The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-11
MEXICO OWNED NEARBY
Would Be Worked for a Sea-
son and Carefully Hidden

ny NhSAtco, anu Her people visited IL
yearly. By an agreement with the In
dians here, the Mexicans received only a
share of the product of the mine. Their
voyages with crude mining tools with
which to perform the work, and burros
with which to transport the ores, occur
red every summer. The mine would be
worked for season, the entrance care
fully concealed and the visitors would
then return to their native land.
Finally. while the visitors were here,
winter came upon them unusually early
and they decided to remain and take
home with them the products of two
years labor instead of one. While they
were making preparations for their de-
parture the Indians, thinking this would
be their last journey, fell upon them and
exterminated all but three or four, who
escaped. Maps and charts had been pre-
pared showing the location of this mine
in crude manner, copy brought with
them and a copy left in Mexico The
mine was never again visited. In later
years one or two of the survivors. with
a small party. attempted to locate it.
but they were driven away by the In
dians. The chart of the country was pre-
seen a party of Mexicans prospecting in
the vicinity of the Lost Mine
a few years ago, Mr.. L. Bryan, whose
address is Waco, Tex, was sheriff OF
Limestone county. Texas. While attend
ing to some business at the penitentiary
he learned that an inmate, an aged Mexi-
can, knew of the charts locating this
mine. The Mexican had been sentenced
for life and had been imprisoned for
twenty-five years.
He tol0 Mr.. Bryan that when young
man he had hunted for this mine with
one of the survivors of the massacre; he
asserted that the chart showed the mine
to be on the west side of Otter creek, less
than one-half mile from the south side
of the mountains, near a series of oak
trees marked by saving limbs from the
side nearest the mine. Mr.. Bryan made
trip here and found the general de-
scrption of the place to be as the MeXi
can had described it. No particular search
was made for the place, but it has since
been designated at the Lost Mine" or
the Lost Mexican
In the meantime United States troops
had been sent into this vicinity and had
established fort (RadZminskD on the
south side of section 16 3 n, II W. !. NJ,
three miles northwest of Mountain Park.
Many rows of graves between a small
lake on the west and Otter creek on the
east remain TO tell the story of a con-
fiict with the Indians and MeXicans. Some
skulls whose forms prove them To be nom
American nave frequently been found on
this spot by cattlemen, whose haunt it
has been since their advent into this
country
The mountains in this vicinity are
known to be rich in ore. The red iron"
the miners index for gold. can be found
almost anywhere, and copper stains are
| common. Every foot of land subject TO
the pick and shovel between North Fork
and Comanche county has ( miner s
monument upon it and the location shafts
are being sunk. Miners have come from
California. klondike and Cripple Creek.
and all of them pronounce the outlook as
most fattering.
On Thursday, November % 1893. when
E. Fancher. living three and one-half
miles northwest of Mountain Park, was
working in one of his mines he saw rab-
! bit run under stone. Here he found a
! gun barrel Investigation showed that
| there was much more. but he concluded
! to leave it until the next day. He whis-
| pered it 10 Mitchell and Hays. attorneys
/ at Mountain Park and invited them to be
present On the next day these three
! persons together with Mr.. Fancher's S
/ brother. Logan, rolled away few stones
/ removed a few shovels full OF dirt and
] exhumed a skeleton. Two rocks were
! leaning naturally together in an a.
/ shape, facing the south. The body had
I been placed here head to the west, and
the opening almost closed with rocks
/ The skull was on top Of the ground Near
! the head and pointing tosthe north was
/ the rusty old gun barrel, big fifty bore.
rihed. with the breech pin bent upward.
! indicating that the gun had been used
/ as a club and broken. The brass trim
! mings of the stock lay near the feet.
! Near the gun barrel were found hoe.
/ an axe. stone smoking pipe, frying pan.
/ knife. file milestone, three bars Of lead
and bullet moulds. About half way be-
tween the head and feet were found
[ pieces of wool cloth coarsely woven. part
OF a belt buckle. a large silver medal and
/ a nugget Of copper and gold. Here also
we've found the old flint lock and five or
six hlnts. The medal is four or five
in~m,s IN diameter. On one side is a
raised figure representing two hands
i clasped: on one cuff IS the American
eagle. on the other are three bars ex-
/ tending legthwise OF the euf. Above the
+ hands are a pipe and tonahawk crossed.
On this side Of the medal are the words
Peace and Friendship" On the other
side is a bust Of President Jefferson with
/ dent Of the United States. A D. isei-' =
silver ring Is fastened 10 q pest on the
top Of the medal The nugget has not
been assayed. bat & Ii. Haliett. 4 mining
expert. says that Il viii run about - per
/ cent copper aud probably sSe 10 Si.oS TO
+ the ton in gold. 1t Is in It's natural state,
s showing the formation from which il
came
The left leg OF the unfortunate has been
broken between the hip and knee. The
bone Is much larger here and is knit to-
gether FOR about four inches. One hand
both feet. part of the yerSebras and the
lower right side cf the skull are missing.
The teeth are perfect except that the
middle snolar OF the right half Of the
lower Jaw is absent \ hole IN the skun
Spout the size of silver dollar above
and behind the left ear tells the stofy q
his death. II Is plain 20 be seen that The
piece Of the skull ~ss cut out al one
/ blow 81 a sharp Instrument Near where
( the feet should have been were found tie
Z brass trimmings Of tho gun stock In q
ravine about fifty fee, beloSs the skeleton
acre found thsee cedar sepee poies- These
may o. may nos belcns with The ether