The Helena independent., 1889-04-14
The Navajo Reserve Likely 10 be the
Scene Of Stirring Times in the
Near Future.
A Strike by Veteran Miners Which
They Have Tried TO Hide from the
Eyes OF The World.



half in Arizona, Is very rich m minerals,
Jewellers have long been familiar with the
beautiful navajo garnets," which com.
pare fAy0rably with good grade India
rubles and surpass the south African va.
riety. They are picked up on the anthils
In the Navajo country, being brought up
by the ants. The same Insect miners un-
earth occasionally a real spinel ruby. In
some parts OF the reservation peridOt-a
beautiful green seml-gem-are found In
great profusion on the aDt-hills, and among
them now and then valuable emerald.
0pals Of great brilliancy have been discov-
cred there, and good diamonds, alleged 10
have been dug IA certain canyon there,
have been exhibited Ia santa fe. The
foundation IL almost Identical with that Of
the Kimberly diamond fields Ia south
Africa
Some rich gold strikes have unquestlOn
ably been made among those wild ranges.
but have never been worked owing 10 the
hostility Of the Indians.
Hitherto what little prospecting has been
done there has been by small parties, who
carried their lives In their hands, and fire.
quently bad ~ give them up. Now, how
ever, a move Is making which bids fair 10
cause an excitement which will throw thu
Lower California fake In the shade, aud
may very probably involve serious In
dian war. Ihe Indications are that New
Mexico will soon have ON her hands a
worse than Oklahoma boom.
Six weeks ago A party Oi fifteen prOspec-
tors left this place and struck north 10 the
reservation, some twenty five miles distant
They were well QUILTED, and were all old
timers. Nothing WAS heard from them for
~ long that II was supposed they had
shared the fate of unnumbered predecess-
ors aud fallen victims 10 the Nayaios. A
few days they returned alive, but uncOm-
municatiye. "llad they found anything
No. "lndians trouble 'em anyY No.
'Golng back again. y' No. No one could
get any thing out of them. They were IN
quiet consultation with a couple of old
time citizens; and next day disappeared
no one seemed 10 know whittier. soon
after II began 10 be noticed that from
every train. east or west bound, two or
three or more str tngeTs dismOunted. They
seemed 10 have 10 special business here
nor seemed 10 be- hunting. "Just looking
around the country" they said. None
Of them would ever be taken
for dudes, and they certainly were mol
tramps Observers all sized them up as
Old-timers. In a day or two they lnvaria-
bly, disappeared, though no one saw them
leave by train This went on Till II became
a matter of general comment IL Is still
going on. The suspicious Of Gus Null
holland. the grocer, were aroused by the
sudden and enormous multiplication Of
George liite's grocery bill. Everybody got
anxious. AT last a man going up a can
yon seven miles from town discovered a
hidden camp OF fifty men, all well armed
and all evidently veteran miners, From
this clew the following facts have gradu-
ally been dug up, though they are kept
sacredly secret and have not yet leaked be-
yond Gallup. The matter is being engi-
neered with remarkable skill, and II car
ried to its logical conclusion will give the
two territories the biggest nupheayal they
have had for many yeaI.
The fifteen prospectors have found some
thing and found IL big They preyaricated
when they said they didn't IL has long
been more than suspected that there must
be rich silver deposits In the reservation.
IL has frequently been noticed that among
the countless silver ornaments which they
hammer from United States coin, the Nav
ajoes have some Of much puTer metal
silver so pure that thick bride ornament
made of II can he bent as though II were
tin, That means virgin silver somewhere,
aud the fifteen prOspectOrs swear they
have found II. II half they allege Is true
their discovery is one Of the biggest silver
strikes ever made anywhere. And they
I'rettier specimens Of virgin silly ~ wire
and leaves were never shown. lt Is i'm
mensely rich and they declare that the de-
post is enormous. IL lies ninety miles
north of Gallup, In the Navajo mountains.
Az so, u AS these fifteen men got back to
Gallup they began secret preparations for
returning 20 the strike with sufficient force
90 hold il down. They "had no trouble
with the Indians" but came away at the
earnest and ARMED suggestion Of some 1900
NayajOs They are well aware that tO
make n permanent camp In the heart OF q
tribe of 10000 lndlans-and such Indians
ms the Nayajos-is no chlld's play; and
they will not start back till they have 500
picked men. They are selecting these men
personally. No one need apply who has
not known record either as an Indian
fighter or as an old prospectOr In an Indian
country. Sixty such men are now lying
close In the camp near here, and more
are coming by every train from New
Mexico and Arizona in answer Il
personal letters In the strctest con
tdence. George Christley is really th'
leader. lIeis Socorro county miner whom
the Nayaj0s knew by bitter experiences
He had occasion once ~ stand of a couple
of hundred of them, and when he 90
through II was found necessary 10 bury
several. llite Of this place. another old
timer, seems tO be- his right bower. IL /,
raised, to march to the embryo mine, ,fOrtify
camp there and hold II against all comerS
AT the same time carefully organized
effort Is on foot % have the government
segregate from the reservation and throw
open % settlement n certain district, which
shall include the new strike. An agen
of the outfit h now In Washington ON thi'
business, and another VIII arrive there In
day or two
Meantime the utmost secrecy Is observed
and mum Is the word all along the line
The presence of several companies III
United states troops nj Fort Wingate, onl!
twele miles from here, emphasizes tn
need of caution,
All who know the NavaJOs know tha
this step will inevitably end IN trouble
They are Jealous and hostile quiet outside
but still addicted 10 removing unfoI
tunate whites whom they catch IN sccludr'
spots. IN has thus far been found impossi
BILE To keep them ON the reservation, biz a
IL now is, and a third Of them are or il hal
the time. II doesn't appear that this dill
Guilty would be- lessaned by lessening thei
reservation, and they would be apt 10 resls
even governmental segregation. Tn
reservation Is the best stock country Il
New Mexico. wonderfully rich in coal, an
well supplied with water and timber
Good Mining story.
Denver Republican: "You may tai
about nickel plated railroads." said l.. I
Stanley, "but what do you think of a soil
M.