The age-herald., 1897-12-28
IN THE YAQUl COUNTRY.
Mineral Wealth of an UndeveIoped Region of
 Old Mexico.

"One of the richest mineral sections in America is in what is known as the Yaqui country, in the state of Sonora Mexico," said Gotthold Langer, of St. Louis, to a Globe-Democrat man.
 MT. Langer has just returned from 0 prospecting tour in the Yaqui country, which has recently been brought into prom thence by discoveries of gold. He went there in the interest of a number of St. Louisans, who desire to develop any min ing property that may appear to be prof. table. MT. Langer brings back the most fattering reports of the mineral wealth of this undeveloped region of Old Mexico.
 "Charles Kuhnert, w. c. Vaughn and myself composed a prospecting party that left St. Louis for Old Mexico on Nov. H." said Mr. Langer. "We carried proper cre- dentials from Col. Sardaneta, the Mexican consul in St. Louis and letters of introduce tion from Mayor Ziegenhein and a number of Washington avenue merchants, and we found our pathway was made quite smooth by these papers. 1 have located a gold mine and silver mine and have an option on fine copper claim. I have returned to St. Louis to remain but few days, when I shall return to my two partners, who are in camp in the Yaqui country.
 "In the first place, I want to say that, so lar us cOulu learn, the reports sent out that the gold pacers of the Yaqu country are immensely rich are nothing but fakesI l went down there to investigate the plac- CTS, but l found none that are valuable. But l think l have located some valuable quartz mines 1 believe that the moun- tains in the region along the Rio Yaqui will some day show some of the richest quartz mines of gold and silver that have been found since the days of California's great boom.
 Tn order to understand the difficulties that meet the prospector in the Yaqui coun- try, 1t might be well to touch upon the his tory of that section. Of course no living white man knows the entire history of this district, because there are strange ruins of temples and forts which seem to tell of some ancient people who once fourished there, and whc attained no small degree of civilization long before Columbus set sail for America. Relics of pottery seem to in- dicate that more than one race of people has inhabited that region and has vanished The ruins of the ancient temples, the eth nological writers and explorers say point to the fact that these ancient races were sun-worshippers.
 But all that is ancient history Coming down to the present time, we still find a most peculiar condition existing in the Va qui country. The name of this section is taken from the tribe of Yauui Indians Last May marked the close of the ten years war of the Yaquis against the Mexi- can government. How these Indians came to settle in this territory nobody knows, as their tradition Is that their ancestors marched into the valleys and mountains many hundreds of moons ago. Whether it was peaceful or a bloody conquest is uncertain. The Yaqus are fine specimens of manhood, as a rule. They are honest and peaceable and are gentle in disposi- tion. But they are patriotic, and when they believe their rights have been tram pied upon they fight with savage ferocity and stubbornness. They live in small huts made either of adobe or of cacti and mes- quite, and raise some corn, but beans Is the staple product. They cultivate the val leys by means of primitive wooden blows Ten years ago the Yaquis claimed that the Mexican government was encroachng on their lands, and these Indians had never been subdued they rebelled against the au- thority of the powers at the City of Mexi- co. The government sent out an army against the Indians, but the latter being congregated in mountainous section and being familiar with all the hidden recesses and tortuous trails, they made a long and stubborn fight Besides, the Yaquis had many modern firearms, and they are ex- pert marksmen. Finally, after a rebellion of ten long years, the 0,000 brave warriors among the Yaquis had dwindled down to 1,000 These 1000 braves were at last driven back into the rugged mountains, and they made a 1lnal Stanu on a p1dteau called Sfer- ra Bacatete, where they were penned up by the Mexican troops. The Yaquis capitu- lated last May, and they are on this plat eau today, surrounded by garrisons of Mexican soldiers in a number of barracks forty miles apart.
 "Now when I landed in the Yaqui coun- try I learned that while I held a zona which is a Mexican document giving me the sole right to prospect for mineral in a certain desired territory, had to deal more or less in smaller way with the Yauuis I found them to be honest in their dealings employed a gambusino, which is the Mexican name for a. professional hunter and mountaineer, who knows the location of hidden minerals I agreed to pay him a certain wage per day to act as guide and show me some mines, and besides he is to receive a stipulated sum of money if my company accepts the mines. But I even had to learn how to manage this gam busino. I paid him his wages after return. ing to camp from a two days trip in the mountains, and he suddenly disappeared,