Show Still Camping on an the h Trail More Reminiscences of Pioche BY JOHN MAGUIRE 3 I I saw an engraving once of ot a famous picture It was Marius weeping over the ruins of ot Carthage The subject en enthralled i my fancy fane I pondered long and my sensitive soul Boul went put out In sympathy sympathy sympathy thy to the mourner in his desolation A Afew Afew few tew days ago I stood on the hillside overlooking the place that once was Pioche and beheld the almost absolute annihilation of that mighty camp No Marius ever felt more tearfully for the grandeur and greatness that had passed away way a than I did when I looked over the devastation that surrounded me Nothing but ruins and even these fast disappearing dl now mark where the mighty hoists and smokestacks of Qt the th Raymond Ely Eb the Meadow Valley together with Ith t other large mines gave lifes Utes sustenance to thousands The throbbing of ot the the whirr whirl of ot the machinery the clanging of ot the bells qs they gave warnings to the engineers the belching of the fires and the vent ent of the sibilant steam and that general hum of ot activity which fills the air where great Industries are gen generated generated I the hammers ringing salute to I 1 the anvil and O 0 OJ blessed music the sound of human voices all all are arp aI gone and nothing is left but the silence siler ce of ot desolation de It is only a generation ago when the place was great groat gr j and ad min mining minIng mining ing arena of ot the west and scarcely sec secORd secand and ORd to the Comstock Millions have hae been taken out of ot its mines The Raymond Ray Raymond Raymond mond Ely alone paid more mere m re than 12 in dividends The Meadow Valley Val Valley Valle ley le makes make a close second as a big finan financial financial financial cial producer while whilo nearly all the mines were paying dividends So high highly highly highly ly prized was wall every inch of ot ground in inthe inthe inthe the immediate vicinity of Pioche that contests for tor possession Slon were we of every everyday everyday everyday day occurrence between contestants who disdaining daining the laws delay dela em employed employed employed a shotgun brigade to defend their disputed titles at the rate of ot 20 per man per diem Hence was it that Pioche became the Mecca for as big a alot alot alot lot of ot thugs as 88 ever cut a throat or 01 scuttled a ship shiv Here is the camp where the big bIt corporations did not bother bather about owning tho the judges as in other places I might mention but mere merely merely ly h when hen the game was worth the can saw sate to it that the sheriff got his price to fix the jury jun and Pioche juries in mining cases were like Barkis al always ways willing Killing C it C The most notable case oa e however and ande exceeding e all others oth in importance hn up to the present day excepting perhaps the case of ot the Minnie Healy mine In Butte was that of the Raymond Ely versus the Hermes Here both parties claimed what was mutually conceded the richest piece of or ground in the camp and contiguous to both consequently I both claiming it as their respective re property Such vast Interests were were at stake that at no time in the west tor 10 torin in any case not excepting the famous Davis will case was there a greater aggregation of legal talent employed When hen it is remembered such great lawyers as Colonel Harry I Thornton the greatest mining lawyer that ever pleaded a case his partner almost equally famous lamous Judge John Garber Garbor now of San Francisco the Hon Tom Wren Wron Delos Lake Judge Messick Judge Perley Perl y Bishop and Sabin and ands several s veral other notables were engaged on either side sille some idea of the magnitude of ot the interests Int rests at stake may mn be gained But there were other retainers There Thil was the shotgun brigade employed by bf each e party to the suit to guard the windows and doors communicating with the jury as both sides had already al at already ready rend boug t the sheriff and hence hen e both sides had some doubts as to the delly delivery ory ery of the goods for this special jury knew their value and so did some of the agents agee deputed to handle them thorn C Speaking of ot handling the Jury This i Is ili no secret as all Pioche was cognizant cognizant cognizant zant of the facts Among the agents of the Raymond Ely to fix the jury was one of the leading saloonkeepers saloon keepers of the camp Mike alike McCloskey Mikes place was J I the headquarters for It so happened that during the trial alluded to above Mike was seized with a severe attack of the gout which prevented his presence at his place of business There was an nn appreciable sympathy among his friends and numerous were the callers cullers at his residence to express their condolence among others the writer of