The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-23
GHOST IN A NINE.
It Is Said to Be Especially Trouble.
some to PfOspectors.
Rsputed to Be the Spirit Of an Old Ma
vsjo Indian Who Was Murdered by
White Men-What the Spec
ter Looks Like.

Haunted houses are common: haunted
men have been reported occasionally,
and in the highest flights of romance the
haunted mine figures. But of all the
s'haunts" testified to by reliable wit
nesses, says the New York Advertiser,
that of the "lost mine in the Santiago
mountains, near Las Cruces, N. M,
holds its place most persistently. Rail-
roads and modern science have no effect
ON it; the most skeptical white ma
terialists realize the presence just as
powerfully as the Indians did fifty
years ago.
The ghost is that of an old Navajo
Indian, who knew the location of the
mine and was killed by the first white
prospectors for refusing to reveal it.
His name was Jacopo, or is rather, for
he is still on deck, and the latest view
of him was by Henry Williams and
George Goggans, two men from Mil
waukee, who recently made fishing
and hunting tour, in the Madre de Dios,
small stream flowing through the
Santiago valley.
Two nights in succession both
dreamed of seeing strengthening
Indian. The third night they watched
and saw him in the spirit or flesh. Next
night he came again in their dreams
and warned them not to seek the lost
mine. They had never heard of it be-
fore, and of course wanted to find it at
once. They started into the mountains,
but soon Mr.. Goggans fell and sprained
his ankle badly, whereupon the old
Indian issued from the rocks, laughed
in derision and vanished like a puff of
smoke" They had to ride back to Las
Cruces for surgical aid, and decided not
to hunt for the lost mine any more.
Col. Jenkins and Fred Lathrop, OF
Las Cruces, have also seen the Indian,
and the former gives this account:
II was accompanied by a young man
named Houston, Wat Houston, from
Tennessee, who had no fear of ghosts.
had heard of the phantom that haunt
ed these mountains, but put no conf
dence in the story, feeling myself equal
to any specter that might see. Well,
Houston and were riding down q
gorge half way up the range, when all
at once saw an Indian standing about
twenty feet ahead of us. He was
drawn up to his full height and was in
full war dress, eagle feathers, paint,
etc., and was eying US from under his
bent brows asst trying to make us out
s'My horse caught sight of him at
about the same time and began to rear
and plunge in such manner as to pre-
clude all progress on my part; but
Houston rode on, though his animal re-
sented it also. watched the young
man approach the stately figure in the
road, and then all at once saw Houston
shoot out of the saddle over the horses
head and fall in the road. He lay per-
fectly motionless, while the figure of
the Indian vanished, even as I looked
at it. thenrod forward and, dismount-
ing, looked at Houston, to find that he
was dead with a broken neck. had to
put the body on his horse and lead him
back to town"
This was in 1878, and misfortune at
tended Col. Jenkins every time he went
to find the mine. Fred Lathrop tells Of
meeting the old warrior Respondent in
war paint and feathers. ST was
amazed he adds, 'that was able to
see objects in the road beyond him just
as if he had not been there, though the
figure, when looked at closely, seemed
as palpable as any other thing about
me. paused. nearly scared to death,
as do not mind confessing to you, and
too much bewildered to even turn my
horse around.
s'The Indian then came forward and
took my bride in his hand and led the
animal about. While it was held by
the ghost the poor horse kept starting
and was bathed in perspiration all over.
The phantom continued to lead the
horse for the space of one hundred
yards, while I sat frozen with terror,
unable to resist or remonstrate When
we reached road that circled the
mountains without passing over them
the ghost gave me farewell wave OF
the hand and was gone as an image
from the mirror
And thus the experiences multiply as
the years roll on. Indian and Mexican,
hunter and prospector, all meet with
misfortune if they oppose the lone In
dian, and all testify to his reality.