Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-05-15
THE GREAT o1EoH MIEBm ARIZONA

From the Now York Sun.
The scene, box canyon in southern
Arizona, was lonely enough The
rocky walls shut out the morning sun
rays, and the only trees in sight were
sombre evergreens and thickots OF
chaparal. The aspect of The rugged
Landscape was suggestive of their
primitive inhabitance the Apache In
dian and the grizzly bear.
Yet in this secluded spot there were
signs Of human life and activity in the
shape Of a rude miners shack" open
IN front, with three sides formed Of
upright poles chinked with mud, and
a roof Of overlapping splints. 1t stood
near large freshly dug hole IN the
canyon side.
Picketed bya rope tied to his fore
leg an aged burro was feeding on the
dry heritage of the canyons bottom.
In the excavation in the mountain
side raw looking youth was working
very moderately, using alternately a
pick and a shovel. A shock of tow
hair ran wild heneath his hat brim,
and a stray tuft Ike tassel appeared
through hole in the crown. This
young fellow was Joe Bobbs, late OF
Missouri, and the object Of his labors
was to deyelope Peg Leg Crawford's
newly located mine, Great Cinch, in
Bueno Canyon in the ChirlcGhua
range.
This mine was at present in the
stage Of a hole in the ground with
prospects ahead; but the indications
of mineral were good and had grown
bctteras the digging went on. A
good face had been cleared against
the rock, and when the proprietor
now on a trip to town for supplies
should return, blasting was to begin.
Joe was not to share in the profits Of
the mines development. He was
merely shiftless boy picked up"dead
broke" at Camp Bowieand taken along
by Crawford for the sake Of his work
and company at the price of his GRUB"
ana shadowy promise of wages if the
mine turned out WELL The decrepit
burro had been turned out to die by
his Mexican owner, and Joe had
driven him to camp 'as q starter for a
herd, . he said.
The shadow Of the bcetllng cliff on
the southeast, which during the first
half Of tic day Jay across the canyons
bottom, slowly shifted east ward until
IA blaze Of bright sunshine in the
mouth Of the tunnel informed Joe
Dobbs that moon o'clock, 4" as he term
ed it, was approaching The boy was
not fond Of labor, and it did not re-
quire many minutes endurance of the
hot SUMS rays to convince him that it
was time to stop work and get some
thing to eat. There is little doubt
that he arrived at this decision fully
an hour in advance Of the time it
would have been reached had Mr..
Crawford been with him instead of
presumably somewhere on the San
Simon plain coming back with his
burros and supplies Having repaired
to the shade of the shack" he cut
some slices from the small piece of
bacon for his use and raked together
the embers of the camp fire.
There was no wood cut and before
setting out to getsoms Joe sat down to
rest. His eye fell on the large valise
that Peg Leg Crawford always kept
carefully locked and out of the way of
harm. In the hurry of departure the
miner had left the key in the lock,
and it occurred 90 the boy that would
be a good time to see what was inside,
Joe turned the key and opened the
sacred yalise. 1t contained two pairs
of cotton socks, some specimens Of ore,
and bulky package wrapped in scrap
army blanket.
Joe united the cord that fastened
the parcel and unrolled the covering
from a wooden box that once had held
Malaga raising. Prying off the top
of the box with his knife, he saw that
looked like long thick caudles Had
the youth been more thoughtful, and
known more of letters, he would have
spelled out the words. "dinumite
dangeruss. written in blue chalk on
the cover, But as it was, that inscript-
ion passed unheeded with all the
warning Of risk that it conveyed.
He had heard vaguely Of a powerful
explosive called dynamite, but knew
nothing of how it appeared or should
be handled. The cylindrical objects
before him he half thought might be
some form Of caudy.
81 don't see why ole Peg Leg should
be so mighty perticklar bout this out
fit o. stuff" he said to himself, as.
picking up flake Of the substance
that had scaled from one of the pieces.
he put it in his mouth and tried it
with his tongue. 1t had a sweetish
taste, and he set his teeth into it.
If Joe had applied his grinders with
the force and enthusiasm that he