The sun., 1896-01-26
GOLDTHAT CAN'T BE FOUND
IHEALLEGED TREASURE TO WHICH
fy INDIAN LED MCGEE BEN.
A Pile OF Gold on TOP OF Hui In nm Ari-
zonn Desert and yni,ey In which nm
Indian Medicine Mnn IL Supposed TO Have
Hurled u Trcnsnrc-A Desert Trngcdy.

A Pile OF Gold TOP OF n HUI IN nm ArS.
s0na Desert and Valley In which nm
Indian Medicine Nnn IL Supposed to Have
Buried - Tr~nsure-A Desert Tragedy.
The story copied In THE SuN about Niger
Ben's lost gold mine In Arizona differs good
deal from the account given to an old resident
Of Arizona. now New Yorker. b. Squire Henry
T.. Peoples Of Wi"kenburg. Ari2., and the New
Yorker thinks tlint the Peoples vcrsiUnis by far
the more Interesting. Peoples YVES unique
figure IN Arizona history. Of which lie helped
10 make not n little lie was II half-hrccd
Choctaw Indian, tall straight about % years
OF age In 1870, and in his later years Inclined
to corpu!ency. lie was front!crsmNn or tho
better type. IN experienced plaimsnan and
rrospccior, truthful. upright. nud honest. TO
was attracted to Arizona by the great placer
excitement in ls12 and 1862. taking with him
only his negro slave Ben.
One night In 1863. according to the Peoples
version OF the story, party Of four prospcc-
tors made dry camp on tlic east side of q
small conical hin four or five hundred feet in
height that rose abruptly out OF the mesa. and
was within the shadow Of the stately Antclope
Peak. The camp wns very ncar the pres"~t
site II Viewer 'rle party consitit!Ga Of Henry
the noted hunter: trGrper. scout, and guide.
and onr other. In the, morntnS, hn'if,g the
fast. Peoples asked Monvc Indian who Ind
come up e the canr IL he knsW wh"rc thnr. Mas
swcspnF moven,c Il & hi; SpryS terGi'nger "s
the hil." rpon the romi'c Of n reward in
the slspe Of q few cha Of nm,n,ini,ion he he
nents. in "' ina,en,! Of going around the point Of
Indian chose tho more direct. though of % conrse
more drn, route ro oyer I'll tie III, top hors Whs dn,
struc%, s"mcthinc in the loose 'iirt which he
recognized by the feel as metal. and siooninS
| yellow sitf of .roa: The thickness and diameter
Of smG , nr It sy" w"s wth Ger %q a br"arht "r sIn
1t back with him when hc, returned with tho
water from A!tcIopes Grecs., which lits at !he
| white men. ono may imagine the sensations
Of the prospec,|rs upon seeing nugget OF sucl.
10 where he had got it, lie pointed to the top
ishcd. and there was u wild scramble Of four
miners To reach the top of that hill. II needed
onstrate the value of the find. The top of the
| hill-it was but n scant acre in area was at
negro. Ben. received one of these .cems. and
was told that the results should he his own.
Issp"s short" .fr most rsSS wan.u G Th is s
Of nugget gold the world has ever known IL
wa in mpS ali free aod and nd rvqrc S@
nnns process 7" M nnrfy 1I H. Thr s nngse,, nr ysryd
e s1S pa,e tso bore bG s eemce Of svnr Ee
stas az ns IF i" mi HeaG T@i S in on
found by simpiy proddipg the loose dir, ia
located Oh the sides of the hill. but tlcy laNe
proved TO he of n" value 50 far as worked; ,,.,
TINT ben ",.s was appr"acned Tpi by Moiav1 GA tan
who had f"rnei Yn,S ikns sGv for hr s6 liz
gold, said the Indian
Tie Indian pointed to the northeast. vpon
communicating this Intelligence to lr"lIcs It
wns arranged that Ben shonld nrro'npany tie
grub on his burr". Ben siippt quietly on, ot
camp. accompanicd by the Indian. in hi quest
for forty or s nifty miles to II the northeast int" snail
valley. very narrow. and with almos, prrc'ii:
tous hl!S on eitl.r side Near The centre .l Il
sweet water. Around this spring wrr" cyl
eG'ss @ of an Indian camp %f ,nl' siLs o wGs
ns.arc. Th"re we're Hsokcn ,i"ccs q icli-@p
ps 4s and Of ,nss as Isaang f n @ old a
to the spring. the Indian. in vague wny. and
without looking ut anything or anywhere in
'.iIcap gold: You. look. you find um.,.
Sethcr threats no: cnioicry could get more 1nt
and promises most profusc Of everything that
was dear to the red mans heart b.. Ben , finally
tied stock Of provisions would allow to n search
for the t:easrs lie fopad n"tninS ., On the
Nioinve's breast he ordered the Indian TO tel
killed. The Indian merely smiled and reiter'
You look. you find um; Moavc no can tell"
| When Ben related the circumstances 10
Peoples he pon!dered re- bon on tie matter day or 50
III am now more persuaded than eyer, that
there ,hs s9G snl II d"ve . % tha III SrF d" it, is
over 70 the M Myiaye viilasss. ~ mi!es duo west.
necessaryNnntll nee You find some other Indian
that is willing to show you gold. Say nothing
| about the trip you haze already made. Will
the Villages from him."
dian who agreed to show him heap gold'''
within the the month ,%n. was ,a tHfep tie aentsql
! efforts to get accurate information We're in this
instance. as in the first frnitles.. Let it he un,
extent Of taking Il l5o.mile jannt for the sake
| OF n Joke.
hpT' Sp ha k"S% work o on l @ hS
and Ben were to to outfit thensclyes I've f3r pro; pro;
every foot Of ii had been gone over. This they
did. They put in m, even thirty days Of work.
with The spring as a central point. and dug
encles talnnE and across tness !ineS, prod prod
over every stone as large rs ones hand. but all
to no purpose; not a color was discovered.
was ns certain that there, was gold there ms he
| was that he lived. l'rcplcs's theory wns that
an ana %nprrccat'on Of rol,l and a, knowl"iEc ?fi,ss
| value far above his fellows. had accomplished
| great store OF the metal; mar aupron mug nid
| age or the increasing influx OF whites INTO the
| country, or both. nccess.tatcd its safe de-
| post somewhere: that the quantity of tho
| metal and the distance il had To be carried rem
| dcrcl il npraCt iCnblc 10 perform the task
alone. and therefore lie had to take sew.
cral of his tribcsrncn into his CONFIDENCE;
that these Indians were not necessarily
| chosen because OF their prominence In the
| tribe. but more probably because uf their sus-
| ccptibilitv 10 his influence; that they were
| pledged To secrecy by the most powerful OF
| oaths and threatened with the most terrible
| consequences If they ever diSulsed the ioca-
| tiun Of the -,crctcd treasure: and that these
| Indians believed that they could compromise
| with their cOnScicnCcs and avert the Conse-
Quenccs o! their rct by leading the negro TO
| the mlncdiat" vicinity without pointing out
| tie exact locality. On one point lac was quite
| certain; that there was no 90 'hCnriHg !rtga
| In the valley; his search was too thorough for
| that. II followed, therefore, that II was either
n cache or nothing.
| In 1876 mining expert named Won!Nlc: who
wnS also an ardent SprltunliSt. went 7" WIGS
| cnburv and undrrtouk to IND the treasure. HIS
| SAL Francisco spirits, however, were not III