Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-10-30
a WONDERFuL FIND.
A Relic OF the CIllvaIry ofspain Deep la An
Arizona Mine.


Since the establishment of permanent
white settlements In Northern Arizona
discoveries have been occasionally made
of relics Of prehistoric settlers, whose /
identity has been heretofore considered /
irretrievabIy lost. Ia the majority OF /
such instances the discoveries were made !
in reOpening old mining claims, from \
which, in ages gone, another race had !
sought to Wrest the gllttering treasures /
of the earth. This has been especially /
noticeable In the working Ofthe Chrome /
mine, of the United Verde group, in the |
Black Hills, and the discoveries which /
have been made in it would indeed war /
rant an incredulOus reception were it /
not for the standing and reputation Of
the men who stand ready to vouCh for
/ them. While many Of these discoveries
/ have been made public through the
/ agency of the local press, but one has
| heretofore elected any considerable dis
! cussion among scientists, that being the
/ unexpected opening of an old tunnel by
/ the miners at present working in the
mine. The tunnel so opened presented
/ the appearance Of having been worked
many years ago, in a style still common
! among miners IN isolated portions of
/ Mexico and Spanish America. Through
out its entire length timbers had been
/ placed to support the walls for the great
/ er security Of the WOrt,men. Scattered
along
TIE FLOOR OF THE TUNNEL
/ lay a number of stone hatchets with
/ well worked edges, showing hard service
in the hands which once welded them.
/ In the center of the apartment, when it
was first opened, stood a stake about
/ four feet high and six inches square, on
which was painted in a pigment obtain
ed from the red oxide Of copper, a neat
! cross.
While the astonished men were still
! regarding with amaZement the wonders
of their discovery, one of them, more in
| quisitive and perhaps possessed Of more
avarice than the rest, seized the stake SO
rudely that it dwindled to dust in his
hand, as did also the more heavy timbers
of the mine on being exposed to the air.
At the time two theories were advanced
/ to explain the strange Cccurrence-One
! being that the mine had been previously
/ worked by ancient abOrigines in search
! of the red oxide of copper for paint, and
that the presence of the stake and cross
was but the result of chance; the other
was that the mine had been worked for
the copper and silver, IN which 1t was
very rich, by Indian poems, under the
direction of Jesuit fathers, and the ore
obtained shipped to ecclesiastical Golfers
in Mexico. This last theory was appar-
emily refuted by the abandonment of the
mine at a point where the ledge was
showing remarkably rich. Both theO-
ries were warmly discussed pro and con
by their respective supporters, but
that the last is the correct one
is now established beyond caVil
Since the date of the discovery
the miners, under the direction Of
superintendent Thomas, have been en-
gagged in carefully reOpening the shafts
and tunnels made by the prior workers
there.
While this work has been done with
( the utmost care, it has also been done
with such rapidity that the depth of 28S
feet was attained on Sunday last. Early
on Monday, while James Dillon and
Johnny Bright were working in the ez-
! IRENE end of the tunnel, they were sur
prised to find an iron article, which they
at first supposed to be some household
i utensii, and together with the prize, they
at once reported the occurrence to Sup
erintendent Thomas, who was OverJOyed
, to discover in it
AN ANCIENT HELMET
of fine Milan manufacture. superb in
. finish and temper. Hastily returning
with them, he at once placed at work a
large force of men, and in less than an
hour had exhumed two complete suits
| of armOr, in which still remained the
IL
long had borne their weight in long
marches and fierce fights. Of the armor,
One-the first disCOVered-Was of ek-
Quisite make of Milan steel, so much
priced by the soldiers Of the sixteenth
century, and consisted of helmet, breast
plate, and backpiece with gussets reach
ing to the knees and jambes, while the
/ other was of allcret armCr, much famed
I in the middle ages for its defensive quail
. tiles and a favOrite with light cavalry.
Besides the armOr were found two
swords, one of the renowned Toledo
make, bearing a legend in Spanish,
= which, on being translated to English,
| reads: "Draw me not without cause;
! shield me not without honor" The
, other is of unknown make. All the arti-
cles found were sent IN by super
intendent Thomas to Governor Tritle,
who will, with the permission Of the
l United Verde Company, present them
. to the Smithsonian Institute.
Their arrival created the greatest GU
? riOsity among the few who knew Of it,
l and, in consequence, the Governor has
, been go bored by eager sight seers that
= he finally determined this afternoon to
T satisfy the general desire by placing
them on exhibition In the rooms of the
3 Chess, Checker, and Whist Club during
the evening, where all who wish are at
b liberty to examine them.
From the general condition Of the war
2 like relics 1t Is generally supposed that
} those who one time wore them were I'M
prisoned and starved to death at the
1 mine, either by accident or through the
action Of rebeliiOus poems.
p. A Confederate Eggnogg.
Texas siftngs.
Ona cold oIo7dv Christmas dev. when