Arizona weekly citizen., 1894-11-24
MYTHICAL MIIE. Story of a Lost Claim in the Superstition Mountains. DUTCH JACOBS" SECRET. PhoeI,ix People Now Hunting for the Treasure With Prospects
 of Success.
DUTCH JACOBS" SECRET
Saturday Reviews.

'
 Phoenix, or some eighteen mics from Go.dfeld, in the Susperstition noun
 tsins, is mythical mine that may some
 day prove a reality More than thirty
 years ago, or in the early sixties, so the
 story goes, two German prospectors
 came to Arizona, and in the secluded spote above mentioned they found six
 MexicanS working a rich gold mine.
 They were inning by the crude Spanish
 method, but the ore was Sc rich and
 the gold so plentiful that the Dutch prospectoss were determined to get
 possession of the claim. They did so by the speediest method-by killing the MexIcans, dead men tell no tales. As civilization drifted into thls valley Dutch Jacob and his partner, both with plerty of gold, became familiar to the
 people. Later the partner disappeared,
 and it IS generally supposed he left by
 the same route as did he half dozen
 Mexicans few years before.
 Finally the now aged Dutch Jacob
 moved to the vicinity of PhoenIx, but
 he made frequent trips the Superstition
 mountains, going alone, and each time
 he brought back bountlful riches.
 Finally old Jacob, along in the seventies
 lived the life of recuse, and was seen
 in Phoenix but once in B year or two.
 He ways turned up at election time,
 snd his only mission on earth seemed to
 be t. vote the Republican ticket; during the remainder of the time few knew be was O. earth. He made his last trip to the mine in 'S4 This time he brought $500 of gold iD two small sacks.
 He was now approaching the age If four score, and he became quite feeble. | During his decl ming years A sympathe- | tic Ruth ministered to the totterIDg Jacob, and in 90 he quit this earth. To | this woman, who IS now a well-kuown | married woman of Phoenix, he left hts 1 little property Esre, consisting Oe a town 1 lot He also dlvuIged the secret of the | mine, which she tells as follows:
 h gulch in the Superstition m-un- taIus, Ihe location of which is descrl bed | by certain landmarks, there is to- room house in the mouth of cave on | the side of the slope near Ghe gulch. | J ust across the gulch. about 200 ards, | opposite this house iu ths cave, IS | tunnel, we'll covered up aud concealed 1 m the pushes. Here Is the mine, the | riche,t ir the world, according to Du'ch | Jacob. Some distance above the tun- nel Cn the side oi the noun tain is shaft or incline that is not so steep but one can clmb down. This, too, Is covered carefully. he shaft goes right down in the midst of tEe rich gCld ledge, where if can be pitked off in big fl kes uf almost pure gold.
 After Dutch Jacob had beea buried the woman took miner with her ard spent 6n entire summer hunting for the mine, but she WAS unable te find even the ruins of the house. She tried agaln next year, bnt failed, owing perhaps to changes wrought by the heavy rains that annually fall in that section.
 Many had hunted for the mine even twenty years ago. and since the death of Dutch Jacob, J. k. Bark, P. c. Bicknell the journalistic prospector, and many others have made frequent trips in that locality.
 4 few weeks ago Mr. Bricknell acci- dentally stumbled onto the stone house with two rooms in the mouth of q cave. He felt as though he now had the secret ONO HE AhOSthhC VI dS pldNOl Oul | and he returned to Phoenix. As an ev- idence be brought handmade shovel pounded out of an iron rod. This crude implement looked as though it had been used in the work of reducing ore, ss it is yet covered with slag end some signs of silver. An old drill rag was also picked up in the cabin.
 BIckpell has again gone. and last week Frank Luke and Frank Kirkland armed with the full story of the mythical mine started for the Superstitions. They reached Gold ield. which is some eigh- teen miles from the spot, but the rough couotry makes the distance twenty SIX miles. Here taey chartered horse and a mule and started out in search of the hidden fortune. The day was hot and the mule lazy, so that after going miles, or half way, Kirkland weakened. His legs grew tired kicking tbe mule, and they feared as he grew slower they would not be able to return. Frank would not chance walking, so a council was held and they returned to and next day returned to Phoenix, having gone to within thirteen miles of the place and been absent four days
 The secret of the mine is still unsol- ved and it may remain so for years, or even for ever. but one thing is certain, of all the hicden mines of Arizona there is present the best evidence that the one operated by Dutah Jacob did exist and that it is an unusually rich claim The old man h his dying hour made the legation so plain to the woman that she has never doubted him. If Bick- nell does not now solve the problem the precautlop taken by Dutch Jacob will be the only reason.