Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-07-27

There Is gold there--gold enough for
many fortunes, and year after year the
men seek II, even where the sun scorches
and sets them mad.
The gold has been found, not once, but
many times. This frightful place has
more tales Of lost mines than any other
The Pegleg, the Breyfogle, the Msnsfield
claim, the lost Padre mine and many
more have tempted prospectors back To
the pit Of glaring alkali. These are real
mines. In southern California towns
they will show you ore brought back by
the original discoverer, rock all a-glitter
with the precious points, but In tn.
whole list no one has rewarded It's finder.
The Pegleg discoverer, the first and rich
est OF all, could never lind his way bick
TO the boulder that jutted through the
white cap Of borax and revealed the
wealth below. He tried again and
again, until ne could no longer find
credit for the -four and bacon he must
have TO live on while he searched. He
left his ore specimens aud his map to
another man, who has kept up the
search for twenty years, and hasn't
found IL yet.
Old Breyfogle trailed his way out II
the deserts with more rich rock. He told
of cave In canyon where he crawled
10 find shelter from cloud-burst, and
found the richest rock that was ever
brought out Of the gold country. He
showed the rock when he came out, and
started back to his mine with mules
laden with water and provisions. OF
course, he was followed. His find was
too big TO be left to one man, but old
BreyfOgle knew the mountains and the
men who prospect among them, and he
doubled on his trail, made false starts,
and at last shook the followers of the
scent and vanished. He never cane
back. Man, mules, water barrels, tools.
provisions-sll disappeared. This WAS n
generation ago. but In that country there
are yet men clambering among the dead
canyons, looking for cave with roof
studded with gold. II Is the same story,
with few variations all through.
The Lost Padre mine is the only one
with radically different legend. That
tale came from the Indians. An did
Piute came over from the Nevada side,
and was rescued from death from thirst
by prospector, and in his gratitude
offered to bring the white man To n niue
that had been worked by the mission
fathers lC0 years before. They started,
but az they went the worth OF the serv
ice ne had received seemed less TO the
Indian and the service he was rendering
seemed more, and at last he refused to
proceed unless he was paid pony and a
gun. The miner promised, but ihe
Indian demanded his price In advance,
and they returned TO the edge Of civiliza-
tion, got the pony and gun and started
again.
The prospector returned with the usua
specimens, hut without the secret. The
Indian had left him one night, and had
returned twenty-four hours later with
the gold-bearing rock and a silver cruel
fix with Spanish Inscription. He
brought these t. show that he knew
where the old-time priests had got their
gold, but he had suffered another change
Of heart, and now gave back the horse
and gun and refused to show the nine.
Why! They don't ask Indians for rea-
sons. Il might have been that he saw
a white deer; a snake, quail and crow
NAV have been on the trail together. or
it may have been, and probably was, just
Injun cussedness. ss.-Minneapolis Tribune.