How Kootenay Emerged from its Wild State. 251 



down, had the desired result, and the next moment his hands were 

 bound behind his back. 



Sprowle's crime and capture made a great stir all over the 

 Slope, for he was an American, and, as his brother was a wealthy 

 man, a prolonged legal fight ensued, which did not even end when 

 the Victoria jury found him guilty and the judge passed sentence 

 of death. Three times these efforts to get him retried or 

 delivered to the U.S. authorities, secured him respites, and I 

 believe even the President of the U.S. made efforts in the same 

 direction. They were in vain, however, and Sprowle paid the 

 penalty he so richly deserved.* 



During and after his trial sundry facts about his earlier career 

 came to be known, which threw light upon this man's desperate 

 character. Even American papers acknowledged that he had 

 killed at least one man in California, and was wanted in Tacoma 

 (Washington Territory) for arson and manslaughter. 



One of the most curious points in the man's character was his 

 undeniable skill as a pioneer, and his intuitive prevision concerning 

 the spots where settlements would spring up. He not only 

 discovered the exceedingly valuable coal beds near Tacoma, but 

 part of that now very populous city and port on Puget Sound is 

 located on land which he pre-empted in what was then a perfectly 

 wild spot, some fifteen years before he turned up in Kootenay. In 

 the latter country he discovered not only the Blue Bell, which has 

 turned out to be one of the biggest bodies of low grade argenti- 

 ferous lead on the continent, but he also took up on the same lake 

 1 60 acres of land where the town of Ainsworth stands. His 

 .ungovernable hatred of opposition, and the length to which he 

 carried his vindictiveness, were his ruin. But for them he 

 assuredly would have died a millionaire. 



* The fourth victim of the " Blue Bell " murder was the aged mother of 

 young Hnmmill. She fell dead (so the papers reported) when she heard of her 

 son's pitiful end. 



