Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-06-13
Joe Dobbs's Random Shot.

The scene, a box canon in Southern
Arizona, was lonely enough. The rocky
walls shut out the morning sun rays, and
the only trees in sight were sombre ever
green's and thickets of chaparal. The
aspect Of the rugged landscape was sug-
gestive of th&r primitive inhabitants, the
Apache Indian and the grizzly bear.
Yet in this secluded spot there were
signs Of human life and activity in the
shape Of rude miners ''shack," open
III front, with three sides formed of up
right poles chinked with mud, and roof
of overlapping splints. 1t stood near a
large freshly dug hole in the canon side.
Pickctcd by a rope tied to his fore leg
an aged burro was feeding on the dry
Eerbaoe of the canon's bottom. In the
excavation in the mountain side raw
looking youth was working very moder-
atcly, using alternately a pick and
beneath his hat brim, and stray tuft like
a tassel appeared through a hole in the
crown. This young fellow was Joe
Dobbs, late of Missouri, and the object
Of his labors was to develope Peg Leg
.Crawford's newly located mine, Great
Cinch, in Bueno Canon III the Chirica-
hua range.
This mine was at present in the stage
of hole IN the ground with prospects
ahead but the indications of mineral
were good and had grown better as 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 Il shiftlcss boy picked up
"dead broke at Camp Bowie and taken
along by Crawford for the sake Of his
work and company ut the price Of his
GRUB ard shadowy promise of wages
if the mine turned out we'll The de
crcpit hurro had been turned out to die
| bv his Mexican owner, and Joe had driv-
en- him to camp ias starter for herd, y
tic said.
The shadow of the beetlinc cliff on the
! southeast, which during the first half of
| the day lay across the canons bottom,
| slowly shifted eastward until blaze of
| BRIGHT surshiue in the month of the tun-
o'clock, as he termed it, was approach
| ne The boy was not fond of labor, and
ii did not require many minutes endur-
ance Of the hot sun 5 RAYS to convince him
that it was time 10 stop work and gel
something to eat There is little doubt
| that he arrived at this decision fully ar
/ 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 com
ing back with his burros and supplies.
Having repaired to the shade of TIT
"shack," he cut some slices from th
small piece of bacon for his use and raket
together the embers of the camp fire.
There was no wood cut and before set
ting out to get some Joe sat down t
rest. His eye fell on the large valls
that Peg Leg Crawford always kept care
fully lccke-! and out of the way of harm
IN the hurry Of departure the miner hae
left the key in the lock, and it occurred
to the boy that it would be good time
To see what was inside.
Joe turned the key and opened the sa
cred valise. /, contained two pairs o
cotton socks, some specimens of ore ant
bulky package wrapped in scrap o
army blanket.
Joe united the cord that fastened tn,
parcel and unrolled the covering from
wooden box that once had held Malags
raislns. Prying of the top of the DO.
with his knife he saw that it contained
about two dozen Of what looked like lon:
thick candles. Had the youth bee
more thoughtful, and known more Q
letters. he would have spelled out tn