“‘Mr. Lee, that paper calls for $5,000 worth of gold dust, and I will give you just two minutes to open that safe and pass it out.’
“Mr. Lee would like to make an explanation and argue the case; but ‘not a word, sir; when you open that safe, and I find there is no money or gold dust in it, then I will listen to any explanation which you wish to give, and not before, so hurry up, if you please.’
“Mr. Lee then in a very haughty manner turned and looked Tex in the eye. He saw color in among the black sand in the corner of it, fixed his eyes upon that funny, innocent-looking gold saving machine which Tex was holding in his hand, slid in a kind of hurried sort of way over the back of his chair to his safe, unlocked it, counted out $5,000 all in slugs, put them into a little canvas sack, and handing it to Tex, remarked that it was all right. ‘You bet,’ says Tex, and politely bidding Barton good-day, he left.”
“Well,” says another old-timer whom they called Pete, “that reminds me of another one of the same breed who lived up in Coloma. His name was Crumie, George Crumie, if I remember. This chap kept a saloon up there, and I believe was the only one in the camp who had an iron safe at that time, for this was along in the spring of ’50, I think. Now, Mr. Crumie was a very obliging man, and was willing for us miners to keep our sacks of dust in his safe. Well, one day Mr. Crumie concluded that he had some very important business to attend to in San Francisco, and now was a grand opportunity for any of the boys to send down for any little thing they wanted, as Mr. Crumie was willing to attend to anything of that kind, and wouldn’t charge a cent for his trouble. The consequence was that he had quite a list of articles to purchase for us, and the dust in his pocket to pay for ’em.
“The morning Mr. Crumie left the camp ’twas noticed that his baggage was rather numerous, and quite hefty, too, for a man who was jest goin’ down on business and who was intending to come right back agin, do you see. But little attention was paid to his baggage, however, and all was supposed to be right until a few days after he had left, when word was brought up to Coloma that Mr. George Crumie was on board of a steamer, and on his way to New York. Upon receiving this unwelcome news, the boys concluded that something was wrong. The safe was at once broken open, for he had taken the key with him, and found empty. It was estimated that there was at least $25,000 in gold dust deposited there by different miners, besides about $7,000 belonging to his pardner, John O’Donnell, who was then living in Hangtown. That explained the use of them heavy trunks that some of us helped to load upon the stage for him the day he started.”
Pete was asked if Crumie had ever been heard of since? “No,” he answered, “not that I am sure of; but only a few years ago I was informed that a Mr. George Crumie was residing in the city of——, and following the profession of gambling.”
Tennessee now remarked that there was another little incident or two in which his old pard Tex took an active part that he would like to tell; one of them occurred in a small town upon the Mississippi river near Memphis, in the fall of ’51. “Tex and I concluded to go home on a visit for a short time in the fall of ’51, and on the way we stopped at the little town for a few days to see some old acquaintances, and it was there that the little incident occurred. We met rather unexpectedly a man that we didn’t think of meeting. Of course you all remember that company of outlaws that created so much excitement here in California in ’49, called The Hounds.
“There was, I think, about twenty of them, and their object was when they first formed to clean out the Mexican horse and cattle thieves who infested the central and lower parts of the State at that time. They accomplished their purpose, and very effectually, too, in a short time, but this job finished what to do next was the question to decide, which they were not long in doing, however, for the precedent had been established many years before by the renowned Captain Kidd, with which fact they were all doubtless familiar. They therefore decided to go and do likewise upon their hook, and roam at will among the hills of the mining regions, as well as among the ranches of the valleys, as land buccaneers.
“They were a desperate set of men, and had no scruples whatever about taking the life of any one who opposed them. Rewards were offered by a committee of citizens for their capture or destruction, and the band was finally broken up and dispersed, many of them being forced to flee the country.
“One of these Hounds was a man whom Tex had heard of before, and a few years previous had resided near the small town where I have said that we stopped for a few days. By the way, while in San Francisco a few days before starting on our voyage home, by accident Tex picked up an old handbill from a table in the hotel where we were stopping, signed by the committee of citizens and Governor Burnett also, I think, offering a reward of $1,000 for the capture of this very man I refer to. Well, while sitting in the bar-room of a hotel in the small town, in conversation with old acquaintances, Tex made the remark that this man, who formerly lived near here, had been a member of the band of outlaws in California called The Hounds, and inquired if it was known what had ever become of him, and I tell you, boys, we were both astonished when informed that that man was at the present time a resident of the place, and was running a faro game in a house across the street. We were further informed that he was a very dangerous character.