El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-27
Went Back After Forty One Years.

W. s. Barnum and son Frank and
w. w. Bryan have returned from Cali
fornia In which state they have been
the pact month on u pleasure aud gold
seeking trip. They.we to see about
an old placer tnat Mr.. Bsrnum lad
worked over forty years ago. He had
been planning for years to return and
flush taxing the gold from this placer
but had failed to get away until about
= month ago and when they got tiers
the placer was bare. AS before stated
In the HERALD they found there = man
named Snyder with whom the elder
Bsraum mad CROSSED the plains forty
one years ego aad VINO had been there
ever sinca. Mr.. Sayder was TIE only
person besides Mr.. Barnum that knew
of the placer that the latter had gone
back to rob OF its richness, but one
was enough. He had, like Mr..
Bsrnum, planned for years to Invade
the pla GER and take out the gold but
he did not pus his going of quite as
long as Mr.. Barnum. he only put it
of thirty-one years, hence he was ten
years ahead of MIR. Barnum. Mr..
Snyder took two other men with him
Mr.. Barnum had taken out some pretty
fair pieces of rock, some of which
brought him about fifty dollars each,
bus Mr.. Snyder took his breath when
he told him that he had taken them
ous that brought him $l4S each and
that he took more small nuggets out
than Mr.. Barnum could carry on the
best day he ever saw; Mr.. Barnum has
bsen o pretty strong mau in his day,
too. Mr.. Barnum says he knew ell
she time that IL was there bu: It just
seemed like he never could get OF to
GO and get it.
The party Was In San Fraocisoo three
days and saw many interesting sights,
among which WAS she loadiug OF SIX U.
S. transports for the Orient. The bat
tleship Iowa WAS also anchored out In
the bay ready loaded and awsitins
orders. 40 English ship WAS there
country. They loaoed two dozen cssss
q minute for three dsys and nights aoo
were not near loaded when the 81
PssoAns lef. The pleasure seekers
shooting the Chutes charmed Mr..
Bsrnum, and the bostmen on the
cnutes, who stood up in the end of toe
boat Will - sk ppei over the wafer
like thin rooS thrown by a boy, AID
guided the buat back 20 the shore with
just a movement of their bodies were TO
him great prodigies.
Up In the mountains they drank
rom = spring OF water that came out
from under the roots of big tree aud
the water Was so cold It made their
teeth ache. THAT spring in El Paso
would be worth Q fortune" said Mr..
Barnum. Up nsar she placer which
they went TO work they cav some tree
stumps twenty feet high. "Why did
the mau who cut those trees want 10
soanold up and cut them off so far
above the ground?" asked Mr.. Bsrnum
of Mr.. Snyder, and the latter explsip-
ed To him that those trees were cut
three years ago when the snow there
was twenty feet deep and the man who
cut them stood on the snow.
Mr.. Bsrnum says he visited several
California towns while awav but he
never found one that was as good bust
ness town or in as healthy a climate a.
Ell Paso. They found some gold in diff
ferent places but spent most of their
time In bunting small game and they
all sd pleasant time and gained in
weight. The senior Mr.. Barnum gained
fifteen pounds, Frank gained q few and
Mr.. Bryan weighs twenty five pounds
more than when he started. They may
return In the spring.