The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-06-15
in AN uNFATHoMED POOL.
Three Hundred Thousand Dollars Which
Escaped Capture by Texas Bandits.

Three Hundred Thousand Dollars Which
Escaped Capture by Texas Bandits.
In the early part of the present CEN
tury, when San Antonio, Tex, was
the home of many wealthy Spaniards
and the commercial center of all north
ern Mexico, mule train started for that
city from the City of Mexico. There were
thirty mules, each loaded with eight
thousand silver dollars and consid-
cradle amount of gold coin, the total
amount being about three hundred
thousand dollars, says the ST. Louis
Globe Democrat. The caravan was in
charge of Capt. Palactb. Flores, prom
inent and trusted employe of the gov
ernment. In addition to the drivers
of the mule train, there were about
fifty well-armed and equipped guards.
The old and well-worn highway
through San Luis Potosi and Monterey
was taken and the dangerous noun
tain defiles of South Saltillo were
passed without any attack on the
train being made. The Rio Grande
river was crossed few miles above La
redo and the train made its way rapid
ly toward San Antonio. In those days
the national highway passed through
what is now Dimmit county, Tex, fol-
lowing the bank of Pena creek for sew
eral miles. On the bank of that stream
was favorite camping place, which is
now called Grand Rock water hole.
This hole is located at a sharp bend in
the stream, and is Of an unfathomable
depth, as the water in it does not pass
. into any interior cavity. When this
camping place. was reached Capt.
Flores decided to remain there a few
days, resting the mules preparatory to
making the one hundred miles still re-
. naming between there and San An
tonic. He considered that all the dam
gerous portion of the country had been
passed through, and only left ten men
on guard the first night. Even this
number seemed unnecessary, as there
were no signs of any attack, and no
pickets were posted on the following
day.
1t was about noon on that day when
a band of brigands suddenly rushed
upon the unprotected camp out of
dense live oak thicket. Capt Flores
and his men were taking their noon
day siesta when the attack was made,
but they did not submit without des-
perate struggle. The bags of gold and
silver were piled in a heap near the
deep water hole, and when Capt.
Flores found that the brigands were
about to get possession of the wealth
he ordered the drivers to throw it all
into the placid pool. The command
was obeyed, and the brigands massa
cred every member of the mule train
party with the exception of a driver
named Alexandra Lajero, who succeed
ed in making his escape, proceeded to
San Antonio, where he gave an ac-
count of the terrible adventure, a rec
ord of which was made at that time
and is still in existence. His story was
discredited until the parties to whom
the money had been consigned made
an investigation and found the bones
of the victims and evidences that the
bandits had made efforts to recover the
wealth from the pool. Attempts were
made to explore the hole, but without
success. Heavy weights have been
sunk to depth Of several thousand
feet, but the bottom Of the hole has
never been reached. A few months
ago James L. Morgan, an eastern cap
italist and the owner of an extensive
ranch in southwest Texas, was passing
through Dimmit county, when he was
told the story of the hidden wealth in
the Grand Rock water hole. He Wis
tied the mysterious spot and became so
deeply interested in the remarkable
tale that he decided to make supreme
effort to explore the depth of the hole
in search of the three hundred thou
sand dollars and recover the wealth if
possible. He is now in the east super
intending the construction of devices
and machinery to be used in the pro-
posed work.