The Arizona sentinel., 1896-08-22
YUMA A ARIZONA, SATURDAY. AUGUST 9, Is
THIRTY YEARS LOST.
The Lodges of Gold that Furnished the Frenchmen'S Diggings Said to Have Recently Been Dis
 covered.

been found it is said Tn the Eagle Tail mountains in this county.
 All the old-timers know that daring pioneer, prospector, mule driver and ex-sub7chief of the Moiave Indians, 'Old Bill Bear. His story of the lost mine is as follows:
 About twenty.eight years ago three Frenchmen suddenly made their appearance in Yuma and de- posited between $7,000 and $8,000 worth of nuggets with the mercan- tile firm of Hooper & Co.,, then the leading business house of south western Arizona. After purchas- ing supplies they mysteriously dis appeared in the direction of Agua Caliente. Five Mexicans determ- ined, if possible, to find out the source from which the nuggets of gold came, and accordingly took up the trail of the French prospec- tors, which led them to Agua Caliente, at which point they found the elusive prospectors en- camped. Next morning camp was broken and the Frenchmen pur- sued the1r journey in a northerlY direction, cautiously followed by the trailing Mexicans. ''They be- came apprehensive of being fol- lowed, made a retrograde move ment and met the Mexicans face to face. They then returned to Agua Caliente and made prepara- tions ostensibly for a permanent camp. The willy Frenchmen quiet ly pulled up stakes in the night eluded the Mexicans and once more proceeded northwardly When the pursuers awoke in the morning the birds had flown. The Mexicans after diligent search found the trail which they follow ed to a point in the mountains, at which place the Frenchmen had separated, each taking a diferent direction. The MeXicans then re- turned to Yuma.
 "Nothing further was heard O the daring Frenchmen or their ricf placers until the spring of 1889 During the excitement consequen upon the discovery of the Colder Eagle and Bonanza mining claim a Mexican, about 40 years old made his appearance here anC sought for me. He engaged me t haul several barrels of water anC other supplies to 8 point in tn Eagle Tail range of mountains distant in a southeasterly direction about thirty miles from Harris burg. On the way there the Mex ican became communicative an unburdened himself as follows:
 When I was a boy about 1 years of age I ran away from hom on account of some fancied wron! and while roaming around fror place to place I met three me with pack train of three burre in camp. They gave me food an treated me kindly. They offere to clothe and feed me if 1 woul accompany them and cook fc them, at the same time statin that they were prospectors.
 gladly accepted the offer and at
 companied them to what appeare
 to be a permanent camp in u 3 mountains. At a running sprir
 where a mesquite and a cottol
 wood tree grew were erected tV rough hunks, one large, the oth
 small. After resting few da..
 the men went into the mountail
 in the morning, returning in u = evening with something Tn yeas
 powder cans, which were careful
 laid away. Prompted by curiosl
 during their absence one day
 opened one of the cans and four
 it to contain large and small nui
 gets of shining gold. l cautious ? trailed them the next day al
 found them about one-fourth of
 mile from camp busily engaged
 taking out nuggets of gold. ( their return to camp that eveni ,o they eyed me suspiciously, a
 after I had turned into my plan
 ots the cans were deposited
 some other place that l ne1 - found and the next morning I = troubles commenced