The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-15
AFTER YELLOW METAL
THE FINDS DURING 400 YEARS ON
AMERICAN TERRITORY.
Gold of the Western Hemisphere and
Its Discoveries since Spain Robbed
Mexican Temples.

T. L. Kaltenbach. in St. Louis Republic
In view of the tireless search for gold
which the Spaniards instituted in their
American possessions, and the numerous
expeditions undertaken during the first CEN
fury of the new worlds history for the
avowed object of finding the precious metal,
it is remarkable fact that gold not
discovered within the boundaries Of the pres
ent United States, nor even anywhere north
of the Rio GranGe, until 800 years after
Columbuss travels. The lust for gold--the
same gold fever which reigns among us
drove hundreds of advenrurers across the
Atlantic to brave the dangers of the I'M
known wilds in their attempts to find the
land of gold the Eldorado of which the In
dams had told and of which the most ro-
mantle tales were being circulated in Eu-
rope. The adventures We're of all the sea-
faring nations of the civilized world. The
Spaniards, on the whole. were the most for
tunate in finding gold. They massacred the
savages and plundered their temples ana
palaces, securing vast masses of the pre-
cious metal. The English, on the other
hand, were unsuccessful throughout.
Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions We're dis
NAL failures. He suffered with his life for
his ill-fortune The Eldorado which had
been sought in South America had not been
found. The attention of Adventures was
now turned to the opposite direction and
the imaginary land of gold was placed in
the north of America. This idea became
so strong that, in 1876, Martin Frobisher set
out from England for the Northwest, seek
ing a passage to India north of Hudson's
strait. He came to an island which he
named Meta Incognita, and on his return
took with him a stone which the English
refiners declared to contain gold. London
was greatly excited. But when a second
expedition returned and brought with it
lot of valueless dirt the disappointment set
the populace wild with rage. But the pub
lie was ready to be imposed upon again.
AS early as 1905 Captain John Smith heard
from the Indians reports of rich gold mines
in Virginia. The same statements We're re-
peated by other explorers after him, ana
soon adVenturers fiocked to the new settle>
ments on the Virginia coast. The second
lot of emigrants 70 jamestown consisted
chiefly of vagahond gentlemen and gold
smiths, who, In spite of the remonstrances
of Smith believed they lad discovered
grains of gold in the entering earth. There
was now nothing done but digging for
gold, washing gold, refining gold. Newport,
the commander, believed himself immeasur-
ably rich as he emba rked for England with
a freight of worthless earth.
Gradually the hope of ever finding Eldora-
do vanished, and for 200 years the golden
phantom did not appear Not till this
fury were the gold treasures of North
America taken from the bosom of the earth.
They were found primarily, as the result
of accident not of mad, thoughtleSS quest.
THE NORTH CAROLINA FIND.
It was in the second year of this century,
when the report spread as rapidly as was
possible in those early days, through the
Eastern States, that gold, real gold, had
been discovered in North Carolina. AT first
people shook their heads and doubted the
news. Had not the discoveries of the coun-
try ransacked every nook and corner for
the precious metal and not found as much
as an ounce? But the report was soon veri-
fed and before long, nuggets of bright
gold reached the larger towns and were
seen, wondered at, by the curious people
With the gold came the story of the dis
coyery, and the wiseacres nodded their
heads and said: "HoW simple" And when
it became known that the owner of the
gold mine was one of those Hessians who
had fought against the patriots the gossip
mongers remarked, with sneer of disgust
THE ignorant Dutchman." This is the
story which was soon told all over the land:
John Reed, one of the unfortunateS whom
the elector of Hesse had pressed into serv-
ice to fight for the English in America,
had, after the war, settled farm in
Cabarrus county, North Carolina, where
the German element predominated. He was
said 10 be grossly ignorant, having been
but q poor peasant boy when forcibly
transported to America One sunny sum-
mer day, in the year 1899, Conrad Reed,
Johns twelve-year-old son, accompanied
by a sister and a younger brother, went to
small stream called Meadow creek, for
the purpose of shooting fish with bow and
arrow, as the Indians were wont to do.
While bending over the waters brink, Con-
rad spied a yellow substance glistening in
the creek He waded into the water, picked
1t up and found 1t to be some kind of
metal. Though unconscious of its nature
and value but with the curiosity of a
child. the VOunpStRr carried his find home
and showed 1t to his father, who had just
returned from church. The parent exam
ined the piece of metal, but ig-
norant as to it's character as the boy. The
next time he brought vegetables TO market
at Concord he took the yellow stone, which
was about the size of a small smoothing
iron, with him to town and showed it to
William Atkinson silversmith. This
worthy, whose experience seems to have
been sadly limited, knew not what to call
it. So Reed who unlSnowingly seems to
have suspected the value of his sons find
carried the piece of metal home again. For
three years it lay on the floor. of the farm
house, used for the purpose of keeping the
door from shutting. In the year 1862, the
old farmer had occasion to go to market at
Fayetteville He took the piece of metal
with him and showed 1t to jeweler. The
latter Immediately recognized it as gold
and asked Reed TO leave it with him, say
ing that he would flux it.
FIRST AMERICAN GOLD BRICK.
The old farmer did accordingly. On his
next visit to town the jeweler showed him
large bar Of gold, six or eight inches long
and asked him at what price he would let
him have 1t. Reed, not knowing the value
of gold, but still DESTROYS of profiting as
much as possible by his sons find, named
what he thought big price," namely, $3.50.
The jeweer paid him the price named and
chuckled over his bargain. After returning
home, Reed looked over the ground where
the gold had been picked up and found
nuggets of the precious metal all along the
brink of the creek. He associated with
himself three of his neighbors also Ger
mans, Frederick Kisor (Kaiser) James
Love Qoew) and Martin Phifer (Pfeifer).
and in the year 1903 they found a piece of
gold that weighed twenty-eight pounds
Numerous large nuggets of the metal were
found thereafter OF various sizes and val
ueS. The whole surface of the ground along
the creeks bank for nearly a mile was ricn
In gold. In 1881 quartz veins We're discov-
cred which yielded large quantities of gold
From lS03 to 1885 lis pounds OF gold were
found on one spot. In 1910 the output OF
the gold mines in Cabarrus county, North
Carolina, was estimated at $500 Reed
pronted by his discoveries and died about
the year 1913 a wealthy man.
AS might have been expected, the discov.
cry of gold excited so much attention that
exploration was begun extensively. The
gold was traced southwark as far as the
borders of the Cherokee territory in North
ern Georgia. In Rowan county, North Car
DINA, mining operations We're commenced
at Gold Hill in September, 1912. Some very
rich veins were opened From January