Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-11-16
THE DAYS OF GOLD.
A FRAGMENT OF HISTORY RESCUED
 FROM THE OBLIVION OF TIME.
How the Pioneers Were Humbugged by an AdVenturer---The Search for Gold Abandoned for Gilt tering Diamonds by
 the BusheI

Arizona and, while at Prescott and Bradshaw, created considerable excite ment in his efforts to raise men to ac- company him to some rich placer gold diggings he claimed to have discover ed some yearo previously while pros pecting this territory with company of about thirty men, relating many thrilling encounters with the Apaches while coming into and en route through the country and at the "dlg- gins" as also their marvellous escape though surrounded, pursued and way laid and constantly harassed by lndl- ans, until they reached the Colorado desert, where they lost their mules Tn a sandstorm. In Miners own langu- age, "the last seen of the mules was of their ears sticking up through the sand" Miner represented that the "diggins" were extensive and rich, yielding from a prospect hole sunk by him, SIG to the pan. Water, tim Der, grass and game was abundant and all Miner asked was for men enough to make it safe and a choice of claims to include his prospect hole. When asked how many men would be neces- sary, he gave as his opinion that three hundred would not be too many, and he would not object to five hundred or even one thousand, for such was the extent of the placers that all could get good claims. He was ever care ful in all his intercourse to conceal the locality of his wonderful discovery
 and no one could reasonably expect such disclosure. His success in raising men to go with him was not assured until he met Gov. Stafford at Bradshaw, who on hearing Miners story promptly gave him the benefit of his counsel and support, and among the first steps taken was to advertise through the papers, requesting all those wishing to join in tine enterprise to meet at certain time at Florence
 on the Gila river.
 In pursuance of this notice some
 time in the month of July, 1872, there
 assembled at Florence about 300 per
 sons. Miner was among the lot. Near
 ly one-half the number were iron
 Yavapai and Maricopa and the othel
 half from Pinal and Pima counties
 The formal organization was made a
 Florence in the field of Col. Ruggles
 adjoining the town. Four companie'
 were formed; officers elected, and 1
 commander-in-chief chosen. This DO
 sition, by general consent, was giver
 to Governor Stafford. At this time
 Miner, for the benefit of all and II
 their presence, related his story, ever
 to the sand storm, which greatly en
 unused all hands and hastened prepar
 ation8 to -be off, where to, no on'
 but Miner knew. And from him W,
 learned that old Camp Grant, on tn
 San Pedro, was the point from whicl 1 our finalz Start would be made, ant from there it would take six and per
 hapsten days to reach the place wher
 the gold had been found by him.
 The organization being complete
 each company selected its own rout
 to Grant. All but one chose the ol , Camp Grant road and, by making dry camp, reached there the secon day out. The Prescott company chos the Gila river route and was six day in getting to Grant, to the great ar noyance of those in waiting. All be
 ing present, two days further tim was consumed in preparation for tn
 final start. Many added to their SUI plies for use in the mines, even tn governor himself bought an extra bul ro and loaded it with flour and l: foot cross-cut saw the latter was deen ed a profitable investment as well as
 necessity, as lumber would be hig [ and the governor, owning the onl | saw, would have a monopoly. Saw . were in demand, but the governor Ina purchased the only one to be obtaine l at Grant, and the question with man 1 was what would be the price of lun s Der, and how much would rockt P cost. But no matter; who cared, whe
 a few pans of dirt, as rich as Min,
 said it was, would pay for it; and the t the general understanding was sue ], that all were to be alike interested Il the mines, and no one felt disposed e complain at the prospect of the go ', ernor's getting fat contract to flu g nish all tho rockers required. r. with the highest expectations, exec
 a few of the less sanguine, we marc
 ed from Grant in the afternoon al s camped on the San Pedro, six mil , below, and the next morning brig v and early struck out for the "diggin ' with Miner in the lead. We took u \, cavalry trail leading to San CarlC ~ and the first two or three days ou T the contour of the country enabl :, |, Miner to successfully point out or e rectly guess how the trail run, al
 impressed the governor and othe st that he knew the country and h. I. really been in it before, and served ,e inspire confidence in his story, win ,s in fact this was his first entrance in l- Arizona, and bigger fraud, bilk al d liar never came into it; and we leaI ia ed later that he was following Q m le drawn by some discharged soldier, 2 le en him in San Francisco, which 10 direction, led to Lost Gulch, northw, Il of Globe, where gold is found, but T
 in paying quantities.
 Arriving at San Carlos, Miner clai
 ed his "diggins" lay northwesterly fire h. that point. There were with us sor of parties who, years before, had scout le that part of the country with t m soldiers and knew if we took Il in course distance of forty-five mi ,t- without water would have to be t nv versed and, as many were on foot wi IT. only pack animal, and others wi he weak and poor animals, the goverr as and others became fearful that in m. tempting to make this distance mu e. suffering might ensue, and some, owl n- to the condition of their stock, mis in not be able to make it at all. So ye avoid possible suffering and hardsh if Miner was asked if it would make a
 difference if we went up the San ns los and then cross over, by dol ed which it would only be twenty mi u- from water to water. On his say at it would not make any difference, he directed our course up the San Ca1
 I