Arizona republican., 1898-04-21

Accidental discoveries of rich mining claims have been of frequent occur renee in Arizona as well as in other territories and states. Again we find men who have been in the hills score of years prospecting for gold and other rich minerals and for long period some have held on to rich prospects in the hope of meeting capitalists and how often after years of toll amid hardships, exposure to raids from hos tile Indian tribes these toilers have at last relinquished their holdings for a pittance and then either have fallen into a condition that eventually carried them off or have lived to look upon the operations of vast magnitude which resulted in the extraction of the rich metals and by recent methods of scientific nature treated what seeming ly was of no value reduced the appar- ent useless rock to a minimum leaving but bare percentage of waste. Of the class who have prospected year af- ter year only to wind up with triding payment for their possessions, hun dreds could be accounted for, while Of those who by mere accident stumbled as 1t were upon rich crOppings but small percentage can be summed up. Of the latter the locators of the cele- brated Commonwealth may be clasSed. The story of this find has been told in many ways but the one told me has the semblance of truth from start to finish. While the transfer of the prop erty lifted several from a life of com parative poverty to that of af1uence in comparison, it has resulted in placing an equal number in the list of multi millionaires.
 In a recent southern trip I conversed with an old resident of Cochise county, one who has seen the once famous mining town of Tombstone in the height of it's glory, the then leading city of Arizona, and watched its de- cline through the fall of the white metal which perforce led to the re- markable change that now presents the once bustling camp as almost a wreck of it's former greatness. This old miner was witness to the early pro ceedings that began with the find at Pearce, the assays that followed and the deal which eventually ended in the transfer of the seven valuable claims which became known two years ago as the Commonwealth, leading to the creation of town in the immediate vicinity and known as Pearce. Tomb stones frame buildings had been par tially transferred to the growing town of Bisbee and then began the transfer to Pearce, burg in Sulphur Springs valley that is in great part portion of the once famous town twenty-five miles east, or as the bird flies but if teen miles in that direction from Pearce.
 The Pearce family, father, mother, sons John and William, had lived on a ranch at the east base of the Dragoon mountains, or five miles from what is now known as Pearce. They had about 500 head of cattle which they marketed. Three years ago, March past, the eldest boy, Jchn, rode over the range on a semi-prospecting tour and in his rambles failed to find any thing. On his return home he knocked off from a cropping with a miners hammer a rock in the extreme west end of the low hills and took there from a small specimen which bore horn silver. This he sent to WurZ of Tombstone for assay and the returns showed HOO ounces in silver, four and a half ounces in gold. Great was the surprise in the Pearce household upon receiving such an exhibit from but a small specimen. A second as say made by William Johnson resulted in a similar showing. John Pearce and Dick Kinsman, his brother-in- law, at once located seven claims. The maternal Pearce insisted thatthe in- terests in these claims should be so divided that her youngest son, Will, should have one fifth, the paternal maternal Pearce insisted that the in- Pearce, one-ffth, John Hartery, a relative, one-fifth and the balance be held equally between the eldest son and Kinsman.
 The owners sunk shaft fifty feet the ore increasing in quantity as depth was attained. Sugar quartz was disclosed, carrying gold and sil- rlc ch fo