T. E. Eberhardt discovered the remarkable silver chloride deposit known as the Eberhardt mine on Treasure Hill in December 1867. The Federal Mining Commissioner described the Eberhardt as having walls and ceiling of sparkling silver; dust from a walk in the tunnel covered the visitor’s boots and clothing with a gray coating of fine silver. Eberhardt sprang up in 1869 around the large mine. Eberhardt was located in Applegarth’s Canyon at the foot of Treasure Hill on the south side. It was a milling center (of approximately one hundred persons) situated on the flat beside the Stanford Mill that handled the rich ore from the Eberhardt mine. At its peak, Eberhardt had a post office, store, blacksmith, wagon and carpenter’s shop. The post office operated from June 19, 1871 until July 11, 1893. Eberhardt even had an active temperance organization. Imagine how popular the word “temperance” was in a region rife with saloons? The temperance organization should be happy today: Eberhardt is “dry.” Rock ruins of mills and foundations and the vanishing cemetery are all that remain at the site.
One of the most violent early labor disputes took place in the Treasure Hill District during the summer of 1869. Mines were paying good wages (five dollars per day for ten hours labor) and there were few complaints. July 11, 1869 the Eberhardt Company announced that wages were to be reduced to four dollars per day.
Management claimed the ore from the mines was becoming progressively less rich. As with all labor/management disputes, rumor ran rampant, with many different versions circulated. One of the stories was to the effect that the operators of the Eberhardt and other mines wanted to reduce wages to the point that miners would leave and cheaper labor would come in. Seven hundred and forty men walked out when the officers of the White Pine Miners Union called a strike. Many miners remained on the job. A mob of striking men visited several mines on July 14. Promises were extracted from the superintendents to keep wages at the old level. Higher management overruled the superintendents. Another march was planned and management then threatened to shut down and lock the remaining miners out.
Internal disputes were beginning to break out in the union ranks. A second march on July 27 was held and four-dollar men everywhere were forced to quit. Teamsters were prevented from loading. Storekeepers retaliated by cutting off all credit to union men. Issues became increasingly confused. Men whose families were getting desperate formed a “Four-Dollar League” in August. Then a “Five-Dollar League” was organized. Mine operators began to exploit both sides. Twenty members of the “Five-Dollar League” raided the Hidden Treasure, Summit and Nevada mines on August 3. The men working the night shift were driven off with clubs and pistols. Early the next morning the news of the night’s work was met with threats of lynching. The sheriff from nearby Hamilton arrested six of the leaders. Others, who had taken part, either laid low or caught the early stage to Elko.
As might be expected, the community turned against the union men. Membership rolls and records were seized. Union officials soon disbanded their organization as additional arrests were made. In the following trials, each man was fined twenty-five dollars and court costs.
The victory over the Union lowered the reduction costs from thirty-five dollars to twenty dollars per ton. This induced outside capital to invest in the mines. Consequently, more workers were hired for the mine and mill than had been working before. Workers did not get a second chance to organize. The Treasure Hill District remained non-union until the mines played out.
The town of Eberhardt held on longer than some of the other towns. When the rest of the White Pine district collapsed in 1870, the British owned Eberhardt & Aurora Mining Co. Ltd. began pouring more capital into it. The mill, designed in England, was the most elaborate and efficient in Nevada. Legitimate British mining operations in the west employed the up-to-date knowledge of mining and milling experts. 102 residents were in Eberhardt in 1880.
Unfortunately, American vendors had misrepresented the size of the body of ore. In 1885, the British company shut down and Eberhardt quietly slipped into history.
The ruins of once large mills can be seen at Eberhardt. All the wooden houses have fallen, but it is easy to see that this was once a busy area.
CEMETERY AT EBERHARDT
There is evidence of several graves at this well hidden cemetery. Unhappily, the graves that had wooden palings have all fallen down and there are no legible headstones. In fact, the word headstone is a misnomer – the graves had wooden markers at the head. All damage appears to be caused by nature, not man. The only marker that can be read is that of Nora Ahern. Wilford Ashby of Ely took photos in 1986 and led us to the site July 22, 2001. The wooden marker has deteriorated badly. In 1886, the wrought iron fence was standing and the marker was very legible. When visited in 2001 the fence remained standing in beautiful condition, but the marker is almost illegible. The marker has a cross, carved above the name, with Mcm (Mcm is the Roman numeral for 1900) beside it. Below it reads:
Nora Ahern
A Native of Cork
Ireland
Died May 28th 1897
Aged 55 Yearrs
Rest in Peace
Amon.