or orthis this true history It was Sunday morning morn mornIng mornIng Ing I was a I visitor at Mikes Mikos home There sat the invalid his limbs from the knees down heavily swathed in flannels During my stay sta a neighbor neighboring ing merchant came in and after some private conversation the he soon son departed but it was less than ten minutes when he be returned and as he entered the door he cried out In the utmost excitement Good heavens Mike the safe is emp empty empty empty ty Somebody has robbed the safe afe What exclaimed McCloskey How can that be when theres some somebody somebody somebody body always alwn s on shift It must be understood that McClos keys kes like all other Pioche saloons was open ogen day and night Mike who it must be b remembered had not been out of his house for several days grabbed hold of a pair pall of crutches and hobbled down downto to the saloon the merchant and my myself myself self accompanying him and all feeling the excitement natural to such suh an event On entering the place of business Mc Me 1 VT Closkey immediately edi V te went wi t to t the safe j I I opened it sure enough it was empty so so far as cash was concerned Now No a week before the barkeeper on watch had begun working for McCloskey M He was on the night shift and should have j I been relieved at 8 a 11 m but had on J this occasion arranged with the man S who was to relieve him to remain on I duty d uty a few hours h 18 longer Mike e turne I 1 to the barkeeper and in tragic tones de demanded t I to know if it he had left lert the bar barat bari I at any time during the night The man I replied he certainly had not j I IThen Then by G Gd d you must rn st know who has been b en at the safe Not a soul has ever ever been boon near near that safe Mr Mc since you ou took to k that little box out this morning at 3 replied the barkeeper Frank Wheeler for that was the mer merchants merchants merchants chants name then said Come Mike this wont do better find that box d dd d quick Mike drew a and told Wheeler to get out saying I can make just as good use us of it the money mone as you and the others The little box contained and was to be applied where it would do dothe dothe dothe the most good In fixing the jury Ju y The following day Mike lIke McCloskey McClos e said out ou his business to Johnny Jo and soon SOen turned up owning the sit saloon In Brooklyn n N Y where he died soon after Regarding the termination of this fa famous f finous inous or rather notorious lawsuit a verdict was given ghen by b the jury against the Raymond Ely company and nearly all the jurymen hired guards to escort them away from Pioche the very next day da But while I have havee dwelt somewhat on the seamy side of Pioche Jt It must not at atall atall atall all be understood that such were the majority of its Us citizens On the con contrary contrary contrary It was only the elements that I have alluded to made themselves most conspicuous by their calling On the streets in the saloons could always alws be found that flotsam and jetsam that floats on the surface of life lif In a pros prosperous prosperous prosperous mining camp while for the men who handle the shovel and the pick the miners and mechanics there never was assembled a finer lot of men in any an community than the splendid s fellows who made the bulk and sinew of population Families and family fam family ily II life Ufe had also made themselves felt feltin feltIn feltin in the community Churches were wen built and filled with devout d vout worship worshippers pers Today amidst all the ruins the handsome large Catholic church stands In silent evidence of the devotion of its communicants The most surprising thing about Pioche is the almost sudden cessation of work in all the mines simultaneous simultaneously ly There never was such a coincident In all mining history It could not be that the big ore bodies known to exist could all aU be played la ed out at the same SIlme time but such is the fact that stock jobbing was at the bottom of decline and the ruin or rule policy pre prevailed prevailed prevailed to such fluch an extent as to sacrifice mines mineR mills machinery and railroad In Ina Ina a whirlwind of or destruction costing un told millions But Pioche Piache Is not dead but and the day of its awak awakening awakening awakening ening Is at hand Already a company is formed and Is working the Raymond Ely and other properties and with the advent of a railroad connecting with the Clarks Salt Sait Lake San Pedro t I railroad at Caliente Pioche will resume j i her old place and the whistles from the will again be sounding soun ng their hallelujahs of pf joy as the glorious I bucket brigade In the pride of thou thousands thousands thousands sands shall answer the call can of the time timekeeper timekeeper keeper kee All aboard ab ard for Los Vegas I |