you. All my old mining partners are gone also. I do have a couple of good partners now. But there is no way to replace the memories of the ones that are gone. Best wishes to you and yours! snakejim

[GhostMiner]

1 minute ago, snakejim said:

I hear you. All my old mining partners are gone also. I do have a couple of good partners now. But there is no way to replace the memories of the ones that are gone. Best wishes to you and yours! snakejim

Many thanks. Yes, my wife Lindy has been reading all the posts and it's taking her back in time as well. She's been on the claims several times and helped work them with a crew. She says the old mine gives her the creeps and refuses to go back to the original dig site of 1936. I guess I don't blame her. I camped there alone several times but won't do it anymore. Not by myself. It's almost like they are all there watching. Hard to explain. Then I recall the last day of mining in 2015. One of my closest partners was the last one to leave except for me. I'm always the last and take one last look around before heading out. We shook hands and for some crazy reason my last words to him were "God's Speed." A few weeks later I got a call that he had died of heart failure. Only 53 years old. That was a tough one to take. 

[Mike Furness]

GhostMiner I know how it is when your friends and partners are dropping around you. I lost a good one in 22 and another in 23. Hoping no more in 24 but we are all getting up in age. I just turned 75 a week ago . Some of my friends are the same age and some a bit older into their 80's. We all are heading there I just don't want to be next ... at least for the next 15 years or so, maybe more. Thankfully while we are still of this earth we have memories of all those old friends. 

[GhostMiner]

2 hours ago, Mike Furness said:

GhostMiner I know how it is when your friends and partners are dropping around you. I lost a good one in 22 and another in 23. Hoping no more in 24 but we are all getting up in age. I just turned 75 a week ago . Some of my friends are the same age and some a bit older into their 80's. We all are heading there I just don't want to be next ... at least for the next 15 years or so, maybe more. Thankfully while we are still of this earth we have memories of all those old friends. 

I hear you Mike. My great grandmother lived to 111 and my grandmother to 103. My great grandmother always said she lived that long because she stayed away from doctors. I expect & am hopeful of making the century mark. Got a ways to go though. Take care.