Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-22
DESERTS GRlSLY SECRET,

Denver Republican: That particularly
barren and dreary section of the Mo-
jave desert which stretches away from
the Randsburg mining district to Death
Valley teens with strange tales of TRACE
dies, generally in connection with the
plentiful legends of fabulously rich gold
mines that have been located and lost
again by pioneer prospectors. Nearly
everybody who has spent much time in
R~andsburg or the territory adjacent to
1t, has been tempted by some wild-eyed
prospector out of the desert beyond to go
In quest of one Of these slost mines"
Usually the John the Baptist of prom
1shed wealth is treated cavalierly by the
"tenderfoot" who has had experience in
other mining territories.
Not very long ago James J. Brown. one
of the owners of the famous Little john
ny mine at Leadville, paid a visit to the
Randsburg district, where he acquired
some mining property by way of a
flyer He was accompanied by a few
experts in his employ and James Shinn,
another Leadville min owner.
One blazing hot day, while Brown and
Shinn sat in the ormer's rudely con-
structed office, a man bearing all the out
ward characteristics of the desert pros
pector described above staggered to the
doorway of the building. His eyes gilt
tered feverishly, the skin of his face glis-
tened dry like parchment and alkali dust
chung to every visible shred of his tat
tered garments. Two ~shrunken, bony
burros, each bearing the mere ugg
ton of a pack, accompanied the desert
worn pilgrim.
After a moments rest against the door
posts. Mr.. Browns strange caller asked
for a drink of water. He swallowed 1t
With such avidity that he almost stran-
gled. Then he glanced about in a suspi-
cious way and asked which of the two
was James j. Brown. He was enlight-
ened, and thereupon said he had been
tod by some Of the other men in the
camp that MI. Brown was ready to put
money into mining investments, if salts
lleu that they were good prospects,
i've got something out here aways,"
said he. that's first-class, but I can't
work it alone" His hand dived toward
the faded bosom of the once blue shirt he
wore. but stopped half way as he looked
doubtfully at shinn and then question
ingly at Brown.
on, he's all right" said the Denver
millionaire. But the ]prospector, still,
nervous about the safety of his secret.
asked that the door be closed and the re-
quest was humored. AT last he pro-
duced from a piece of sacking, which an
peared to hav come from inside his in
ner garment, a few pieces of quartz.
They o SO we'll that James J. Brown
and his friend concluded to have them
assayed. In the meantime he turned the
prospector over to one of his men, with
instructions that he be given creature
comforts and fitted out with a new garb
from hat to socks. This treatment ap-
peared to satisfy the man of the desert
regarding his hosts good faith, and that
night he enjoyed a sleep that was broken
only by occasional upstartings and out
cries. These We're attributed to his prf-
vations in the sand waste before he
reached Randsburg.
An assay of the quartz specimens star
tledseven the mineral-wise and phlegm-
attic MIR. Brown. The pieces of rock ran
more than $500 in gold alone to the ton.
here was the prospect of even a richer
mine than the Little Johnny. Anyway,
the mere chance of realizing it was worth
more than the cost of a prospecting put
fit.
Another talk was held with the owner
of the quartz. preliminary to closing a
deai with hin. He was reticent about
his affairs, particularly the happenings