Arizona republican., 1901-03-28

of Col. Jerry Milay and a consider able area east of 1t, became a theater of exploration for a big bar of bull lion taken from a Vulture stage. and which was known to have been buried somewhere thereabOuts. In justice to Col. Millay. whose name has been in- troduced into this story for geographi- cal purposes it should be made clear that that famous stage robbery was committed tefore he left the state Cf Maine.
 It was remembered yesterday that the adobe hollse on the lot where Tues day nights digging occurred was in- habited by a man who was convicted of inp,tcation in robbery of Wick enburg stage. He was sent to the pen- itentlary. It Is believed that the men who did the digging on Tuesday night did not locate the place by any nearby landmark, out by accurate measure ment from a street corner. possibly Second avenue and Adams About four years ago a similar mysterious eY- Cavation was made on the lot adjoln- ing the Padget building at a point about the same distance from the same corner, though in an opposite di- rection. The work in both cases was probably done by strangers acting un- der accurate instructions, but who misunderstood them as to the dlrec- tion the first time.
 On the subject of the unlawful hand ling of gold bullion bars this story told by J. A. Pcr.erie, the assaycr, is re- called;
 Several years ago he was awakened one night by vigorous rapplng at his door. He answered and two men, mounted on mules, confronted him. They told him they wanted to melt a bar of bullion. Mir. Porterie asked them to return in the morning but they replied that they wanted to get away before daylight. They said they would pay him well for the trouble of lighting the furnace and would do the work themselves. The assayer dressed himself and accompanied his visitors, They tied their mules to those willow trees which stand on Monroe street between First and Sec ond. They took bag from one of the mules and following MT. Porterie to his office took out of the bag a crucible and a god bar about a foot long, two inches wide and an inch and half thick and covered with stamps which Mr. Porterle had no opportunity to make out. Mr. Porterie lighted the fire and one of the men took charge of the melting operations, in which he had certainly had earlier experience, though he was swift and reckless melter. He emptied a lot of Mexican silver coins into the crucibie with the gold bar and asked for boraX and other ingredients used in fusing. MT. Poftcr!e pointed out bag containing borax, but the stranger in his hurry, threw in a handful of bone ash from another bag.
 Something's wrong with your bo- raX." he said few minutes later, when scum began to rise on the molten mass. He took up wire skinner and began throwing the scum on the floor. He did 1t in the most hurried manner. The molten metal hardened and gath cred on the bottom of the skinner and the qualification grew In breadth and thickness as the skimming pro- ceeded.
 At last the appearance of the metal met the approval of the operator and he put it into a mold, and when 1t was hardened he threw it into tub of water. Mir Porterie shut his eyes, ex- pecting an explosion which did not oc- cur. As soon as the new bar was cool enough the men fished it out and asked the assayer what they owed him.