Arizona republican., 1901-04-06
NEGRO BrN's SECRET
An Early Day Tale of the Wickenburg
 Mining District.

MT. A. r tuntnef Wno mas cNarse of the Keystone Gold & Copper com | pany's properties ir the Wickanburg' district, came down on yesterday mornings train and is stopping at the Commercial hotel Being from the v- cinity of the new discovery or the Hat fielQ-Upton property he was. of course, | eagerly questioned regarding it and asked if there were any ate develop ments.
 He had nothing to say except that he verified all previous reports. The property 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 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 it's nature, he related a little incident that may be known to many, but is neverthe- less worth repeating for the benefit of those who have not heard It.
 The story as related by MT. Porterie Is one told to him by A. H. Peoples, who died here a few years ago, and who was well 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. MT. Peoples came here way back before most folks began keeping a record of time along with Jack Swil!ing. Mir. Bradshaw, after whom the Bradshaw mountains were named; MT. Weaver. after whom the Weaver district was named, and a colored man called Negrio 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 Por- terie that Negro Ben shortly after his advent into the country, made remarkable discovery that he refused to talk about or regarding which he refused to take anyone into his con- fdence. He said that the darkey would stay around Wickenburg for a few days of weeks until he got broke. then some night he would suddenly disap- pear, 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 up 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 re- peat the performance, 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 the Harqua Halas. and returned from the same direction. When the big excitement following the discovery of gold Tn the Harqua Halas first broke out MT. Peoples was prone to believe that Negro Ben's mine was located somewhere in that region. The only thing that kept him from thinking so, was the fact that Ben would frequently make trips so short that he would hardly have time to go so far. One day when he was gone more than the usual length of time his acquaintances began to fear he had had some mishap. so a search ing party was organized and his body was found about four miles west of Wickenburg. There were unmistakable signs that he was killed by the Apaches, who in those days roamed all through the mountains to the north. His burro, all that was left of 1t, was not far away, and the flesh of the animal was sliced off with big knives and probably eaten. The carcass of the animal showed conclusively that it had been mutilated by human hands and not by coyotes. The theory was maintained, and there has been noth- ing to controvert it, that Ben was the first negro the Apachss had ever seen and they killed him more through sup erstiton than anything else.
 It is now believed by the old-timers that Negro Ben's rich find was either at or in the vicinity of the present big strike, north of Wickenburg, and that Ben after going a few miles west turned his steps northward to that To- caity. There are lots of rich placer dggngs, or were. unless they have been worked out. in that immediate neighborhood, and it is not improbable that Ben either had a rich placer find or golden ledge in that vicinity.