Mohave County miner., 1900-06-16
Tombstone, Arizona.

tors or Uncle Sans vast domain there
is not one who does not know, or has
not listened to wonderful tales of Ari.
zona's most famous silver camp, Tomb.
stone, down among the Huachuca
mountains in Chochise county.
There never was another mining
camp, at least not in the west. A more
prodigal and reckless lot Of miners
never lived than those of Tombstone.
There is an element of daring and ro.
nance in the tale Of nearly every west
ern mining camp, but the history of
the finding of silver ledges at Tomb
stone abounds in thrilling adventure.
Edward Scbiefflin, their discoverer,
was pronounced by General Nelson A.
Miles to be the truest type of the rest
less prospector the southwest has ever
had
Ed Schieffiin was born near Pitts.
burg, Pa, In lS4s. and when lad, his
parents removed TO Oregon, where his
father went into farming. Young
Schieffiin did not like to toll the soil
and ran away to prospect for copper in
the southern part of Oregon. That was
the beginning of his career as prospec.
tor which only death could end. Moth
ing could temp him long from his love
OF prospecting. He endured hardship
and solitude. He prospected over the
Santa Margarita mountains, in the
Navajo Indian country, slept in snow
banks amid mountain taps in the win
ter, ana roasted in the fiery sun on the
alkali wastes of the valleys in summer.
A dozen times he thought he had struck
1t rich. Seven years Schieffiin lead the
life of poor prospector in Nevada,
Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico.
When short of cash and unable to buy
grub" he worked in mines. But when-
ever he had saved enough money, by
strict economy, to carry him through
another season of gold and silver hunt
ing, he quit work. His life was often
endangered by hostile Indians, but all
hardships and dangers could not
dampen his ardor. He never CON-
planned, but always hoped to catch the
fckle goddess "Fortune."
One Of his acquaintances, who saw
ombstone's founder about 1876 on his
way to Arizona, described him as about
the queerest specimen of human flesh
he ever saw. Schefiiin measured feet
2 inches, aud had black curly hair
that hung several inches below his
shoulders. His long, untrimmed beard
was mat of unkept knots and mats.
His clothing was worn out and covered
with patches of deer skins, cordury
and flannel, and his old slouch hat,
too, was SO pieced with rabbit skin that
very little of the original felt remained.
Although only twenty-seven years of
age, Schieffiin looked as il forty sum.
mers had passed since he first greeted
the light OF mother earth.
Everybody cautioned him to keep
out of the mountains over the south
west of Arizona, because the hostile
Apaches swarmed over the country.
At Tucson, the sheriff of Cochise coun-
ty told our daring prospector when he
heard Of the latter's intention to go
into the Huachuca mountains, that he
was the greatest fool he ever heard Of
aud remarked: you'll never get out
Of the Huachucas alive; you'll get no
gold nnine there, only your tombstone"
The Apache Indians went on the
warpath and Schiefflin joined General
Niles army as scout, a position for
which he was elninently fitted. That
was In the fall Of 1876. Next spring
Schiefflin quit scouting eager to re-
sumo his search for gold and silver
lodges. During his army service he
thought to have discovered indications
of fine gold ledges around the San
Pedro Valley, where the Apaches were
raiding and numbering. Nobody be-
lieved that Schieffiin would dare to
hunt for gold or silver In the San Pc
dro valley; 1t was the rankest madness.
Sure as fate, you'll find your tomb
stone, Ed, down in that country" said
his friends, as he resigned as scout
and prepared for his prospecting trip
in the land Of the hostile Apaches.
One bright May morning in 1877, Ed.
Schieffiin and an old prospector named
Dawson struck the trail for the San
Pedro river. Before sunset Indian {