Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1899-05-05
FATE OF JOHN DRIFT

the mine boss.
On June 80. 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 a week later a cattle
man came in from the range and said
that he had found John Drifts mangled
remains in the wills OF the Mogollon
Mountains.
At once the cages stopped in mid
shaft as If paralyzcd 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 catt.eman and listen
breathless as he told his story for the
twentieth time. They could hardly
believe their ears. The old cowpun-
cher must surely ne out Of his head.
How could John Drift get from Den
yer over into M0g5llons in so short a
time?-a hundred miles from a rail-
way, fifty miles to the nearest stage
road
But Dick, the mine boss, left them to
settle the matter as they might, while
he hastened to Prescott and 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
background d'-on top Of Deer Ridge,
near the summit of the Mogollons
And there was the body lying full
length beside a clump Of wild dates.
A glance at the upturned face left not
a shadow OF doubt in anyone's mind
that it was John Drifts, for the fea-
/ lures were perfect. But the clothes
| puzzled them. No one had ever seen
| the old man in such a riga suit OF
| blue denim overalls. And the jumper
was stiff with blood An examination
showed a bullet wound near the heart
| Furthermore, the right arm and three
/ ribs were broken. The white men
! having found out all they could Bark
| ing VOLTS part of the program began
/ He looked the body over from head tC
| foot, examined the eyes and the wound
/ then began circling round and round
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 infoi nation. He could
| find only one trail-that OF someone
coming on horseback from the direc.
tion of Tonto Basin, and going away
again in the direction Of Prescott.
Twas evident to everybody that thi,
was none other than the one made by
the cattleman when he discovered thu
murder and brought the news to camp
for he lived in the Tonic Basin coun
try. To make sure of it, he jumped
on his horse and galloped him a shor
/ distance along the ridge The IndiaT
carefully compared the tracks and de
clared them to he ;he same. In obed
lence with the shcriff's orders, how
ever he searched the ground owe
again and again, but with the SAM
result-there was rot the least sign o
any other trail. here was a myster,
that dumbfounded the officers ant
reused Barking VOLTS superstition
fears.
How did the dead man come ther,
without leaving a footprint OF SOM
sort? And because no one could an
sver the question, the sheriff PLACED
the cattlcman under arrest on circum
stantial evidence. Then they lasbet
the body of John Drift to pack hors
and took it to Prescott for burial.
And the case came up at once for
preliminary hearing But it 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 dea,
about three days when the cattlemal
discovered his body
But Flora and Dick were not salts
fed to let the matter pass. The muir
deTer of their father must be found an
captured at any cost. So they sent T.
San Francisco for an expert, Who hire
a guide and went to the fatal ridge
After spending several days in the vi
entity without finding the ghost OF
clev, he pushed on to the nearest rail
way station and tor K the train for Del
yer. His first move on reaching IT,
city was to put UP at the hotel wher
| the murdered mal had been in tn
| habit Of staying. Going at once to tn
| register he turned to date July /, an
found among the arrivals for that da
John b. Dr.ft, Prescott" room 1;
The proprietor remembered the name
and said that Mr.. Drift had arrive
some time near midnight, but that he
had never been seen about the house
since leaving it 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 cheek
bad never been placed on deposit, nor