Golden Vengeance
Terry Compton
Copyright 2011 Terry Compton
Images curtesy of Nylakatara2013 | Antonio Gravante | Dreamstime.com
Cover by Terry Compton
Lucky Dawson knew that he should have kept riding. How could a little conversation, a meal and a card game lead to a hanging. His hanging to be exact. In 1875, Montanans didn't like card cheats but he wasn't one. He was just, well, lucky. The other players didn't think so and that started the ordeal.
This is a work of fiction. All characters or incidents are a figment of the author's imagination and any resemblance to any incident or any person living or dead is purely coincidental.
Lucky Dawson didn't feel so lucky. Here he was in the bottom of a hole with five prospectors watching him dig. If only he'd just kept riding like he knew he should have. It was the fall of 1875 in Montana and the air was already getting very crisp in the morning. The yellow larch and aspens were pretty but they were a big sign shouting that the mountains around here would soon be white. He should have just kept riding. How was he to know that stopping for lunch with these prospectors was going to cause such problems?
Just yesterday -- no, day before yesterday -- he had been on his way to somewhere where he could spend the winter in a warm saloon. No tents or gold camps this winter. He had a nice nest egg stashed in the secret hiding spot in the tree of the pack saddle. He had plenty of food on the pack saddle and life had looked good. Then he'd stopped in the middle of the day for lunch here at Bear Gulch. The five prospectors only wanted to hear about the gold camp at Alder Gulch and if anyone was finding any new strikes. By the time he was through telling what he knew and answering questions, it was supper time. Then it was too late to move on that night.
After he had eaten a good supper of elk stew, "Three Fingers" Bill Williams had come up with a deck of cards. The five had found a little gold dust in their placer mine and wanted some entertainment for the evening. Since he was a gambler by trade, Lucky had been glad to join in. They had played most of the night because Lucky didn't want to clean the prospectors out right away. He got the nickname Lucky because he won a lot, but it wasn't by cheating. He just knew the odds and could read people. Most people's expressions gave them away. They would smile or their eyes would widen just a little bit if they had a good hand or their eyes would narrow or they would tap their fingers when they had nothing. Knowing how to read people had won Lucky more pots than he could count. Other professional gamblers were harder to read but they all had their little signs.
Lucky had won a few little pots and then he let Bull Thurston win. Bull roared, "Ha, ha, my lucks changed now. I'll have all the gold dust in this here camp before long."
Three Fingers Bill didn't like that too much. He said, "Bull, I wouldn't count your chickens before they're hatched. Some of the rest of us might get lucky and clean you out."
"Ha, ha, ha that's funny. You know that I'm the best poker player in these parts. Just you wait."
The next hand seemed to bear out Three Fingers' prophesy. Slim Tatum won that pot and Bull didn't like it one little bit. He glowered at the other players for the next two hands. A couple of hands later, the pot was up to about $50 and Bull thought he had it. He threw down his hand with three aces and reached out to rake in the sticks that they were using as chips.
He was laughing and bellowing, "This here pots mine."
Blackie Keller reached out his hand to the pot to stop Bull as he quietly said, "Now wait a minute, Bull. Don't you want to see what the rest of us have?"
Bowleg Monty said, "He's got me beat. I had two pair."
Slim had already thrown in his hand so he didn't say a thing. Lucky said, "He's got me beat. His luck is really shining now."
Three Fingers Bill said, "He's got me beat." He threw his cards in the pile in a show of disgust.
Bull looked at Blackie and said, "That leaves you 'n' me. What sha got?"
Blackie turned his cards over and he had a seven high straight. Bull cursed and moved his hand back. Blackie raked in the chips and cards. He passed the cards to Three Fingers who had the deal. Bull was furious and his face showed it. He didn't like to lose and he was starting to think someone was cheating.
Bowleg Monty quit about 4:00. He had enough of the verbal abuse from Bull and besides, he had lost about $20. He went over and sat on his bunk observing the players. Lucky knew he should have quit then, too, but there was almost $150 floating around the table. He wanted that to add to his stake.
