A Prospectors Stolen Fortune ... he should have washed his hands

[jeff of pa]

The Wichita daily eagle. (Wichita, Kan.), 16 May 1891.






The Wichita daily eagle. (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, May 16, 1891, Page 2, Image 2 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress

 

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[mytimetoshine]

Tarnished hands?

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[jeff of pa]

Tarnished hands?

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Yea I can't figure that either Can't just mean Dirty.
Dirty hands don't hint to Treasure.

I do know if I handle allot of Coins while searching , counting or rolling them,
my hands get a shiny black.
Perhaps that is what he meant by Tarnished

 

[Clay Diggins]

Gold doesn't tarnish. Silver coins maybe but not gold coins.

I noticed the story changed from $200,000 to $100,000 in the middle. $200,000 in gold coins would have weighed a little more than a half ton. $100,000 would be more than 520 pounds. A big strong horse can carry no more than 300 pounds in steep terrain. Most horses only 200 pounds. 5 horses to carry the $200,000 plus one to carry the man means he had 6 horses on string.

The $200 in gold the bandits left him would be about $16,300 dollars today. In 1851 that would have been enough money to buy two farms with all the needed houses, barns, equipment and livestock with enough left over to raise two families in style. Nice "bandits". But not as nice as the idiot that would pay a half ton of gold (more than 1.5 million dollars worth today) for an unseen mining claim at a time when every Tom, Dick and Harry had a mining claim.

Here's the big tip off this story is BS. The prospector says "We didn't have capital enough to work it". In 1851 gold was money - capital. There was no paper money in California. Anybody with gold in the ground had the funds to buy equipment and labor just by digging up some gold. Gold = money. No need to get an investor or sell a claim if your bank is in the ground.

Now if they had eBay back then the story about the foolish mining claim "purchaser" might be true.

Heavy Pans

 

[Nitric]

And are you going to be friendly to guys that just took that kind of money from you? I know I wouldn't......."Geeee wizzz fella's how did you know to rob me?" .... No, NO,....... How about..."someone better find my money or I'll ...........And you will .........In that cave!"

No clue what "Tarnished hands" means. Literally, It would have to have been silver. It will leave your hands dark and stinky, the oxides, I know from going through lots of coins. You have to wash your hands multiple times to get the smell off....

 

[jeff of pa]

And are you going to be friendly to guys that just took that kind of money from you? I know I wouldn't......."Geeee wizzz fella's how did you know to rob me?" .... No, NO,....... How about..."someone better find my money or I'll ...........And you will .........In that cave!"

No clue what "Tarnished hands" means. Literally, It would have to have been silver. It will leave your hands dark and stinky, the oxides, I know from going through lots of coins. You have to wash your hands multiple times to get the smell off....

I'd probably react like that. Can't say for sure just from Guessing.
But I could see myself thinking .
Getting upset in the First place during the Robbery would get me dead.It's not like today where there is always allot of people who could Screw things up for them, before they could haul me off quietly.

and later... Now that it's in the distant past what good is it to get mad ?

 

[Nitric]

I'd probably react like that. Can't say for sure just from Guessing.
But I could see myself thinking .
Getting upset in the First place during the Robbery would get me dead.
and later... Now that it's in the distant past what good is it to get mad ?

That kind of money? I'd probably hold a grudge for life! I'm a happy non serious person most times. But take that kind of money? I'll be plotting for ever! Money isn't everything......But...the whole idea of that kind of situation would probably get me killed.

That's not just a 100 bucks or even a 1000...That's life changing money!

 

[delnorter]

Regardless of the authenticity of the story, I believe the phase "tarnished hands" came from the condition a mans hands from extreme work with hand tools. Even in those days, perhaps not so common a sight in a San Francisco Saloon.

As a young boy , I remember my dads hands. The entire palm and undersides of the fingers continuously tarnished black, with deep cracks to the meat below throughout. He peeled redwood logs in the woods where they were felled, from dawn to dusk. The tools; very sharp peeling bar and limbing axe. I recall him using white cotton gloves sometimes but they wore through in no time so he went without them mostly. The palm and finger bottoms were truly like black sandpaper and hard. As a matter of fact, his entire body was like it had been sculpted.

The only other guys I personally know with hands like this are a couple friends who are river guides running drift boats here on the west coast rivers for fall and winter salmon and steelhead. They row their boats in cold fast water daily. Preferring to not wear gloves because of the other things done with hands while guiding besides rowing. Hands are large, dark and cracked.

I think an early day, hard working miner would have hands like this. Easily recognizable to the shifty scoundrels of the time.

Mike

 

[jeff of pa]

That kind of money? I'd probably hold a grudge for life! I'm a happy non serious person most times. But take that kind of money? I'll be plotting for ever! Money isn't everything......But...the whole idea of that kind of situation would probably get me killed.

That's not just a 100 bucks or even a 1000...That's life changing money!

a Grudge is one thing , But revenge is another.
and in a Public place where everyone's sitting having a Drink especially ?
which is how I'm taking it that part went down.

Naaa Not me , in spite of the fact I'm atheistic in Beliefs, or maybe Because I am.

I'm probably the only person on earth who actually Can forgive without feeling
revenge or even punishment is necessary. Maybe that's why I think that part could happen