The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-19
CUSTAvE ECKSTEIN & GO,

but no certain knowledge of the locality
where he found them. Perhaps most OF
desert region, for the reason that the dis
coverer OF the alleged mine is often q
prospector picked up on the desert when
almost at his last gasp by a chance
pack train. He may have been prospect
ing in the desert, have found some gold,
lost his way, and became half insane
from heat, thirst, and dread, and his
stories have naturally been tinged with
delrium. But they have formed the
basis of many traditions of lost mines of
fabulous wealth, and these traditions to-
often to death.
The last story is OF a mine called the
Niger Ben. The story Is well known TO
old-time AriZonians, but efforts TO find
the mine in years past have always
proved so disastrous that It has been
little talked of lately. The secret of the
head men of the Yuma Indians, and the
tribe guards every approach to the mine,
and in some way or other diyerts pros
pectors from II.
Twenty-two years ago, the story runs.
Henry u. Peoples and party Of four
men were placer mining on Rich Hill, in
the Bradshaw Mountains, In Arizona. One
of the party was a negro named Ben,
brought from Alabama by Peoples. One
day Yuma Indian appeared at the camp
and remained in its vicinity for a month
or more. A friendship sprang up between
Ben and the Indian, and for some favor
or other the Indian one day told Ben he
would give him big reward, and offered
to show him where there was plenty Of
gold. The whole party wanted to go, but
the Indian refused to take any one except
the negro Ben, and one day the pair start
ed away.
return, and after three weeks of waiting
the party broke camp and started on his
trail. They tracked the Indian and negro
up the Arroyo de los Alamos to its juno
ton with the Rio Santa Maria. At this
point the party saw straight ahead, and
seemingly but two or three miles dis
tant, a cone-shaped mountain, surmount-
ed by a schary peak. The party started
toward the mountain, and while making
their way up an arroyo strewn with big
boulders, they came upon the skeleton OF
a man. A slight examination showed that
it was Ben's. Coyotes and other animals
had cleaned the skeleton, and the cloth
ing was scattered over the boulders.
One Of the party picked UP the coat and
found the. pockets bulging with some very
heavy substance. 1t proved to be gold.
The other garments were searched and
nuggets Of gold, ranging In size from
pea to pigeons egg, and amounting in
value to about 5000, were found. The
party con1ectured that the Indian had
conducted Ben to the mine, and then had
his tribe would learn of his freachery yin in
divulging the location of the gold, had ac-
companied the negro part of the way back
and then killed him.
The party remained in the vicinity for
several weeks searching for the mine from
which the gold found on Ben had been
taken. But their seach was fruitIess.
Peoples built hut on the Big Sandy.
near Signal, Ariz., In order to be near
the supposed mine, and he spent the re-
mainder of his life, more than a. dozen
years, hunting for IL, but in vain
A few years after Niger Ben was XIII
ed Mexican who was prospecting In
the supposed locality of the mine met an
Indian OF the Yuma tribe. The Indian
took great fancy to the Mexican's sad
die. The Mexican did not want to part
With 1t, and finally, to get rid of the In
dian. said he would sell IL for a double
handful of gold. The Indian grunted as
sent, and asked the Mexican TO remain
where he was until next day The next
afternoon the Indian reappeared and
handed to the Mexican a nugget of gold
as large as a hens egg. The trade for the
saddle was, of course, made at once. and
the Mexican tried hard TO learn from the
Indian where the gold came from. But
the Indian shook his head and rode away
Since then the search for Niger Bens
mine has been taken up by many lone
prospector and by a number of well-equip-
ped parties, but unnecessarily. Some of
the minors who have started to seek IL
have never returned, and their skeletons
have been found by later treasure hunt
ers, with indications that they had been
murdered, supposedly by the Indians, who
feared they were getting on the track
Of the lost mine. But the tradition OF
Niger Ben's mine is still cherished
among miners in the southwest and the
hope is still strong that it Will yet be