They continued to play until after daylight. Lucky saw Three Fingers doing some fancy dealing but kept his mouth shut. Cards were coming off the bottom of the deck and wrong cards went to players. Three Fingers wasn't very good at it but he must have fooled his partners here in Bear Gulch because they didn't have a clue. Lucky knew he should have quit then but he was $10 behind.
Finally the big pot came up. Bull was giving the sign that he was bluffing and the other two didn't have much. Lucky had a queen high straight flush and he knew that it would beat everyone at the table. As the betting went round, Lucky would call but not raise. Everyone else was doing the raising until they had all bet everything they had on the table. Bull had a pair of eights and threw down his hand expectantly. Blackie shook his head no and Bull glowered with rage. He didn't like losing. Slim had a pair of jacks and Blackie had three fives. That left Three Fingers and Lucky. Three Fingers was sure his cheating had left him with the winning hand. He gleefully laid down a king high flush. He started to reach for the pile of sticks until Lucky laid his hand on top of the pile. His queen high straight flush was the winner.
Three Fingers eyed the cards suspiciously and then looked at Lucky. He said, "That's mighty lucky, drawing two cards to make a straight flush."
"That's how I got my name. When Lady Luck smiles, I come into my own at the right time."
Bull was so angry he was looking for any excuse. He roared, "Is he cheatin', Bill?"
Lucky wasn't going to let it go any further than that. He started to reach for the pistol in his holster when the lights went out.
Bowleg Monty had snuck up behind him with a pick handle. He thumped him on the head and Lucky was out cold. Bull and the others found some rope and trussed him up. They took his pistol, his hide-out derringer and his bowie knife before they tossed him in a corner of the tent.
Lucky came to and tried to sit up. He couldn't move because of the ropes. He looked around to see where everyone was and they were in their bunks sleeping. Lucky tried to move as quietly as he could to see if he could find something to cut the ropes. There was nothing on the floor of the tent that would work. He spotted a whiskey bottle lying on the other side of the tent and decided he would try for it. He was moving across the floor when Blackie stirred. He was a light sleeper and had heard the noise. He sat up and looked Lucky right in the eye.
"Where do you think you're goin'?"
"I needed a drink and was looking for water."
"Sure, you want to crawl down to the creek for that?"
"That would be good."
"Well, you'll have to stay here."
The others started waking up and sitting up to see what Blackie was doing. They got out of their bunks and Bowleg Monty started a fire in the stove. He added some water and coffee grounds to the pot and left it to simmer. Bull looked like he had a hang-over and was glaring at Lucky. Right now, Lucky didn't feel so lucky. Why hadn't he kept riding?
It was late enough in the afternoon, so Bowleg and Slim started cooking some supper. Everyone was ignoring Lucky and talking about where to move their sluice box. There was a general discussion about how much of the land had already been claimed. Blackie sai
d someone would have to ride to Virginia City to see what had been filed on and what was open. Nobody acted like they wanted to be the one to ride. What if the others hit a glory hole while they were riding? They argued over that for quite awhile and decided if the rider was gone on their business, he would get a full share. The discussion finally turned to Lucky.
Three Fingers asked, "What are we going to do with the gambler?"
Blackie said, "Whoever goes to Virginia City could take him to the sheriff there."
Bowleg said, "When are we sending someone? We ain't got any too much grub. We need to dig some more gold and lay in the winters supply. Someone should go see if they could find an elk or a couple of deer. It'll get mighty hungry around here if the snow comes before we get some grub."
Bull said, "What'll the sheriff do with him?"
Slim said, "I heard he hates card cheats. If he can find any excuse, he'll ride them out of town on a rail after a tar and feather party or sometimes it's just quicker to hang 'em."
Bull said, "Well, I don't want to feed him for three or four more days while we look for some more gold and I don't want to have to guard him. We'll lose one worker every day. He'll probably find some way to sweet talk you out of his ropes on the way into Virginia City, anyway. Why don't we just hang him here and save the trouble?"
The other discussed the idea and decided that would work as well as taking Lucky to the sheriff to be hung. They decided to do it first thing in the morning. Lucky wasn't allowed to put in his two cents worth. No one wanted to hear anything he had to say, especially Three Fingers Bill. He'd just as soon that Lucky didn't get a chance to say anything at anytime.
