The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-04-12
FATE OF JOHN DRIFT.

John b. Drift owned a group OF mines
In the Bradshaw Mountains. neal Pres
colt, A. r.. He lived with his two chill
dren, Dick and Flora And Dick was
the mine boss
On June 30. some years ago the old
man left camp and started for Denver
Col The trip was undertaken solely
for the purpose OF squaring accounts
with certain smelter. to which for
the past six months, he had shipped his
ores as fast as they could be taken out
What was the CONSERVATION In camp
therefore, when week later II cattle
man came in from the range and said
that he had found John Drifts mangled
remains in the wilds OF the Mogollon
Mountains,
At once the cages stopped in mid
shaft as il paraly2ed And as the as
founding news flashed from level To
level. the Burley drills ceased to whir.
the mules brayed in the drifts, the men
by scores sprang To the ladders and
poured from the manhole, to crowd
around the eattleman and listen
GREATNESS as he told his story for the
twentieth time They could hardly
believe their ears. The old cowpun-
cher must surely be out of his head.
How could John Drift get from Den
Yer over into Mogollons in SO short Il
time?-a hundred miles from rail
way. nifty miles 10 the nearest stage
road
But Dick. the mine boss, left them to
settle the matter as they might. while
he hastened to Prescott aud notified
the sheriff Without delay posse was
summoned. Among them was an In
dian trailer named Barking Wolf The
cattlemen led them to the spot on old
bed ground" ON top of Deer Ridge,
near the summit of the Mogollons,
And there was thu body lying full
length beside "A dump of Wild dates.
glance at the upturned face left not
Il shadow OF doubt In anyone's mind
that Il was John Drifts, for the fea.
lures were perfect Hut the clothes
puzzled them No one had ever seen
The old man In such a rig a suit OF
blue denim ovcralls. And the jumper
was stlff with blood An examination
showed bullet wound near the heart.
Furthermore. the right avn and three
ribs were broken The white men
having found out a!i they could Bark
ing VOLTS part Of the program began.
He looked the body over from head to
foot, examined the eyes and the wound,
pi
wider and wider. over ground covered
with scrub and broken rock. After
searching for an hour up and down
each slope of the ridge, he came back
with startling information He could
find only one trail that of someone
coming ON horseback from the drec-
ton of Tonic Basin and going away
again in the direction of Prescott
Twas evident 10 everybody that this
was none other than the one made by
the cattleman when he discovered the
murder and brought the news TO camp,
for he lived ia the Tonto Basin coun-
Try TO make sure of it, he jumped
on his horse and galloped him a short
DISTANCE along the ridge. The Indian
carefully compared the tracks and de-
clared them to be The same In obed-
fence with the sheriff's orders, how
ever, he searched the ground over
again and again but with the same
result-there was not the least sign OF
any other trail. Here was a mystery
that dumbfounded the officers and
reused BARKING VOLTS superstltlous
fears.
How did the dead man come there
without leaving a footprint OF some
sort? And because no one could an
swer the question. the sheriff placed
stantial evidence. Then they dashed
the body OF John Drift to pack horse
and took 1t to Prescott for burial.
And the case came up at once for 4
preliminary hearing. But 1t was dis
missed for want of sufficient evidence
Besides. the Indians testimony show
ed that there was no sign OF any strug-
gle having taken place On the ridge,
and that John Drift had been dead
about three days when the cattleman
discovered his body.
But Flora and Dick were not satis-
fed to let the matter pass. The mur-
derer OF their father must be found and
captured at any cost So they sent to
San Francisco for an expert, who hired
a guide and went to the fatal ridge.
After spending several days In the vi
clnity without finding the ghost of a
clew, he pushed on to the nearest rail-
way station and took the train for Den
yer His first move on reaching the
the murdered man had been in the
habit OF staying. Going at once to the
register he turned TO date July |, and
found among the arrivals for that day
John Is. Drift, Prescott" room 49,
The proprietor remembered the name,
and said that Mr. Drift had arrived
some time near midnight, but that he
had never been seen about the house
since leaving II after luncheon the next
day The Officer interviewed the
smelter people as soon as possible, and
was told that they had settled up with
John Drift on the morning OF July 2
by giving him a check on the First
National for $4,000. but that they had
not seen him since. At the bank,
however. II was learned that the check
had never been placed on deposit, nor
had any notification OF It been received
from any other firm.
l. IL