Pitt Lake's Lost Gold Mine - Gothic Tales

Gothic Tales

In his article Mahony added more murders, hidden gold and maidens to the story of a hanged man. He presented the legendary “Slummock” as a middle-aged man, still capable of looking for gold in the mountains, who struck it rich in the late nineties and frequently came to New Westminster with “a well-filled ‘poke’ of nuggets,” spending his money freely, but keeping its source a secret. Mahoney stated that “…it was believed but never proven, that he had drowned three of his Indian ‘wives’ near Shiwash Rock at the mouth of Pitt Lake to prevent them from divulging the location .” That last theme grew out into gothic tales such as “The Bluebeard of Lost Creek Mine” and “The gold mine murders of nine British Columbian women.” Hugh Murray told Mahoney that a local physician, a Dr. Hall visited “Slummock” in his death cell trying to find out, but he went to his death “with the burning question of the community unanswered.” At the time of the trail none of the local newspapers of that community even hinted on the possibility that Slumach knew of gold. Mr. Allard, who had been a court interpreter at the time of the trial also knew nothing about Slumach’s gold. This suggests that old man Slumach, the man hanged in 1891 for murder, had no knowledge of the bonanza that today carries his name.