The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-02-03
more than eight years before. which


forts crowned with success Tomorrow
start for the settlements. to return in the
spring to uncover and work the valuable
mine which have discovered Realizing
the fact that am long way from civliza-
tion aud liable to meet with serious mishap 70
III not death before reach the outer world.
I am prompted to make the following state
ments. which may reach the hand of some
friend should misfortune overiake me
This letter will leave in my cabin. hoping
That ] viii be on the ground again In the
spring as soon as anyone My name Is
George w Skinner, and my home is in The
city of -, Ill. Early this spring l. started
for the Sangre de Christie mountains from
Denver to prospect. being impelled to come
here by the reports of gold finds disclosed
to me by some friendly Indians God knows
the hardships l endured In reaching this
country, and after spending the greater
part of the season in fruitless search
finally discovered what / believe to be one
of the richest mines in Colorado and will
carry out with me all the gold can manage
with my limited facilities To find the dis
covery shaft of the property. which I have
purposely filled up. you will stand with
your back to the west side of the ca bin,
alongside the door, walk in westerly direc-
tion about 22 PAGES to a ravine or gulch;
then turn to the left and walk up he gulch
lO5 paces then turn to the right and walk
20 PAGES, when you will arrive a, the place.
The lead is a blind one and accidentally
found II while digging near the roots of
a tree that had been blown over Should
any person find this letter inside of one
year it will avail him nothing. as l have
complied with the law sufficiently to hold
the property for that length of time. If
do not return within that time the property
can he located by anyone. The only request
I have to make is that the finder of this
note notify my brother at the above ad-
dress.
".GE EORGE w SKINNER
'The brother was ow thoroughly
convinced that some harm had be-
fallen his brother. and without telling
anyone of his discovery. determined to
set out in the spring and endeavor to
solve the mystery of his disappearance.
The SHOWS of that winter were un-
usually severe, and heavy slides were
often heard tearing down the mountain
Sides sweeping everything before them.
With the opening of spring the snow on
the south and east sides of the noun
tains rapidly disappeared, and early in
March Mr.. Skinner and his guide
struck into the mountains. the guide
being informed that they would take
up the search where they left off the
year before. When they arrived at what
they supposed was the place where
the old cabin had been found. every
thing WAS changed. The heavy SHOWS
and the terrific snowslides had com.
pletely changed the face of nature, and
they were unable to find even a vestige
of the cabin. Trees had been swept
away, heavy powders removed. and
the general appearance of the country
completely altered.
"Nothing daunted, Mr.. Skinner de-
termined to spend the summer in that
locality in the hope of obtaining some
clew of his missing brother. and. if
possible, of loca ting the lost mine. All
their efforts were without avail, and
when fail set in they reluctantly aban-
doned the search and again started for
the foothills. Mr.. Skinner had de-
cided to organize a party and make a
systematic search the following year,
after returning home and arranging
necessary business affairs. One DAVIS
travel from where they started on
the return trip the mountain broke off
very abruptly, the dim trail which the
party was following leading them
mountain, overhanging a chasm hun
dreds of feet deep. While carefully
picking their way along this dangerous
trail, one of the burros became fright.
ened at some imaginary object. and in
his plunging and bucking jumped off
the lift and rolled down into the gulch
below. AS several articles of value
were in the pack, the two men secured
the remaining burro and carefully
picked their way to the bottom of
the gulch to save what they could of
the wreck. AT the place where the
burro had lodged, some 200 feet below
the trail, they were Mortified to find
the skeletons of a man and some an
imal lodged on a small shelf of rock
near where their burro had struck
Portions of the pack were still on the
animal, and some of the clothing still
hung to the skeleton.
among the articles found near the
dead man was book containing a
diary, perusal of which soon showed
that the skeleton was that of George
Skinner, the missing man, the last
entry in the diary referring to the
writing of the latter, telling the secret
of the mine, and indicating that it had
been written on the day prior to his
death. An examination of the skele-
ton showed that the skull had been
split in two, and Skinner thought it
had been the work of Indians. Rob-
berry could not have been the motive,
however, as considerable gold and all
the araphernalia of u camping outfit
were found near by.
"The remains were buried under a
large pine tree on the mountain side
near where they had lain so long. and
Mr.. Skinner resumed his homeward
trip, which saddened the fate of his
brother, yet satisfied to know that he
had unraveled the mystery surround
ing his disappearance. lie headed a
party the following summer which ell