The St. Johns herald., 1888-08-09
An Enchanted Mine.


 cific coast in the state of Sinaloa i:
 a mountain known as the "CerrC del Oro," or hill of gold. It rises 1T
 majestic grandeur from the midst of clustering hills, grand in them. selves, but insignificant in the pres ence of this silent. gloomy, rugged old king. To the casual observer there is nothing remarkable about this magnificent mountain, whose sides are covered with vegetation, and apparently as smooth as the grassy slopes of California, seen from the deck of the passing steam CT. Its immensity is not realized until the ascent is undertaken. Its sides, apparently so smooth, are found to be traversed by deep gorges and by Assures, shade by giant trees, whose interlacing branches cast a somber gloom over the entrance to the deep canons. Itis with hesita- tion akin to fear that one enters their cavernous depths. There it is that the people of the neighboring hamlet have taken refuge in the dark days of revolution and invad ing wars, leaving their poor huts and huddling their children together to seek shelter from the rude storm of human passion, in the rugged bosom of the old mountain of mys- tery. Many a grayheaded man and woman can remember the time when with hurried steps and many backward glances they sought shelter in the deepest Businesses of the only haven of safety. Fortunate were they who had sufficient warn ing to gather mp their few cows and  burros, tie former furnished milk, the latter loaded with corn and bed ding from the homes that would soon be destroyed by the relentless torch of the invader.
 Nothingbut war in its cruelest form could induce the Mexican to leave his home and seek shelter in the gloomy caves of old Cerro del Gro. For it is the abode of spirits and de- mons, No one cares to venture alone into it's depths. Many queer tales are told of the strange sights seen by ventursome persons. vThat itis under spell of enchantment is we'll known by the old and firmly believed by the young.
 That extensive mining has been done in this mountain no one can doubt,as numerous patois where ore was assorted and runs of arrastras where the gold WAS extracted, prove that beyond a doubt; and by dig ging into the piles of waste fine specimens of free ore are obtained. | But no trace of a mine can be found. 1 Occasionally, in the neighboring villages, while excavating founda- tions for houses, bars of gold have been discovered and ornaments of gold, crudely hammered out, have been unearthed, But there are no gold mines known to exist within leagues of this mountain.
 There is strange tradition hand ed down that long ago the hill was the scene of active mining that the mountain side, now so gloomy and silent, echoed to the click of the hammer and the voice of the mule teer urging the patient animals as they toiled around the arastra and the singing of happy miners rushing down the mountain side, their days work done-thinking of the bright eyes watching for them, and the hot tortillas and frJoles waiting for them at their humble little homes.
 But in an evil day all was charged. A band ofrobbers, lured by the glitter ofthe abundant gold, swept down the mountain side like a blast of fire, shot down the men like dogs, not leaving a soul alive to tell the tale. The treasure thev