Bowleg Monty asked, "Who's going to bury him? If we're busy digging for gold and hunting, that will be a lot of work for one man."
Bull laughed and said, "Let him dig his own grave. Then we can hang him and just dump his body in. You know, that old tree up above the creek bank would be about right. He can dig right below it so we don't even have to drag his body very far."
Everybody laughed and thought that would be a fitting punishment for a card cheat. The prospectors ate supper but declined to offer any to Lucky. Lucky wasn't sure he could eat with his sentence already pronounced anyway. Bull didn't want to let him loose to take care of bodily functions but the others didn't want the tent stunk up more than what it already was. Lucky was grateful for small favors and it allowed him to get circulation back in his arms and legs. Maybe they wouldn't tie him as well this time.
The ropes were just as secure. Everyone was still tired from the all night poker game so they turned in early. Poker didn't sound too good that evening. They were up early the next morning and that was how Lucky wound up in the hole digging away.
The first hour was pure agony. His hands, arms and legs were so stiff from being tied all night that he could hardly move. He moved very slowly and Bull threatened to shoot him several times. Lucky just said, "Let me tie you up overnight and see how fast you are in the morning." They others told Bull to let him work at his own pace. It was his funeral. They all laughed at that joke.
Lucky ran into a boulder and couldn't get it moved. He said, "I can't move this. Could I get a little help?"
"Just dig away from it. It don't matter where the hole ends up as long as you're underground," Bull snorted.
"How about some gloves. This shovel handle and pick are pretty rough on my hands."
Bull laughed and said, "Good. Your hands won't be in any shape to cheat the devil when you get where you're going. Make sure that hole is deep enough. We don't want the smell of the dead drawing wolves around here." He chuckled again at his joke. Lucky didn't think it was funny.
Lucky had the hole about three feet deep at the one end but it was still pretty shallow by the boulder. He went to that end of the hole to dig it out. As long as he was digging, he was alive and there was hope. The prospectors started discussing what to do with his weapons, horse and pack mule. Three Fingers Bill suggested they have a poker game to see who would get the stuff. Blackie insisted they play for each item, so it was decided that the pot would be the knife and then the pistol and so on until Lucky's worldly goods were divided amongst the prospectors. Three Fingers got a blanket and the cards while Slim got the sticks. The prospectors jumped right into the game and were barely paying attention to Lucky. He slowed down on the digging. He was making half-hearted stabs at the dirt with the pick. He used the shovel to move some of the dirt from under the boulder. He saw it then!
It was a glory hole. There was a pile of gold dust and nuggets lying there. Lucky carefully put his body between the gold and his captors. How could he use this to get out of his predicament? He dropped to his knees and picked up several nuggets. He shoved them in his pockets and then he picked up a couple of big rocks. He piled them up on the boulder. He went back down on his knees and repeated the procedure. He kept at it until he had all the nuggets he could get without raising suspicion. There was also a nice monument of rocks stacked up. That gave him the idea. He kicked some dirt over the gold and went to the other end of the grave.
"Hey, Bull. Can I ask one favor?"
"What do you want, cheater?"
"I have an old mother back in Tennessee. I'd like to leave her something. Will that pile of rocks serve as a claim on this spot of ground?"
Bull laughed as he said, "Yeah, you can stake out your own claim and stay right there to make sure nobody jumps it. You have your own six foot by four foot parcel of ground."
The others laughed at Bull's joke, too. They started to go back to their game when Lucky said, "Could you give me a piece of paper and a pencil so I can write this all down. That will make it all nice and legal. Maybe one of you could send it to my Mother after I'm gone."
Blackie said, "I'll send it. I don't know if we have a piece of paper and I'm pretty sure we don't have a pencil."
"How about the label off a can? Do you have something like that? I could use a bullet to write with."
Blackie found the requested items and handed them to Lucky. Lucky wrote, "I stake my claim to this mine in Bear Gulch. It is marked by a pile of rocks on a boulder. Signed by Lucky Dawson. Witnessed by…"
"Now, if you fellas could sign as witnesses."
