The wait is finally over and the newest volume of my True Tales of Ghostly Experiences Series is out now! You can get your copy here! Only $2.99 for Kindle and E-book formats and $9.99 for print copies. This book is about the ghostly activity and sordid history of Tombstone, Arizona. Please enjoy a sample from chapter one and pick up your copy today!
Sample From Chapter One
Rattling the Bird Cage: A Tombstone in the Desert
The setting sun sank down behind the desert hills, casting a golden hue on the magnificent saguaro cacti that reached their long fingers to touch the heavens. Before long the sun took refuge for the night and the stars illuminated the sky with the brilliance of a thousand angels. Ed Schieffelin cast his eyes upward to marvel at their tremendous beauty. It had been a long, hard day in the desert for poor Ed. He had been out west for about two years now, but he was still unused to the unforgiving heat. The dry air and intense temperatures strangled him as he worked, raping him of vital hydration in drones of perspiration. Ed was born in the mountains of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania and had lived for a time in the vibrant state of Oregon. Ed was used to a milder summer and as such neither place had prepared him for the ruthless desert sun. Ed was truly uncomfortable, but he was a determined and hard working man and so everyday he faced the very climate of hell in the interest of furthering his own ambition.
Ed had parted ways with his family and left the cool and welcoming mountain air a few years back in an effort to seek his fortune in gold. On the start of his journey, he had made his way to Oregon after hearing that some of the local mines were hiring workers with no prior experience. Ed was only seventeen years old at the time, but he was a hard worker with a good, strong back and an intense desire to make a name for himself. Ed came from a prominent family that owned real estate in Pennsylvania and New York (J. Scheiffelin, 1793). Despite his rather privileged background, Ed wanted to make his own fortune and forge his own legacy. The idea of riding the coattails of his father left a bitter taste in his mouth. So early in Ed's teenage years he began to think of ways that he could earn enough money to support the lifestyle to which he was accustomed but without the need for his parent's money or their influence. The last thing that Ed wanted was to be indebted to them. Even pursing higher education on his father's dime was positively out of the question. It would simply defeat his purpose and greatly diminish his teenage rebellion to pursue such a path.
The best chance that Ed had for self made success was to learn a skill or a trade. He thought long and hard about his options, carefully weighing each one. Ultimately, it occurred to Ed that the best way to fill his pockets with the gold he so desired was to dig it right out the ground. After giving this notion long consideration, he set his mind to becoming a prospector. A profession that he felt could earn him enough money to live like a king. As an added bonus, he could do it on his own merit and his success could only be attributed to his own dedication and determination. So as young and ambitious as he was, Ed Schieffelin packed his bags and made his way to the mining communities in Oregon.
Upon his arrival, Ed immediately began to seek employment. Only one mine was willing to take a chance on an adolescent greenhorn like Ed. They trained him well and they taught him the basics of prospecting and mining. He learned how to locate potential mining sites based on the color, consistency and mineral content of the land. He gained experience with operating the rocker, a primitive method for separating gold and rocks. He even spent time panning for gold in the nearby creek. Once the Oregon miners felt that Ed was proficient enough with these menial tasks, they started training him in the main shaft. After a few weeks, Ed knew how to follow a vein and carve it out with his pickaxe. He knew how to secure the shaft and what to look for in terms of safety concerns. He was even trained in blasting techniques. Ed greatly valued the education and skill set that he acquired, but his overall cut was less than desirable, and Ed was all about the money. The ore at this particular mine was minimal and of a lesser quality than other samples from the area. The workers all had to split what remained after the mine owner got his share, a whopping seventy-five percent. Even at the tender age of seventeen, Ed knew he was getting the raw end of that deal. So Ed took what he learned from the miners and he made his way to Idaho and eventually Nevada. In both states, Ed felt that he was putting in too much effort for what he was getting and so he sought out to find his own gold.
Armed with the knowledge and experience that he had obtained and the ambitious drive that had gotten him there in the first place, Ed made his way deep into the Nevada desert with the hope of finding untold wealth beneath the sand. Ed knew that Nevada had a high concentration of quartz and dry river beds that housed thick, black sand. His training as a prospector told him that these were good indicators of gold and Ed figured that the wicked desert and general lack of civilization would greatly reduce his competition in acquiring it. So, now here he was skulking along the ruthless terrain of Death Valley in search of any hint of ore that could make his stay in this barren place worthwhile.
Weeks had passed since Ed had seen another living soul. Even the beasts of the desert kept well hidden in the pounding summer heat. If it wasn't for the sweet howl of the coyotes, Ed would have thought the world had up and ended under his feet. The truth is, had everything ceased to exist, Ed would have never been the wiser. No one ever ventured out here and Ed wagered that even God forgot he was there. Death Valley was certainly no place for a man to be. Ed knew it, but he also figured that if there was gold in Death Valley, he had a fair shot at finding virgin ground and claiming it all for himself. It wasn't like California, where everybody was mining on top of each other and fighting for the few glittering grams that lay in the bottom of their pans. No, out here if he struck it rich, it was all his. No man was going to take a fortune from Edward Lawrence Schieffelin. If any man did brave the desert heat to try and do so, Ed would kill him; bury him in the dry dirt without a second thought or fear of prosecution. Even if someone did find the remains, they would assume that the desert got him. By then Ed and his gold would be long gone.
Ed had not yet found gold though. He did manage to find a small stream, which was a real rarity in Death Valley. The water it provided was essential to his survival, so Ed had set up his camp nearby. He had a tent made of old canvas, his pan for mining, a pot for boiling water, one skillet, a couple of dishes and a pickax. He didn't have much else, but then again what did he really need? Ed had been working the stream for several months now. There was some gold there. He managed to pull out a few grams just panning, but he was starting to wonder if the big payday would ever come. Was it really worth it to work day in and day out in this unbearable heat for such a small amount of gold? The truth is that Ed was starting to seriously doubt himself more and more each day.
Two months later, Ed had acquired about nine ounces of gold. That would fetch a healthy profit of about one hundred and fifty US dollars. In 1875, that was a fair wage for two months worth of work, but it was hardly the life changing fortune Ed had dreamed of. It was just about enough to place a claim on a modest piece of land and maybe get a good stead. Alternatively he could invest in some better equipment. It was nowhere near enough money to live off of, even for a short period of time. It was certainly not enough to support a family. That was assuming that Ed ever met the right girl. When it came down to it, staying in Death Valley simply wasn't worth the time, the effort or the incredible heat. So Ed packed up and headed for the cooler climate of Colorado. He found some work there, but much to his disappointment his wages were split in generally the same way as he had encountered in Oregon and Idaho. He soon tried his luck in New Mexico where once again he was met with failure. Ed was starting to doubt that he would ever make it as a prospector.
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