The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-02
FOUND A SPANISH MINE.
While Chasing a Fox Hunters Stun
BILE Upon a Hidden Treas
ure House.
Relics of Miners Who Toilod Under
Ground d GroAt Many
Years Before.
A Strike Thnt Had Yielded Untold Wealth,
for Its Owners Keeping tho
Matter Secret.

PARIS, Texas, Jan. 1.-The annals oil
Spanish occupation in the southwest are
full Of accounts Of expeditions and camps
established. and mines worked. which
have been tantalizing by tho vagueness OF
their landmarks of identification, though
from time to time accident or chance, and
rarer. still, close search, have unearthed
traces Of their work, whose long obscurity
WAS no doubt due to the skill with which
the Indians obliteratad and concealed NIL
traces Of them after the Spanish departure.
About one year ago the local press
published an account of the finding near
Red river of tho remains of u fortified
can .. evidently Spanish in origin, and this
publication revived among the surviving
pioneers traditions Of Spanish days, among
which were those Of n set Of mines IN the
nominating OF the Indian Territory which
this camp was headquarters for.
Recently q letter has been received by the
informant which renews interest IN these
traditions and gives strong color or TACT 70
them. It's tale is ms follows:
The location OF the discovery is for OBJ
yious reasons withheld beyond that stated.
A party out on Camp Hun had With them a
pack Of dogs, and about ten days SINCE
reused n fox, which gave them a splenald
chase for several hours and hnaily took
yefnOe in nm openipp in Il pile of rocks near
the head OF a small gulch. With little hope
of unearthiv g Reynard they SCI utinlZed his
place of hiding and in idle zeal began NOV.
ing a lot of loose brock, apparently natural
accretions of the ravine slope. finaiiy one
examining more closely discovered that 1t
was a cave mouth choked up. The work
WIS pushed, more rock removed, brush anu
the underground cleared away. and 1t was
found that the opening was very regular,
and when more progress was maze, one Oh
the party declared that he could see traces
of tools on the side. After clearing some
eight or ten feet in, they found the way
clear and decided to explore: a light was
jmproyised and they followed the aperture
some seventy or eighty feet. where u
widened out into large chambers, from
which, at right angles TO the entrances; Two
other passages led OFT on either hand. ana
here they found that they were tue "orA u
men and not of nature.
In the debris of the floor OF the larger
apartment they found fragments OF IRON
tools, some shards of pottery and fragments
Of large, heavy wicker baskets, ana n sXeie,
ton was also found in the large room, ano
broken rock. which showed plain traces OF
"copper", and at the end of one OF the pass,
ages which they fully explored they FOUND
quite a pile OF the same rock, Wnlle Ine
wall Of the passage, and the same AZ its
end, showed a vein OF the same FocA:
to the opening, which they closed up rs
carefully as they could and eiaced the
traces Of their enterprise.
Tn letter further states that careful as
says have confirmed their guess as 70 me
mineral vein of their find. Owing to the
want OF mining laws in that section, the
party have decided not to make n moves
towards developing their find till SUCH a
time as they can secure tho uninterrupted
enjoyment of their find. The letter bears
every evidence of ~genuineness, and is
horne ont by other discoveries of mineral
bearing rock in that country.