Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-10-13
HIDDEN TREASURES.
A Golden Cavern in tho Noun
tains Of Utah.
The Strange Story of y Convicted Wife
Murderer Who Was Executed Mt Salt
Lake City Taking the Secret
with Him.

OuduY 6lOIleS dTS bOlu III Nv VuoS
about great hidden treasures in the
mountains of the west. In some in.
stances those wild remarks are but the
imagination Of t%houghtless brains,
while in many cases the stories are
true. The west is filled with treasure
vaults whose gold and silver deposits
are numerous, says the Chicago Inter
Ocean. Old Spanish residences, now
going to decay, contain secret rooms
lined with gold and filed with precious
stones and rich jewels. The noun
tnins contain dark canyons where
mines of fabulous wealth have lain
dormant for ages. The humblcst sheep
herder or range rider may accidentally
discover the greatest mineral deposit
ever known, and the most tiinid cx-
plorer may find the treasured wealth
of n French millionaire stored away in
the caverns of the old dwellings.
Utah was oncc Mexican property,
and its fertile valleys were pcoplcd by
n wealthy class of men. The old cliff
jewellers of the Colorado left most val
liable homes continuing gold and silver
bathtubs. vases and ornaments, while
II workings of miners living a cen
fury ago show the vast wealth taken
from the old arastras and sluicc boxes.
A strange story of fabulous wealth was
related by Enoch Davis, Il wifc-mur-
derer recently executed in Salt Lake
City. He found the most wonderful
mines ever seen by man, and exhibited
nuggets of gold from the sluice boxes
which excited the curiosity of court
officials so hat his life was spared for
many months.
About sixty miles from Salt Lake
City is an uneNplored section of the
Utah Indian reservation. No man has
ever penetrated the deep, dark cam
yons of this Indian land since the DAYS
of Brigham Young, the wcll-known
Mormon leader. After the California
gold excitement it is said a gentleman
named George Knowles came from the
diggings of the Golden state and set
tied in Utah. He agreed with the
president of the Mormon church to
give him his weight in gold for one of
the numerous women of the Young
harem. The proposition was accepted
n Knowles was given six weeks in
which to produce the gold.
knowles, with Il son about fourteen
years of age, started from the Mormon
Mecca Monday morning and within
W weeks returned with cirhtv.nyc
pounds of gold nuggets. Young ac.
cepted the money, but sworc his slave
10 absolute secrecy as to where the
gold was obtained. At that time the
church people were opposed To the
opening OF mines, and no man was Der
mlttcd to prospect i'll the territory.
The old man Knowles nvcd ana died ia
Salt Lake City with visions of wcalth
haunting his dcathbcd, but he never
returned to the secret mines.
In after years the son determined t.
disobcy the orders OF the church arG
seek the gold fields he had seen in hi.
youth. He wa accompanied by Emo,
Davis, the wife murderer. one dark
night in the month OF June the pro,-
pcctors dropped down from the high.
sandy mcsas into the EOld-lincd cavern
Here they found thousands nj nurqr
with the mountain waters Govinr over
them. Every pocket and knan.auR
were filled with the valuable Treasure.
When morning duwncd they were mo,
at the SUNNI OF the canyon by II band
OF Indians. The red men fired and
Knowles dropped dead. Davis fcipncd
death and fell TO the bottom of the
cavern. The Indians could not get
down the bluffs, and the white man
lay there in nm apparent state of death
until nightfall, when he arose. and
after two or three DAYS succeeded in cs.
Gaping from the savagcs.
When Davis escaped he made his ,vo,.
m Nnrnnl n y..l1 g
the indian reservation. In this VILLAGE
he took up his abode, expecting some
day to be enabled to return To the
fields OF wealth. lie married ard sci.
tied down to the duties of n homo life
as the village blacksmith. His mind
became troubled, he rcsortcd To drink
n Mt last i'll a lit Of jealous dcspop.
dency killed his wife and buried her il,
n potato pit near the house. The crime
was v within Il day and Davis
was arrested and imprisoned OH the
charge OF numbering his wife.
In the prison all the nightmare ~
golden treasures haunted the doomed
prisoner. lie drew a mar of the conn
try and presented il with the facts tn
the court officials us n ransom for his
iioerty. Many thousands of dollars.
have since been expended In seeking
this famous gulch, but nothing bns
been found. Davis, after repeated
postponefncnts, was finally convicfrd
ana shot without again realizing thu
fuliillmcnt of his dreams. The Loaf
gulch Is yet n subject of much thought
n prospcctors seek the place us @
Ms the winters snow mclts from the
mountain slopes.