The herald., 1895-03-05
The True Story Of the Great
Discovery Near Indio
ONCE WORKED BY AZTECS
Bricks of Solid Virgin Gold Found in the
Caves Of the Canyon
An Old Prospector r1sde the Find but Was
Afraid Of 0hosts-A Boy Followed His
Footsteps-It's New Ell Dorado


ley mine, the McHaney boys, William and
James, have probably located the richest
group of gold mines ever discovered in
the world. The discoveries and owners of
the claims say there is more than mil
lion dollars worth Of gold in sight, and
old mining men, who have no interest in
the claims whatever (and the McHaney
boys say they won't sell foot of what
they have located), say that the mines
will make multi-millionaires of every man
interested. The richness of the mines can
be judged from the results obtained from
working hat full of the ore mined years
ago. 1t was put through thiee-stamp
mill and yielded 1858 in gold.
There is q we'll authenticated story in
regard to the discovery of the mines, adj
mitted as true by the McHaney boys and
Others who know the circumstances,
which reads like fairy tale. 1t is only
one more proof of the old adage that
truth is stranger than fiction. This is
the story:
About three months ago an old pros
pector, with two burros carrying his out
fit, walked into Tingman's grocery store
in Indio, the only one in the place, and
said: ''What'll we give me fur that ere
OUTFIT"
Over his shoulders and under his arms
he carried two army haversacks which
seemed SO heavy as to weigh him down
and his pockets were bulged out with
rocks or something else. Tingman outfits
prospectors, but his corral was full of
burros and his store room with prospect
ors' outfits, that only needed grub to
make them complete, so he hestated
about making an offer for the oldfman's
outfit
What do you want to sell for?" said
Tingman to the old fellow. "Going to
quit prospecting?"
Yes SIR" the old man answered;
'I'm done prospectin' now or hereafter.
Want to buy that outfit? III sell the
whole business for 800
The outfit was easily worth 500 cash
and Tingman told the man so, advising
him to go farther and see what he could
do, but the old fellow was persistent and
finally the trade was made. Then the old
man ordered some cove oysters and crack
ers and Tingman got to talking to him.
Finally, just before the train arrived
bound for Arizona the old man said to
Tingman:
81 told you had quit prospectin' and
mining and I have. I'll show you why
and then tell you about it. !" .---..s,
Saying this the old man dumped on
Tingman's counter from each of his hav-
ersacks twenty bars of pure gold, evil
IDENTIFY mined and amalgamated many,
many years ago. They were WORTH prob
ably, $1,000 bar or brick, and Ting
mans eyes bulged out of his head as
he looked at them. The bars were
marked with hieroglyphics, evidently in
dicating their fineness and weight, but
Tingman, who is Spanish scholar and
talks most of the Indian dialect OF the
Southern California tribes, could make
nothing of them.
II got these bars said the old pros
pector, "less than sixty miles from where
we stand in a canyon where there are
lodges containing millions of dollars worth
OF gold, millions of dollars worth, tell
you, and it's sticking up out of the ground.
My burros took me to the place hunting
for water. They went down on an old
trail to spring where water was plenty,
and / camped there. 1t is shut-in can
yon, and l think I am the first white man
who has set foot in the place for years,
God knows how many. The Indians are
afraid of the place and never go there.
After l had grubbed / started
to look around and found the place full
of caves, evidently made by hand, and
began exploring them. My first find was
CHASTITY enough to suit anybody" and the
old man shuddered. II stumbled into
pile of bones, men dead long ago. Around
them were arms, baskets and other things
apparently all right, but when you touched
them they .crumbled into dust. l didn't
care to stay in the caves, but as I was GO
ing out saw the shine of something and
/ went to it, 1t was one of these gold
bricks. Before night had gathered from
the cave the gold bricks I've got in my
haversack, and as it was growing dark l
thought l would wait until morning be-
fore making another search of the caves.
1t was plain to me that an old race OF
people had been mining in the canyon,
and in the failing light I began to look
around for the Lodges and old drifts.
II found them, and, mister as l hope
some day to get to better country than
this, by the memory OF my good old
mother l swear to you the rocks were
scanned with gold, scanned with gold. I
went back and camped, intending the next
morning to stake out my claims, put up
my monuments and sneak out of the
canyon and go and record them providing
/ could make evidences of work, but /
changed my mind before morning.
''If you was to fill that box with gold
bricks like these, +" said the prospector as
he pointed to a big packing case, II
wouldn't stay another night in that
canyon. Why, sir, to think of the sights
/ saw there makes me shiver now. I've
been prospecting many years. I've fought
white men and red men and floods and
forest fires. I've been rich and poor, but
never, never since I've been born have !
had night like that
'The dead men were all around me. l
wasn't asleep and ] hadn't tasted drop
OF liquor for weeks. l was wide awake
and the dead men came out of the caves
and drove me out of the canyon. That
they did. wouldn't go back there for
$40, 900, 0O0 The burros ! got out in day
light. Where is the canyon? Well, pard-
ner, you find it if you can. Mebbe might
change my mind about it and come back
some day, +" and with that the old man
walked over to the depot and ten minutes
IL