Only Blackie and Slim could write their names so the others just put Xs. Blackie wrote out their names beside the X. When he was through, he looked around for a place to put the paper.
Lucky said, "Just slip it in my coat pocket."
Lucky went back to digging. He uncovered the glory hole again and tried to get a few more nuggets out. He took a little of the dust but he needed something left there to pull off his plan. Lucky got a little gold and sand on the shovel and threw it over his shoulder. The shovel full landed right in the middle of the blanket.
Bull leaped to his feet and screamed, "That's it. That hole is deep enough to keep the wolves from digging you up. Get out of there. It's time to hang."
The others weren't paying any attention to Bull. They spotted the gold dust on the blanket. They were scrambling to pick it up. Bull turned to get their help when he noticed the scramble on the blanket.
"Hey, what are you rubes doin'?"
They were too busy trying to round up all the gold dust they could. Bull finally spotted some of the flakes on the blanket and he joined in the scramble. He quickly pushed the others aside and gathered up what few flakes were left. Once he had them, he stood up again.
"Get out of that hole."
"Nope. You'll just have to shoot me and bury me right here. I won't voluntarily get out to get hung."
"We ain't goin' to hang you. We want to see that hole."
"Nope, you're just trying to trick me."
"It's not a trick, we want to see that hole," Blackie said.
Bull growled, "Let me shoot him and then we can throw him out."
Three Fingers Bill said, "You shoot him in there and you'll jinx the
whole thing. I knowed a guy that found a prospector in a hole like that. The prospector had a heart attack and died. The guy got him out and went to digging on his claim. He found a rich strike but someone came by and saw the body. They accused him of claim jumping and strung him up. He kept proclaiming his innocence but nobody believed him. You shoot him and you're on your own. I'm pulling stakes as quick as I can get out of here. Claim jumpers are hated worse than card cheats and horse thieves."
Slim said, "Yeah, and it's only been a little over ten years since they hanged Henry Plummer and he was the sheriff. These boys around these parts are awfully quick to take up a necktie party. I'm right behind you, Bill."
The others echoed the same sentiments. Bull turned to Lucky, "What'll it take to get you out of the hole?"
"I want my coat, my guns and knife. Also, I want the poke that I won last night. I didn't cheat. You're just poor poker players." He looked right at Three Fingers Bill who flushed bright red.
Bull looked at the others and then reached for the coat. Lucky felt the paper when he grabbed it and put it on. Bull started to unload the pistols but one look from Lucky told him that wouldn't work. He put the shells back in and handed the weapons to Lucky. Lucky didn't try a thing. He just put them back in their holsters. Bowleg Monty went to get the poke that contained the pot from last night. He handed it to Lucky. Bull looked expectantly at Lucky.
"One more thing. I get to go to my horse and saddle it before you set foot in this hole."
All the prospectors looked at one another and agreed. Lucky jumped out of the hole and walked to his horse and mule. He hadn't wanted any of them to pack the mule because they would notice the difference in weight of the pack saddle. Lucky quickly saddled the mule and horse. He stepped up on the horse and said, "All right, gentlemen. I bid you adieu. I wouldn't come up behind me. I'm a little suspicious and I'll have to shoot first and ask questions later."
He tipped his hat and hurried his horse down the trail. The last he saw was the group crowded around the grave while Bull was down in the hole shoveling away. He thought he saw Blackie grab a bucket to take some gravel to the sluice box.
As soon as he was out of sight, Lucky got off the trail and went up over Hog'sback Ridge. He moved down Horse Creek and was well on his way to Virginia City by night fall. He camped without a fire and was up before sunup to ride on into Virginia City. He was going to ride on through and head for Helena when an idea struck him.
