The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-08-08
THE LOST PINE MINE.
Memories That Caused an Army
Officer to Invest in It

Mines are risky investments at best.
Millions are made in them every year,
but more lost. have never yet been
on the winning side. Before writing
Buy" l shall reflect.
What says the prospectus?
Heavy silver bearing lode-surface
exposure, one hundred feet by twelve
vertical, developing side pockets
numerous branches"
Where is the phenomenon?
santa Catalina mountains, Pima
county, Arizona. Agent B. N Tue
son"
A familiar locality I'll bet that
agent hat can give him points on
the Lost Pine mine" Haven't |
trailed that country from Dan to Beer
sheba in the days gone by?
How? Where? When?
In the days of my first service-four
years between the ella and the north
ern Mexican border-I knew every wa
ter hole and every patch of bunch grass
between Nogales and the ella range
1t was in the beginning the days of
fresh commencement made the
acquaintance of that mine. 1t is the
same-the Lost Pine mine" 1t never
had name until the day we met. By
me it began to wear the dignity Of
name. BY it | began to get knowl-
edge and understanding of mines. We
are old friends. To-day it is certainty
of the business world. Surely out OF
the beginning groweth the end. That
mine has prospered from the start.
And this is the history of the begin
ming.
Less than year previously had
run the gauntlet of the terribly learned
medical examining board of the army
and had been admitted to the rank and
dignity of first lieutenant and assistant
surgeon. When l placed my first order
for uniforms with Hatfield, and ran up
a bill for trimmings with Ridabock, l
felt more valuable than ton of twenty
four-carat gold and more dignified than
Hindoo god with diamond eye
My first orders lifted me away from
scenes of intellectual triumphs and
dropped me into those of physical fail
ures-with a cavalry battalion in the
cactus beds near the Mexican line,
somewhere south of Tombstone The
OIOR vas OCnITd1
park, silk hat, tan kids and white
CATERS, to the heart of an alkai desert,
the back of quartermaster's mule and
the nightly shelter of saddle blanket
A month before would have tainted
at the sight of myself. Trousers,
mounted, made heavy-boots heavy,
hand-sewed-hat campaign, drab, was
the description the salient points of my
field uniform bore on the quartermas-
ter's returns. The ensuing grief shook
the scales from my eyes
1t was necessary for me to learn
something without delay, and in Ari-
iona information is not acquired with
out poverty and earnest purpose, two
things I knew not Of Urged by the
sustaining spur of good resolutions l
rose betimes and cinching my mule by
the light of the morning sun, rode forth
into the chapparal to Stay bush rabbits
with my six shooter and hatter the
vanity of the ranchmen by asking ques-
tons. They taught me to follow
moccasin trail, throw lasso, and make
the diamond hitch over the back of
fractions mule. There was little
could teach them, for the sturdy fell
lows rarely fell i'll with more serious
ailment than delirium tremens
The novelty of their habits and man
ners and desire to acquire the mys-
teries of plainscraft were the attrac-
tions which drew me to them at first,
but as their better acquaintance with
me rendered them more approachable /
discovered rugged honesty and sin
cere hospitality, which, added to their
reckless bravado, gave their ways an ir
resistible charm. l sought their friend
ship, and went among them whenever
it was possible to leave camp.
1t happened that during the annual
beef roundup / rode over and passed
the night with my acquaintance. The
following morning there occurred in
camp what the New York Herald
would headline as 'Murder-Deliber-
ate Assassination-The Shooting of
Mexican by Cowboys" The Tombstone
Blade referred incidentally to the affair
as q cheated alteration between
Messrs. Q. and R., of the X-Bar Cattle
company, and Mexican named Man
rico, which resulted fatally to the lat
ter"
Being law-abiding citizens, Messrs.
Q. and R. delivered themselves over to
the sheriff for trial. | was named as
witness for the defense and served with
summons to appear in court the follow
ing day to give my testimony.
The accused, the other witnesses for
the defense-there were none for the
,,oxrealf
next morning, reaching the low adobe
building which served as county house
about noon. We found the judge
seated behind his pine slab table in his
shirt sleeves, with his feet on copy of
Walkers American Law" engaged in
target practice, the bulrs-eye being a
retired herring box partially filed with
sawdust that stood in one corner of
the room. After several minutes of
silent rumination he would launch the
results with unerring certainty at the
herring box. The aim Of life in Ari-
iona is to hit something.
The clerk of the court was there, also
the attorney for the prosecution. All
wore six-shooters, and the judge had a
Winchester rifle standing handy for the
punishment of contempts of court.
When a few of the jurors assembled
we took seats. The judge smote the
herring box again, raped with his
heel on the table and opened the trial.
This yer courts in session. Perceed,
Mr.. Attorney"
The prosecution arose and stated
apologetically that he had no witnesses
ho laiu had
named none, being deceased, for which
good reason all of the evidence must be
adduced from the witnesses on the part
of the defense. Mr. O., otherwise known
as Pecos Bill, conducted his own de-
Tense BY the time reached the stand
the absent members of the jury had ar
rived. All wore one or more six-shoot-
ers.
In New York the courts do not sit in
weapons. Not being informed of the
Arizona custom l had left all of mine
at the camp. It was evident that the
Jury regarded me with contempt
which deepened into disgust when the
evidence | gave appeared to favor the
prosecution. | had seen the Mexican
shot in the back, which fact would lead
to the necessary conclusion that the
shooter was behind him. made that
statement, and there was chorus of
groans from the jury.
Pecos Bill rose scornfully, and plant
ing his right foot firmly turned his
body so as to place his left back where
his right breast had been.
There" said he, don't you see how
a man standing in front of me could
shoot and hit me in the back?'
had to confess the feat was possi-
BILE. Pecos Bill triumphantly resumed
his seat and turned upon me look OF
pity. which meant that | was "a deal
greener" than he ever supposed. The
jury remarked faeetiously among them
selves that nobody but freak or a
lunatic ever travelled without gun.
The Judge suggested that possibly |