The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-15
MARVELLOUS GOLD FIELDS.
They Lie. in the Indian Territory, and Red
skins Closely Guard Them.

For years rumors of wonderful gold
yields in the Indian Territory have been
in circulation among few of the old time
porspectors of the west. Their wealth has
been reproted SO great as to almost stagger
the most excited imagination The In
dians have, however, so closely guarded
these fields that thorough investigation
has beer utterly impossible. Lieutenant Col
onel S. ryder, who was recently transfer
red fron. Oaklanoma city to Sante Fe, al
rived here yesterday, and during a CONVEX
sation upon the matter said:
"Herhaps you have heard OF Hale and
Norcross. These men discovered a rich
mine in Nevada and sold out several years
ago for several hundred thousand dollars.
One day last winter a stranger, who mad
every appearance OF a prospector, came to
me at Oklahoma City, and introduced
himself as Hale. He said he had 10.
his fortune, and for some time had been
prospecting in the Cheyenne country of
the Indian territory, north OF the Red
river. He had suffer ed many hardships,
and narrowly escaped with MS life from
the Cheyennes, who guard their country
most carefully against intrusion In his
escape he said he was forced to leave all
the mineral he had secured. He said that
| he came upon one piece of native gold
which was so heavy that he could not lift
it. A party Of Mexicans is allowed by
the Indians to mine for short time each
year, and then it is claimed that the
visitors steal quietly away by route
! known only to themselves. There is nc
doubt of one fact, the Indians have killed
many hunters and prospectors who have
succeeded in penetrating to the hills which
lie near the Red river. Few men have evel
had the hardihoOd to attempt prospecting
in that region, and of these Hale, if the
stranger was indeed he, is the only man
| have ever seen who escaped alive.
Il heard the prospector's story, which
was told with every appearance OF truth
and all my questions were answered in {
perfectly straightforward manner, but al
my time was occupied and | have los
money at different times by fitting GU
prospectors, | did not extend to him the as
slstance which he desired Tor the pur
pose of making new excursion into tn,
country. The man appeared greatly dis
appointed, and left the quarters will
a downcaat head. l have never seen hin
since"
The same story was told the Globe Demo
crat correspondent recently by gentleman
from Wichita, Kas., who said: 1.-THE tim
is not ripe yet for the public to be informe'
on the subject, but there are gold deposit
in the hills and valleys near the Red river
which are richer than anything nov
known in the world. l met hunter
and prospects who have been on tn
spot and whose stories were so startlin
to seem like an eastern fable. l will tel
you one thing, however, a big syndicate o
leading politicians and capitalists ha
been formed and next fall a strong part
is to be started for the gold fields to lear
the truth concerning the mines. The part
has already been enlisted and is backed b
such men as Senators ingalls, and PUNT
The district in which the gold is said to b
found is in the southwestern part of India
territory, about nine hundred miles froI
Oklahoma. Globe Democrat,