He spotted the assay office and rode to it where he dismounted and tied his horse and mule to the hitching rack. He went into the office and took the piece of paper out of his pocket. He filed a claim on the grave he had been digging. He didn't tell anyone that he had been digging his own grave because he didn't think it was any of their business. When the assay clerk asked if he had a sample of ore, he pulled a nugget out of his pocket. It was a fair sized nugget and one of the loafers on the street who was watching him saw it. Soon word spread all over town that he had struck pay dirt. Lucky filed on several claims around his. He had most of the ground from Bull's claim up the creek bank. He wound up with ten claims. He was chuckling to himself about what Bull would think when he found out he was claim jumping.
Lucky stepped outside when he was through and he could see the looks from all the people on Main Street. A lot of people were getting ready to move. Since the rest of the state had decided the state capitol should be in Helena instead of here in Virginia City, business had been dropping off pretty quickly. Besides, the mines just weren't paying out like they had been. Lucky decided to go to the saloon for a drink before he moved on. The eyes on Main Street followed him and quite a few of the people did also.
Lucky stepped up to the bar and pulled one of the small nuggets from his pocket. He had thought about removing the nuggets from his pockets last night but he didn't have anything to keep them in so they were still where he had put them. He ordered a drink and everyone was eyeing him, wanting to ask about his claim. Lucky slowly took a sip of his drink and let the curiosity build.
Finally, one old timer couldn't stand it any longer. He asked, "Looks like you struck pay dirt. Mind telling us where?"
"Oh, are you a prospector?"
"Most everyone here is or has been a prospector. The placer mines are about played out, but if we had a new place, we'd pack up and be there quick as a wink."
"Well, I'll tell you old timer. I was digging this hole and found this pocket of nuggets and dust. I picked up some of the nuggets to show the assayer and came to town to file my claim. I was just thinking about how to go about pulling all that gold out of the ground. I'm not much of a miner or a prospector. I'd probably leave half the gold in the ground. I saw some suspicious characters a little ways down the creek too, so I thought I'd better get here before they jumped me and took my claim. Maybe you could tell me, how much gold would you reckon I could get out of a claim that has a big pocket of pure gold?"
The old timer and most of the others had been hanging on his every word. The old timer was about to choke with excitement. He could barely control his voice as he said, "How big was this pocket?"
Lucky used his hands to show how big around the pocket was. He said, "I didn't dig all the way to the bottom. Like I said, those suspicious characters kinda spooked me."
The old timer was almost dancing up and down now. He almost started to drool, too. "Wal, son, let me tell you. You might have hit a glory hole that could be worth several thousands of dollars or it could be just a little pocket. Was there anything around this pocket?"
"Oh, you mean like the big boulder? The pocket was right at the base of it. There were quite a few of those boulders just up the hill from my claim, too."
A very slick-looking gentleman stepped up and said, "Pardon me, sir. Do you have any more of those nuggets?"
Lucky dug about half of the nuggets out of his pocket and they made a nice pile on the bar. He decided that he didn't want to show everything because there might be thieves in here. There were enough nuggets here to create some excitement but not enough to stir up a gang to rob him. The slick-looking gentleman was sweating as he looked at the pile of nuggets.
Lucky asked, "Old timer, what do you think these are worth?"
"You've got over $400 worth there, I'll bet. You say that was just part of the hole?"
"I didn't even dig down in it. I just took what I could off the top. I didn't even have a pan to work any of the dirt." Lucky knew that he only had about $200 worth of nuggets but he let that fact slide.
The slick looker asked, "When are you going back?"
"Well, that's part of my problem. I don't know if my health will let me go back to spend the winter. I was headed out of this part of the country when I found this. Now, I'm not sure what to do."
"Would you consider selling your claim?"
"I have no idea what it's worth. Like the old timer said, it could be just a little pocket and I've got most of the gold out. Besides, what if those characters jumped my claim while I was gone. They might have cleaned out the rest of the gold or they might not let me back on my claim. I wouldn't want to cheat someone not knowing what I've got."
Lucky played with his nuggets and then started putting them back in his pocket one at a time. Everyone's eyes followed his every movement.
The slick looker said, "I'd give you $1000 for that claim. Do you have any others?"
"Well, the assay clerk suggested I file on the claims around where I found the gold. I took nine more claims. They didn't cost much and I thought maybe next spring I could get some help and go back."
