The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-01-03
NeVadas Wonderful Cave.
MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF
PUME GOLD AND SILVER.

MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF
PUME GOLD AND SILVER.
A Gentleman and Soldier who
Turned Hermit-Led to the Treas.
uFe Mountain by an Indian Gufde e
An Ast0unding Spectacle.
From the Virginia City Enterprise.
CARsoN. Nov. u For many years
there has been living in the Walker
river range of Mountains man named
-Algernon B. Grant, who very rarely
sought the haunts or habitations of
white men. His ostensible occupation
was prospecting for precious metals,
but the fact Of his long and uninter-
rupted residence In these wilds point
ed to the fact of his non-success in that
direction. Mr.. Grant was in this city
q few days since, and the following is
an extract from his wonderful and in
teresting history: He is a native of
Bourbon county, Kentucky. having
been there in 1926. He was sent to
Harvard College, where he graduated
in 1876, second in his class. In 1851
he vss admitted to practice in the Su-
preme Court OF Kentucky. He en-
joyed . lucrative practice in that city
until the breaking out of the rebellion
when he entered the Confederate SER
vice, reseiving commission as Major
In one Of the Kentucky regiments. In
the meantime Grant had married and
gathered little family around him.
These he at that time had taken to the
Southern portion of Kentucky, and
placed them under the protection Of
relstves. fi 1s s. ta94~ a1Ffs 81
When the war ended he pictured to
himself in rapturous delight the hap.
piness that would fall 10 his lot when
he could once again gaze upon the
faces of his loving wife and dear chill
dren. He took passage for Southern
Kentucky. Upon arriving at the spot
where his hopes and happiness were
centered, there awaited him nothing
but a mass of cbarred ruins. The big
man dismonnted from his horse and
sat down upon the ground, weeping
like child. He learned that about a
year before the close of the war q
small band of struggling troops had
infested that portion of Kentucky, and
that the family of Grant had been
murdered, and the incendiary torch
had been brought into play. In the
early spring Of 1866 he engaged pass
age Ia n mule train which was then
about crossing the plains, and after
ward arrived in this State, and emf
grated to the most extreme southern
end of the Walker river mountains,
where he has been existing ever since,
only at rare intervals seeing the de-
tested face of white man.
A number of the Walker river tribe
looked up to HIM with great reverence
supposing him to be endowed, with
supernatural powers. About two
months ago one of these Indians, who
had been recipient OF special favors
at the hands of Grant, desirous of ex.
hibiting his gratitude. requested our
hero to accompany him on a two-days
ramble through the mountains, and he
would show him a cave wonderfully
rich with gold and silver. What dl-
fection of the compass the party fol-
lowed, Grant is reluctant about reveal
ing. At, all events, after travelling
about two days and half, our hero
and his companion arrived at dusk
one evening in q narrow canon, or
mountain gorge, enclosed on
either side by rugged, steep noun
tsins. In this vicinity, the Indian said,
the cave was located. A camp fire
was lighted, and while Grant was
cooking supper his companion went in
search of the exact location OF the cave
so that no time would be lost in find
ing it In the morning. The Indian re-
turned with joy imprinted on his cop
per-colored features, and impaired to
Grant the satisfactory tidings that he
had found the cave without difficulty,
and that, Notwithstanding the dark
ness which prevailed, the interior O
this wonderful vault was light as noon
day. At an early hour next morning,
after travelling in thfsi canon, which is
many miles in length, Tor an hour, or
maybe little less, the Indian pointed
to pile of granite of immense weight
stacked mp against the ragged side of
monster mountain, and told Grant
that by removing the boulders an en-
trance to the cave could be effected
The two men Immediately set to work
at their herculean task, which occupied
them nearly two hours. When the
obstruction was removed, all that
could be seen was an opening leading
into the mountain, of dimensions only
greet enough to admit the bodies of
two largely developed men; but the
interior was as dark as Erebus. Grant
ventured into this opening, distance
OF about ten feet, but the intensity of
the darkness precluded him from see-
ing his hands before his face. He
cried out to his companion for some
burning sagebrush, which was imme-
diately thrust into the cave, but strange
to relate, this artificial light would not
the darkness. Here was a |
nice pass. Grant emerged from his
visit and consulted with !
his semi-savage companion as to the
most expeGient means to be employed
In the emergency it was useless to
seek for gold or anything else in so
dark place, where artificial light
proved of no avail. The Indian then
repeated his story OF the illumination
which he saw In the cave the preced-
pg night. Although this yarn sound