The evening times., 1900-06-30

the mines Of the Copper Jack Company !
the State OF Sonora. Mexico. Prior 70 tn
was a professional prospector 1 foun
a number Of valuable mines, and mac
and lost several fortunes on my own &C
count: but a protracted spell OF bad lue
compelled me to seek employment with Z
established concern, and l accepted the p
sition OF surface superintendent Of T.
Copper Jack Companys property. Amer
my other duties l made bronco trip on
each month to the BiSbee bank and ca.
ried out the money for the payroll.
was a considerable sum, since the con
pany employed 130 poems, besides Ii
skilled American miners; and there weI
other employees of course to be paid
was 145 miles from Bisbee to the min,
and the trail lay along a sandy deseT
/ upon which nothing grew but cacti, tEf
! gauEI Adams needle the maguey, and lov
/ mesquite. I vas accompanied always b.
! a guard OF three or four men siuce-espt-
cially in the time Of Billy the Kid-ther,
was constant danger of a holdup.
/ The construction Of railroad, which ter
minated at Ojo Calientes. seventy mile.
/ from Copper Jack, caused change in my
/ plan. The long pony ride was Sbsndonet
/ for the short one. and part OF the trip u
| Bisbee was made by rail. This lesseEe-
the distance Of the overland ride by hal.
] The mountains through which / had nov
to pass were filed with min.Is and pros
/ pectOrs, and / no longer considered a.
| armed escort as necessary
Half way between the mine and the raj
road there was an old Mexican town Gale.
/ Monclova It was founded by the Spanist
| in the early days Of discovery and adven-
| ture and for the past 100 years has hGs
4 10 more nor less than about 2.Oc0 inhabi-
/ tants. l always made the Cist~uce from
/ Copper Jack TO Ojo and from O1o to Cop
per Jack in two days. MOnciova was con
vsEient for staying the intervening night
since there was fairly good meson, or
hotel, there-a Curious old adobe built b.
the Spanish as a fortress II which to tak.
refuge when the Indians were troublesome
II was a square. brown, windowles-
structure. with a great courtyard and port
holes along the roof
About four years ago I met Mr.. Franz
Coles, one OF the Eastern directors Of the
Copper Jack. at Bisbee. He was out West
for the first time and was on bis way 10
inspect the property. When We LETT Bis
bee I had $21 coo of the conlpany's none.
didn't tell Mr.. Coles for fear be would
feel uneasy travelling across a wild noun
tain country with a companion carrying
such a sum- But ! had made Only three O.
four trips with the payroll by way Of OJo.
and didn't suppose Il was generally know
that I carried money Then, TOO. II was a
daylight ride from OjO to MOnclOya and
from MoncIOva 10 Copper Jack
I Il was late in the afternoon CT a win
| Jer's day when the train arrived al OjO
Calienres Mr. Coles and myself vent i'm
I nledIately 70 the Meson del St Maria we
intended 20 get an early start IN the morn
- Il - a.
by night. and the next day. with fresh
horses. 70 reach Copper Jack. The meson
: was crowded with q miscellaneous thrCn-
OF vaGueros. gamblers. miners. and half
breed village loafers.
After a supper 9f peppery Mexican
dishes for which neither Mr.. Coles nor I
had any relish we sat under the portales,
smoked our cigars, and observed the peo,
I pie moving about the courtyard and ia and
out of the ltina. The saloon was a lively
place. where red o. ths and fiery tequiia
and mescal enliyan~d q registering. sWag-
ge-ing lot Of cow-punchers. grizzly pcs
pectors and pink-shirted Mexican monte
dealers. L was a motley crowd. with ths
usual sprinklirg Of refugees from Amert-
can Justice. and MeNicans in gay SOM
bre75s and fancy zarspes
PerIIous Journey
Early in IL morning We set forwa-
bt ekboard drawn BY four Spanish mules.
To way was a mere trail througl TIE
mountains and so rough We could seldom
go at a trot. Ny compsuiOp's head ev
dizzy sometimes when the buckb ard
wound along a ledge above a deep sbyss.
Had the mules become frightened - h d
they made misstep We would have tum-
bled a thousand feet dow1 the noun ain.
Once We passed an arriero with eigh r
ros. II was a tight squeeze to get y and
one of the burros missed his step and fell
over and over down the deel,vity. The
Mexican could make no effort TO get il ou'
and il would have been use ess NJ Co es
insisted on paying for the buEro, but / x
p planned IL was not usual and h might set
precedent which would inspire an arriero
to lose buTro eve-y time he met an Amer
lean outfit in a light place. The owl
J mountains lowered high into the sky atoui
US, the air was clear and crisp, and nature
, everywhere seemed piled Up in the ucm s.
! confusion. Mr.. Coles was appalled, az h
scenery-the great, tree-ess, ilHe-cei hill S
, gaping bsTTancas, and gulches the bcttoI
of which We could seldom see
: Toward sunset we woun1 s'ogly up q
! steep hill. When We attained It's SUNNI
, We saw MOnclOva spread below u in I
! narrow valley. 1t was a quaint adobe vii
d laEe MalltQ IN Dl lutlluS LII : WIN 4 -llLt
! river winding through IL Many OF II,
. buildings were covered with pink p astel
! and some had upper story with p nder-
Gus batten shutters and little iron CALLER
; les. We entered the mG.n street VIII c,
was not more than fifteen feet wide, an.
ratified over cobblestQnes past the p az
, and the old stone church OF Quad IuT
ard came TO stop in front Of the woode.
gate of the meson. We were driven irtC
the patiO where the u1esoneTo vel onneS
. US with great gusto. To his Disc. nj
> eye Mr.. Coles was a person Of conside rabl'
: importance. and he knew that l was su-
face superintendent cf the Copper Jscl
n and that l made monthly trip to BiSb-,
10 get the payroll of the company.
, He was an avaricious cunning Hstle man
with small. fat hands and almost imper.
: ceptible black eyes that danced dnde1
: heavy down-drawn broTs. He wore
shabby, dusty-brown suit. outfandisn tar
shoes, and a black derby hat Of ancien
. block. BY way Of being cordial ee invited
! US TO drink, so we crossed the 10 ant
! / entered the cantina. To please = hos
we asked for tequila and salt, \
neither Mr.. Coles, who never tasted L
liquor before, nor myself Telished. Blu
the mesonero, when he swallowed th'
L liquor and licked the salt from the bael
| OF his hand. smacked his lips for joy o
e the delicate favor that fingered on hi
palate. Then he fumbled in the uppe
: pockets Of his vest for cigars, and as h'
threw back TIE lapel Of his coat l saw