One of the other bystanders said, "I'll give $500 for one of the other claims."
Others started clamoring for one of the claims, too. Lucky said, "But, boys, I don't know if there is a speck of gold left on these claims. You could be buying a pile of rocks. I don't want to cheat anyone, so maybe I should just keep them until next spring."
; The slick looker said, "I'd take my chances. I'll give you $1000 sight unseen if you can draw a map of how to get back there."
Lucky hesitated and he moved his hand like he was drawing a map. All the onlookers were silent as they waited. Lucky finally said, "Yep, I could draw you a map that would put you right in the hole but…"
"Wait just a minute. I need to go to the bank to get my money. How do you want it? Paper, check, gold?"
"But I haven't said I'd sell. I still feel bad that you would be taking all the risks."
"I'll gladly take them. How do you want payment?"
"I'd have to have gold coin if you could get it. That's a lot of money. Do you think the bank will have that much?"
"They will. The mines haven't all played out and a lot of the miners want gold coin, too when they sell their nuggets and dust. Wait right here. I'll be back in just a minute."
The slick looker was out the door on a run. A lot of the others follow to go get their payment. Lucky asked the bartender if there was a store that would have some paper and a pencil. He told him the variety was just two stores down the street. Lucky pulled a silver dollar out of his vest and tossed it to a young man. He asked him to go get the paper and pencil. He told him he could keep the change. The young man took off in a sprint. Lucky took his drink to a table and the remaining crowd followed.
The young man was back with the paper and pencil before anyone else arrived. The slick looker came in next. He moved to the table and laid down fifty twenty-dollar gold pieces. He looked expectantly at Lucky.
Lucky said, "Are you sure? I don't have any guarantees about that claim. Those characters could have already jumped it and taken all the gold…"
"You're not welshing now, are you?"
"No, sir. I just want to make sure you understand that I don't know what's there."
"I'll take my chances. Now sign over the claim and draw me a map."
Lucky made up a bill of sale as the gentleman told him what name to put on it and then he paused. He looked at the crowd around him as he said, "Boys, could you give me some room. Since Mr. Flood here paid so much for this piece of paper, I'd like him to have first glance at it."
The crowd backed away to give them room and Lucky drew the map. Mr. Flood looked the map over and said, "I'm sure I can find that. Thank you, Mr. Dawson. I'll be seeing you."
He grabbed the map and the deed and ran out of the saloon. He was headed to the General Store to get supplies and then he was headed for Bear Gulch. Lucky suppressed a grin because he didn't want to discourage any other buyers.
He went through the same procedure with five other buyers and they happily rushed out of the saloon with their maps. The others all looked like they wanted one of the maps but just didn't have the money. Lucky had $3500 profit from one morning's work so he figured the blisters on his hands were paid for. The golden vengeance of a hoard of greedy prospectors descending on Bull and the others was icing on the cake. Lucky decided to ice a little more.
"Old timer, why didn't you buy one of these? Don't you think they're worth the money?"
"They are definitely worth the money. I just don't have $500 to buy one."
"Are you any good at prospecting?"
"Wal, I guess I'm as good as any of them. I've found a few chunks of pay dirt and then blown the money."
"I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you this claim and $40 for supplies for half the gold you find. You just deposit the gold right over there in the bank whenever you find some. If you don't find anything, you don't owe me a dime. Do we have a deal?"
Lucky held out his hand and the old timer didn't waste a second shaking it. Lucky drew up an agreement and had people witness the old timer's X. He drew up a map for the old timer and gave it to him. The old timer took the map and the two $20 gold pieces with a big grin and shook his hand again before he headed out the door. Lucky figured Bull and the others needed even more company, so he worked the same deal for the last three claims. Some of the prospectors were talking with others who would be their partners in the claim, so there were even more people headed to Bear Gulch. Lucky knew that Bull would now be busy protecting his own claim and trying to figure out how to get into the other new claims. Maybe Bull would even have to explain to a necktie party why he was working in another man's claim. Yes, it was a golden vengeance. Who knew, maybe one of the other claims would strike it rich and he would have half of that. Now it was time to get to Helena and live in style this winter.