The Arizona sentinel., 1901-01-02
LOST ON THE DESERT.
w. L. Hopkins Goes Too Far From Camp-HaS Not Been Seen
 Since Dec. l0.

1thNS DVSs
 The desert claims one more victim. On Thursday of last week the startling intelligence reached Yuma that w. l.. Hopkins, one of the earliest of the Cal ifornia and Arizona pioneers, had been missing from Mesquite, mining camp near Glamis, on the s. P. railroad, since December 18th, and had undoubt- edly periShed on the desert. The sad news was corroborated on Saturday by Joe Werninger, who arrived from Mes quite and furnished the following par ticulars of the old gentleman's disap- pearance:
 Hopkins was doing some development work on some mining claims in the Mesquite district, and on the afternoon of the 18th he started to get pail of water at a place known as the Red Cloud house. Some one noticed him hang his pail on the fence after reach ing this house and go off toward some placer grounds mile or so distant and he has not been seen since.
 As the old gentleman was known to be thoroughly familiar with he country his going toward the placer grounds attracted no particular attention, but when the next morning the pail was still to be seen where be had left 1t the day before, his friends were naturally alarmed and at once organized searching parties and many miles of the wild and desolate region were traversed, but the missing man could not be found. His footprints were traced to the Chuck-a- Wala-Wala mountains and there dis appeared. It was found where he had plunged through cacti, perhaps after becoming crazed from the terrors of his situation and was rushing wildly, he knew not where. It may be he wan dered farther away than he thought, and darkness coming on, the old man got bewildered and lost his bearings later his reason; then wandered blindly for days suffering the awful tortures of hunger and thirst until nature could stand no more, when he fell and the unpitying desert became his tomb.
 w. L, Hopkins was born on Long Island in 1880. He came to San Fran cisco via Cape Horn in lS4S, and in 1849 he carried the chain and assisted in the survey of the site upon which the city of Sacramento stands today. In the early period of gold discovery in Cali fornia he engaged in mining at Bull lard's Bar, on the south fork of the Yuba river, and later did an express business, carrying the mail and treas ure between Dowellville, OrOville and Marysville. Subsequently he was a trusted agent of the Wells-Fargo Ex- press company and the California Stage company, during which period he was married, and lost his wife.
 He came to Fort Yuma in 1866, and was in the employ of the government as clerk and book-keeper in the quar- termaster's department for several years, and later filled the offices of county recorder and county treasurer. During Cleveland's first administration he was postmaster at Yuma.
 Of late years Mir. Hopkins has made his home two miles south of Yuma on a ranch in which he was interested with General Sumner. About year ago he went to Mesquite, where he owned valuable mining interests in which he hoped to interest capital.
 MT. Hopkins had many friends in Arizona who will learn of his terrible fate with sorrow.