The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-09-11

The Pacific coast newspapers have
been full Of stories about Edward
Sohieffelin, enc CT the discoveries Of
the Tombstone mines, who was found
dead in a cabin in eastern Oregon. His
remail,', according to his wish, now
rest upon tie top Of IL granite peak two
miles West CT Tombstone, 4. L. He de-
sired, he s;;iti, "to he buried III the curb
OF a rrosTector, Ey old pick and al
teen with me, and a such as
prosnectors slaild when locating a min
ing claim built over my grave and no
other monument or slab erected"
1t sesms to be generally felt through
out the Pacific coast that this plain.
ignorant, kind hearted old pioneer aud
prospectur, Who had travelled many
thousands OF miles i'll search of new
mines, has tins uncoasoiously made his
mark Epon Il romance and history.
That lonely granite cairn i'll the desert,
rising upaa the extreme point Of a tree
less nren.cntory, will long be pointed
ont as the F.3ve ef ore Of the most ia
nous of American prospectors.
Ed sehietfciin's che great strike
yielded hi2! inlly a third of 81, 000, Geo.
At varions times il bis adventurous
career he plo4aed nainstakinsly over
the widest portions Ct tie Rocky noun
tains anf Sisrras, he visited Alaska,
Mexico, 5aeJh America and South
Africa, hu5 never again found such a
mine. When be Gied. his fortune, at
400 4-,-, -,sl 10 IlL--~, E-aG. nnn ~
greatly decreased By reason ct bad in
vest:aents @na costly expeditions.
The story Of the finding Of Tomb
st0lie, tilat briefly famous Arizonian
mining city. has been told il many
different ways, until it is fast becom-
ing Il CT tie nost attractive Of Pacific
coast myths. The simple facts are that
late in the seventies tic two Schieffelin
brothers and Dick GiEd were prospect
ing, sometimes together, sometimes
separately, in various districts Of Ari-
zona and New Mexico. Il was a time
of terrible Indian outbreaks, and the
Apaehes were on the waIpath, killing
lonely miners and prospectors, attack
ing the stage coaches and running off
cattle. Ed Sehieffelin finally wandered
into the neiehhorhood Of a disputed
claim, the Bronco, where eight men
bad been ssGt i'll various attempts to de-
eide its ownership, and was hired at So
a day to sit On a hilltop and look GU
for Indians. One day, while hunting
up a stray horse, the hitherto unsuccess-
full %prospeetor stumbled into what was
afterward called Tombstone Gulch and
found some copper stained rock on what
became the Tough Nut mine. This he
sent to Grid for an assay, and soon after
sent ore from the Lucky Cuss. When
development was begun, a thin vein in
granite wideHed, and promised immense
riches. The claims were sold for very
large sums, and when the Apaches were
driven ont capitalists poured money in
to the district. But the mines did not
Justify expectations. Tombstone was
very far from being q second Cor1stock.
The unlucty Brcncho never paid d dol
lar. The schieffeiin and Grid claims
yielded for a time but soon ran out,
and the camp sank into decay.
The first time I met Schiefelin, that
most typical Of western prospectors,
was about six years ago. After hearing
some of his picturesque ~prospector
yarns I told him about the various
treasure expeditions to Coos island and
the legends which had caused these ex-
cltements. He seized upon the glitter
ing tale of diamond hilted swords, bags
Of doubloans and bars of gold with the
faith OF a child and at once offered to
q T. Na% - r. -.
pay my expenses as we'll as give ne a
third Of the treasure If | would go along
to repeat the legend as often as desired.
he had p~rcspeeted for almost every
thing, be said, except pirate treasures,
and he wanted those diamond hilted
swords to 'pnt in his parlor."
/ did not know at that time the story
abont his ps1ior. Having bought a
$1,000 h0Tso il the town Of Alameda,
he kept several tons Of quartz ID one
corner, on top Of which his old pros
peoting tools, burro's saddle aud ca1np |
outfit Tepcsed when net ii use. I never
heard what his wife thought Of this
unique fug4itare, bat there IS 10 doubt |
that the diaal9nd ailted swords would
have rested peacefully Gu the quartz |
pile. and it was with sincere regrets
fhat Acknowledged 70 him my entire
lack Of faith IN the picturesque spanish
legend Of Coos island.
sehiefelil' $. Alaska experiences hive
long deserved q ~ehroaicler. He fitted
out an expedition years ago and pros
pected over vast areas of that region.
His little steamboat assembled the broad
Yukon, and the party wintsred in the
interior. One man. since dead. Charles