The Florence tribune., 1901-04-27
NEGRO BEN's SECRET.
An Early Day Tale of the Wickenburs
 Mining District.
LFrom the Arizona Renubllean.l ]

came down ou yesterday mornings | train and is stopping at the Commercial hotel. Being from the vicinity of the | new discovery on the Hatfield Upton | property, he was, of course, eagerly | questioned regarding it and asked if l . there were any late developments. l He had nothing to say except that he verified all previous reports. The prop erty has enough gold in sight to make the present owners rich, as the term is generally used, and there is every indication present to warrant the belief l that the prospect will develop into one of the big mines of the world.
 Assayer Porterie happened along about the time this little interview took place, and hearing enough of the conversation to determine its nature, he related little incident that may be known to many, but is, nevertheless, worth repeating for the benefit of those who have not heard it. The story related by MT. Porterie is one told him by A. H. Peoples, who died here a few years ago, and who was we'll known by all the old timers in this vicinity as one of the men who made mining famous in this country in the early days. Mir. Peoples came here away back before most folks began keeping record of time, along with Jack Swilling, Mir. Bradshaw, after whom the Bradshaw mountains were named, MT. Weaver, after whom the Weaver district was named, and a colored man called Negro Ben.
 This party and others who were here at the time were among the foremost to explore the Rich Hill and Weaver districts, and later to make headquar- ters at Wickenburg, after that camp was settled. Mir. Peoples told Mir. Porterie that Negro Ben, shortly after his advent into the country, made remarkable discovery that he refused to talk aoout or regarding which he refused to take anyone into his con fidence. He said that the darkey would stay around Wickenburg for few days or weeks until he got broke, then some night he would suddenly disappear, and, after an absence of two or three days or possibly week, he would return in the night with his burro heavily weighted down with gold ore.
 He would spend the next few days grinding mp and washing out his ore and the proceeds would net him money enough to pay his little debts and get on big drunk. After his money was exhausted he would repeat the perform anee, and so on until his career was ended.
 He was often watched, in the hope that the location of his rich mineral deposit could be found, but he was always too sly to give himself away. He invariably left the camp going west toward Harqus Hala, and retur ned from the same direction. When the pig excitement following the discovery of gold in the Harqua Halas first broke out, Mir. Peoples was prone to believe that Negao Ben's mine was located somewhere in that regon. The only thing that kept him from thinking So  was the fact than Ben would frequent ly make trips so short that he woulC hardly have time to go so far. On' day when he was gone more than thC usual length of time his acquaintances began to fear he had some mishap, SC searching party was organized ana his body was found about four miles west of Wickenbnrg. There were un mistakble signs that he had been kille' by the Apaches, who in those day roamed all through the mountains t the north. His burro, all that wa left of it, was not far away, and thu flesh of the animal was sliced off wit big knives and probably eaten. Tn carcass of the animal showed conclr sively that it had been mutilated b human hands and not by coyotes. Tn theory was maintained, and there ha been nothing to controvert it, that Be was the first negro the Apaches ha ever seen and that they had killed hin more through superstition than any thing else.
 It is now believed by the old timer that Negro Ben's rich find was eithe at, or in the vicinity of, the preser big strike, north of Wickenburg, ar that Ben, after going few miles we turned his steps northward to thi locality. There are lots of rich plac' diggings, or were, unless they hay
 been worked out, in that immediat neighborhood, and it is not improbab
 that Ben had a rich placer find or
 golden ledge in that vicinity.