The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-25
known to exist within leagues of this

known 70 exist within leagues of this
/ mountain.
| There is a strange tradition handed
/ down that long ago this hill was the scene
OF active mining; that the mountain side,
/ now So gloomy and silent, echoed the click
| ~ the hammer and the voice of the mule
/ teer urging the patient animals As they
/ toned around the arraStra, and the slnglng
! or the happy miners rushing Gown The
mountain side, their Days task done
thinking of the bright eyes watching for
them, and tie lot tortillas and frijoles
waiting for them at their humble little
homes.
But in an evil day all was changed. A
band of robbers, lurcd by the glitter Of the
| abundant gold, swept dom the mount in
side like blast of fire, shot down the
! men like dogs, not leaving a soul alive 10
tell the tale The treasure they secured
was immense. They loaded all the mules
! with treasure and left IN place, 50 lately
! fun OF life, a scene Of grim death ana desc
| lntlon. Then it was the "Dnendes' (falries)
OF the mountain by eucnantmant closed up
| the entrances of the mines, and Il is said
! that the spirits of the murdered miners still
! dwell III the mines
Once every year the portals of the mines
| are opened. On the eve Of st. John toward
! evening an old man appears at the mouth
| of the tunuel and later the mountain side is
| peopled ms of old, the ghoStly actors going
! through the work as in life, the men with
| their hammers, and the muleteers at their
arrastras, all busily at work, but silent as
the grave A young man who was belated
while looking for cattle came unexpectedly
upon the scene, He was fixed without
power of motion, and was forced against
his will to see the ghostly crew at work
over the ghttering golden treasures. AT II
o'clock the ghostly captain gave
the signal, and all hands quit
work, and seizing their Napkins
containing the midnight lunch, lit the fires
to heat their tortillaS and coffee. The fire
was an unearthly blue and burned with a
fl ckering, uncertain light. The eyes of
each and every one were lit up with an I'M
canny glow of phcsphereScent light At a
word they all resumed work, until NJ the
Growing Of a cock at distant hamlet, all
vanished and the unwilling spectator found
himself again capable of motion. In the
gray morning he rushed frantically home,
| tearing his flesh and clothing in his mad
rush through the thOrny brush. Arriving
home, he was met by a Mortified look from
| his wife, vino f"ll fainting 10 the ground.
His hair had turned snow white, and while
| only % years of age he appeared to be an
old man Of 80.
Years after this some little girls were out
gathering wild fruit. They came upon
! level place free of bushes, which they never
remembered to have seen. Looking up
! they saw tire entrance to tunnel, and
| Just inside was seated a venerab BILE
old man who was making motions
for them TO come closer, but they
being frightened ran bone. the next
day party of men visited the spot, but it
was a tangled labyrinth of thOrny brush in
terspersed with large trees.
The tradition further states that in only
one way can the spell be broken. That a
| person of perfectly pure heart must walk
! boldly up to the mouth of the mine and
boldly addressing thi, old man must ask
who he is and what he wants. He will
offer to the speaker the wealth of the noun
tain only on the promise that one tsnth of
wealth taken from the mine be devoted to
| the masses for the souls of himself and his
murdered companions