A Journal of a Minor Gold Miner
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June 4, 1882 - Exter, Minnesota
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population 58
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Exter is a small gold-mining town located in a tiny pocket in the mountains near Marroy's Creek (The Story of Marroy will not be told here) in central-ish Minnesota.
Life in Exter is rough (like a river of rust!), and so are those who live here. This will journal the most ruthless and bloodiest conflict ever in the history of Exter. As I tell this part of its history, I also tell part of my own. If you read this, you could be
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While there has always been gold to be found in Marroy's Creek and the hills of Exter and the town has been established for over forty years, until recently no major veins had been discovered. Those carving out a living here do it slowly, in the midst of many dangers, with the dedicated patience of few others ever in history.
Two months ago a new,
very
large vein of gold was discovered by the brothers Henry and David (no, not Thoreau!) Jenkis on their property in the hills. They recently inherited this property from their father, Edward, after he died in a cave-in this past January (his body was never recovered, unfortunately there was no Big John there to help.)
The Jenkis brothers have been working and mining for gold here their whole lives, along with myself and others like their father and mine. Gold deposits in the creek-bed and in the walls of the hills are found scattered about healthily, and most of us find enough to make ourselves a life and stay motivated to keep digging for more, but no one had ever found anything substantial enough to pay off big or that anyone would take much interest in. Like myself, most plan to go on digging for gold for the rest of our lives. We know no other life and it suits us fine. The Jenkis property is a large piece of land with a cabin that Edward had built on it over thirty years ago.
The brothers have no greed between them and have always been the best of friends, always helping and looking out for one another and other people in the town. This discovery was a joyous thing shared between them. Henry is the older, less-smart brother (in fact, he's as dense as a diamond, some say) and David the younger, more cunning and intelligent of the two (as bright as polished silver, some say.)
The gold vein they discovered is the largest anyone here in Exter has ever been close to (as far as I know, anyway.) Henry told one too many people (or was it two or three too many? no one is sure - they're not much for counting in Exter, anyway, I'm the smartest of the whole bunch!), and last night an attempt was made on their lives and David was killed. Henry, by some stroke of luck, was out taking a pee when someone tossed a bundle of dynamite into their cabin, blowing it, and David inside, to bits. Henry says that he heard the explosion, zipped up mid-stream and ran back and saw a group of indiscernible figures running away in the dark. He immediately made his way to town and told the town magistrate (that's me, I also own a bit of land in the hills, but my home is in a more densely-cloistered section of houses in the area), as there is no structured law-enforcement in this town. I've decided this was no doubt an attempt to kill them both so that some bad people could lay claim to the land.
It is now the next morning and to protect Henry and his interests I have hidden him away until those responsible are rooted out and dealt with. I must make my way now to get on with the day's doings so this issue can be resolved.
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I have gathered a small yet crucial and influential group of this town's existence here along with several people I am quite sure would want to do right by Henry Jenkis and his now deceased family to discuss among them who is likely responsible and what to do about it. It has quickly become apparent that not all of them get along or have Henry's interests in their hearts and that a portion of them were very likely involved in the murder and murder attempt of the Jenkis brothers. I am certain a plot will continue to try and kill Henry until they are stopped or they find him and kill him.
I will update this journal as things unfold, and it looks like I'll have to start a new page as this one is full. Just perfect!
