Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-10
ARE THEY LOST?
Probably Another Peg Leg
Mine Tragedy.
PrOspectOrs for the Mine Re
ported Lost.
Stories Told by CocOpah and Carrizo
Creek Indians.
frospector Hanson Fears That HIS
Friends Dorm and Bell Are Lost
In the Desert - An In
dian's Assertions.

The Pegleg mine has claimed two
more victims, so thinks A. H. Hanson
an old prospector who knows by sight
every rock in California, Nevada and
Arizona. The Pegleg is mine the ore
OF which is almost solid gold. 1t was
discovered years ago by Pegleg Smith
who brought back some OF the wonderful
ore, but who lost his bearings and was
never after able to find his bonanza.
Since then innumerable expeditions
have been fitted out to search for the
mine, but all have ended disastrously
most OF the searchers going out into the
desert never to be heard from again.
The last expedition of the kind was
formed about three months ago in San
Francisco by P. L. Dorm and j. X. Bell,
two we'll known miners. They made
San Diego their starting place, and
crossing over the mountains disappeared
on the sandy waters of the desert. Since
then until yesterday nothing has been
heard from them.
A. H. Hanson is an old friend Of
Dorin's; have prospected together a
number of times, and six years ago went
on a hunt for the Pegleg, but were
forced to give up the search on account
of the terribly hot weather they en-.
countered. They were out six months
altogether, and when they got back
looked as if they had passed through the
internal regions. Old Hansen, big and
ruggid as he is, could not suppress a
chndHor a ordo hn cnntyo 0f fhic
trip to HERALD reporter. He thinks
and Bell are in precarious condition,
and Notwithstanding his former cruel
experience, he is anxious to get up re.
lief party and 90 in search of his old
friend.
He was down. near Temecula recently,
and being friendly with the Indians
there he learned that an Indian from
the Carrizo creek country was expected
in very soon on visit. When this
Indian came in he was taken to see
Hansen, and in the course of converse
tion he stated that some Cocopah Indi-
ans had come to his village before he
had left. All the Cocopah and other
desert Indians, be said, are leaving
the desert and taking to the
mountains. as they think an evil
spirit has taken possession of their
desert mines. Last year this evil spirit
caused the Salton sea to overspread the
land, and this year he has caused earth.
quakes, one after another, and fire
mountains, and altogether they think
it is bad medicine. These Cocopah In.
dians told the Carrizo creek buck that in
their journeyings they had espied the
trail OF two white men, who were evi-
IDENTIFY lost, as their trail crossed itself
time and time again, and was evidently
pursued without any guidance. This
trail, Hanson thinks, is that of Dorm
and Bell.
The buck who told him the story re-
lated another circumstance which may
explain how Dorm and Bell came to be
lost, though they were provided with
compass and were old desert travellers.
This Indian has pocket compass, given
him by scme prospectors whom he once
befriended, and he understands the use
of the instrument. He stated that in
the south part of the desert the instru-
ment was found entirely useless, the
needle apparently being bewildered,
pointing this, that and the other way.
The Indian laid this erratic course of
the needle to the presence OF the Salton
sea, but if the statement is true, the
cause may be found in magnetic dis
turbances, caused by the earthquakes
in that region,