The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-05-22
QUEER STONE
Interesting Discovery Made By .
Party Of Hunters While In
Arizona.
It Appears to Be Full Of Electricity
and Has Killed Human Beings
and Animals.

The Needles, Ariz.-One of the most
recently discovered inexplicable phe-
nomena is an Immense electrical stone
which crops out above ground in an al
most inaccessible mountain pass some
fifty or sixty miles north of here. In
pursuing a conscientious investigation
into subject of this kind one finds it
necessary to cal into requisition such an
immense number of grains of salt that
the real truth of the matter becomes fire.
quently lost in briny deep, as it were,
and pass forever beyond the pale of
truth into the realm Of the romancer
along with the serpent and the mermaid,
but in spite of this existence of the cleo
trical stone has been proven beyond the
possibility of doubt.
In a multitude of witnesses there is
safety, and 1t appears that the natives
hereabouts were for years acquainted
with the stone and it's peculiar proper
ties long before it's discovery by a party
of hunters few days ago. Among the
Indians the stone goes by the name Of
the Death Trap" and the peak where
on it is located is called Death Trap
mountain. They say that their fathers
and grandfathers before them knew of
the stone, and it is only an old and ex
perienced guide who will venture to take
party in the neighborhood of it lest by
some unlucky chance a too daring hun
ter will lose his life by suddenly coming
upon it in an unguarded moment.
The stone itself is described as being a
rough Jagged outcrorping bursting up
through the Shale of its surroundings,
reaching up the mountain side to the
height of about seven feet when sharp
projection shelves over again making a
three sided tunnel, perhaps nine feet long
and five feet wide. Ordinarily the rock
is of blue metallic lustre, and shows
traces of volcanic action, being scanned
and ribbed as if by melted lava. In the
heat of the day, when the sun shines
sQuarely upon it the stone assumes
faded pale blue hue, at which times the
Indians declare it to be perfectly harm
less.
AS the sun leaves the gorge, however,
the stone begins gradually to deepen in
color, and when night comes and there
is no moon it CLOVIS with all the bril-
liancy of a molten mass of SO many in
Candescent lights. This Elimination may
be distinctly seen for a great distance
when there are no intervening noun
tains to obstruct the view.
Now as to the peculiar death-giving
power of the stone. 1t is said that moth
ing great or small can set foot upon it
and live. So powerful are the volts
which it gives out at even the slightest
contact that it impossible for even the
largest animals to. Withstand their
strength.
Recently the party of hunters referred
to ventured without guide into some Of
the more dangerous mountain passes in
the up country, and by chance found
their way into narrow gorge, having
come in hot pursuit after little fleet
limbed mountain goat which they man.
aged to start from the rocks below. Sud-
denly, while they were all 70 or 80 feet
away, they were astonished beyond
measure to see the goat fall dead in his
tracks, although not shot had been
fired. They were making ready to climb
up the ledge and secure the little crea-
ture, when an old Indian high up on the
cliff behind called to them to stop. So
frantic was his manner and so persistent
his admonitions that they waited till he
scrambled down to them, and then for
the first time came to light the story OF
the electrical wonder.
The goat had fallen within the death
trap, the Indian hunter explained, and
had the hunters followed after him they.
too, would have shared his fate. There
was ample evidence at hand to prove to
the hunters the truth Of the old mans
statement, for the little gorge surround
ing the stone has been turned into
perfect charnel house full of the whiten-
ing bones of it's victims. And If this
were not enough to convince the more
skeptical, while they stood within thirty
feet of the stone a big rattle snake
crawled upon the precipice and out upon
the stone only to coil and writhe and
finally die in the most intense agony.
The hunters expressed the deepest
gratitude to the old Indian for saving
their lives, but regretted no little the
loss of the goat, whose species is al
most extinct now, whereupon the old
man unwound a RATA from his waist
and flung it up under the rocks. His
aim was unerring and presently the goat
was dragged down into a place of safety
whence the hunters removed him. This
was an old trick among experienced
hunters, the Indian explained, and said
he himself had reaped a pretty rich
harvest Of peltry by snatching fresh vic
Tins from the grasp of the death trap.
The sun was almost down and had
quite left the gorge, so at the request OF
the Indian the hunters accompanied
him to his mountain perched cabin, and
from there beheld the lighting up of the
stone when the moon was gone. AS they
all sat about the fire watching the phe-
nomenon, their old host told them many
marvellous stories Of the wonder among
others the legend of it's discovery by the
tribe hundreds of years ago. The legend
runs about as follows:
Once upon a time there came into the
midst of the tribe asking food and shell
ter a stranger with marvelOusly beau
tiful face. His body was little and
mean and puny and his back was
bumped, but his face was fair beyond
all description and strangely beautiful.
His eyes were large and luminous, like
twin stars, and although he seemed to
know nothing of herbs or their proper
ties he possessed the marvellous faculty
of healing the sick by laying his hands
upon them, or even looking hxedly at
them with his great eyes.
Even dumb animals would flock around
him if he chose to have them do so, and
the chief held him in so much reverence
that by and by he adopted the stranger
into the tribe and made him a medicine
man. Many years passed, during which
the stranger still fingered, and in the
meantime the chiefs son had grown to
manhood, and it became time for him to
tribe was selected as his bride, and prep
arations were made for the nuptials.
When the wedding day arrived, however,
the maiden was missing, and an old
woman declared that the medicine man
had spirited her away. A diligent search
failed to disclose her whereabouts, and
the chief reluctantly consented to be-
lieve the friend of his adoption guilty.
A company of IL of the braveSt warriors
were ordered to drive the medicine man
out OF the tribe, for no one would con-
sent to seeing him killed outright, so
great was the love of the people for
him.