This fading wooden marker is the only reminder of a tragic tale of mental illness, combined with homesickness, greed and murder. Nora Ahern’s body was found disfigured and in a state of decomposition, five days after friends reported her missing.
Nora Ahern was a single woman who had lived in Eberhardt for many years. For quite some time before her death, Nora had lived all alone except for an old Frenchman, Louis Garntereaux, whom she had befriended. Nora Ahern was reported to be missing about May 20, 1897. When questions, Louis stated that an Indian had called at the house several days before and had informed Nora that two of her cows were dead on the mountains some distance away, and the three started up the canyon to make a search. After going some distance, the Indian and Nora had a little conversation at one side. The Indian rode off toward White River and Nora went back down the canyon, while Louis went on in search of the cows, returning over the hills. When he reached the house, Nora was not there and he had not seen her since.
Foul play was immediately suspected and searching parties were organized to discover her whereabouts, resulting in the finding of the body some two days later lying in a gully partly concealed by sage brush and not far from the road between Hamilton and Eberhardt. It was already badly decomposed and the clothes had been pulled up over her head, around which a sack had been wrapped. The eyes and tongue were protruding as if she had been strangled. This was confirmed by the fact there did not appear to be any cuts or broken bones. Sagebrush was trampled down around the body and blood was scattered about, a pool about 8 inches in diameter being found under a rock near by.
Judge Bush held an inquest, and Louis Garntereaux repeated the story about the Indian. Suspicion was strong against Garntereaux, and on complaint of George Halstead he was brought before Judge Bush and held for trial. The most damaging testimony brought by the State was that of Mr. and Mrs. Halstead. Louis Garntereaux, admitted to the Halsteads that he had known where the body lay and had gone three times to put wet cloths on it and Florida water, because it smelled bad. He also told Mr. Halstead where to find Nora’s old hat and field glasses which she was supposed to have had with her when she went out to look for the cattle. Unknown to Louis, the hat had already been found in the place that he designated, but the glasses were missing. It was also shown by the State that Louis had said to Mr. Bush and others that now that Nora was gone, her property was his and he was going to sell the cattle and return to France. No doubt his motive in committing the crime.
The defense attorney, Mr. Walker, attempted to show that it had not been conclusively proved that Louis had committed the crime. Mr. Walker stated that Garntereaux’s story about the Indian was plausible as horse tracks were found around the body. Walker felt that these tracks were not sufficiently investigated. As a final statement, the defense attorney said that the defendant was mentally deranged and should not be held responsible even though guilty.
It was shown by the testimony of Mr. Bush, Louis Lani and others that Louis had been known to act strangely. Garntereaux seemed to have a mania for collecting samples of worthless rock and had his dugout full of sacks of limestone, porphyry and other rock of no value. His language, too, was almost unintelligible. This became evident when he attempted to testify in his own behalf, and it was necessary to get an interpreter. Garntereaux denied having made the admissions as testified to by Mr. and Mrs. Halstead and repeated his statement about the Indian. It was his manner, however, that produced the greatest effect upon the jury, for his eccentricity and mental deficiency became very apparent.
Mr. Walker did his best to explain away the damaging testimony against Louis Garntereaux, and made an eloquent appeal for the client. The chain of evidence, however, was too strong. After Mr. Wren, the prosecuting attorney, put it together link by link in the closing argument for the State, it was the general opinion of the spectators that the defendant would be found guilty. The jury was not long in reaching its decision and reported immediately after supper. There was a hush in the courtroom as the venerable Foreman, Mr. Van Valkenberg, delivered the verdict of murder in the second degree, and a general murmur of satisfaction arose when it was heard. The old Frenchman, in spite of the repulsiveness of his face, had aroused the sympathy of the spectators. All felt that to hang this tottering old man would have been a crime no less than that of which he was convicted.
Judge Talbot inflicted the extreme penalty – Imprisonment for life. The Judge explained his action at some length, and stated that if at any subsequent time it should be shown that Louis were not guilty of the crime, he would be the first to take action in his favor before the Board of Pardons. Since it was only a question of a few years before the old man became entirely helpless, it was felt that the judgement of the court was beyond criticism.
