The copper era., 1903-11-05
STORY OF THE
DIAMOND FIELDS
Of Arizona, Which We're in New
Mexico.

4uOA~LO'
Good evening, gentlemen. How
far is it TO the landing?'
about two miles, but there is no
one there. Stay and camp with us
'Al right, thank you very much.
We are worn out and these horses are
about done for"
This conversation occurred on VIII
liams Fork, above Aubery on the
Colorado river. We had copper
prospec. and few head OF stock
there, and the latch string always
hung out Our guests we found good
fellows. Americans. disguised prospect
ors returning to California with a poor
report for their employers, wealthy
mining men. They found no placer
they had a little buck.kin sack with
bright pebbles picked from the ant
hills on the plains which they joke
ing!y called precious stones. They
stayed until the steamer came. We
bought their stock and they bid us and
forever On this date, 'G8, Arizona was
in bad order inside. Many Of the dis
charged California volunteers return
ing home had damned it to a finish.
1t was indeed very dull, the Nulture
was the only producing mine, and il
made tardy payments in its own gold
bullion, which was over valued. Uncle
Sam was in fact, the grub man. The
government posts furnished all the
business that Sage LOwnal, the Alta
Californian had said, thata sign board
should be placed on the crossings on
the Colorado river on which should 5c
written the inscription from Dante"
"Whoever cntcreth here leaveth hope
behind, which was vile slander but
there is one thing sure, it never was
intended for picnic ground.
Now it used to be said, that in Ari-
zOna two and two made nine or any
other indefinite number, and the un
expected always happened. 1t held
good iE this for some three months
after hearing the steamers whistle al
the landing we rode down, and who !
should we find but one Of our dis
gusted prOspectOrs. Bob Slack came
back, as he expressed it. to have an
other chance to get snake bit, and his
partner, G.. Arnold, who was gone to
Kentucky with bis wife, would join
him POGO pronto with a good outfit. !
Could they stay with III? Could they
get us to help pack them out? Stay
with us, yes. Pack them out, We
reckoned not. Mr. Slack stayed and
was good company. He played poker
too and was good loser, which made
things very pleasant. He bought
some stock AMI fixed pack saddles
against the time Arnold should come. !
still he came not. We got our mail
from La Paz, which was then the /
county sea- for Yuma, and to my care |
came letter for Slack. 1t bore a
foreign stamp aud marked Cape Town.
| said nothing when Mr.. Slack re- |
marked it was all right, Arnold bad |
been detained, but would be here next |
week and sure enough he came with /
much plumber, two new English shot |
guns aud two boxes about three feet
long and a foot high weighing over one |
hundred pounds each. He explained |
they were prospecting for wealthy /
Californians, w. Lent, Senator
Sharon. Rawlston and others. The |
description of the topography OF the
country over which they had made
thoir former trip pleased them and
they were going 10 Ia Ie a better look
as they thought it was gold country.
WoIld we pack them out? Now had
sized up those boxes and done some
thinking. They were filled I was sure
with some kind OF earth. | felt glad
tingle go all along my nerves at the
thought 80 dear to the hearts of 50
many old prospcCtors, that these guests
of ours were about To salt gold placer
for the big men of California street to
bite at. You see at this time mining
in California was dull too. The custom
mills in the mines were mainly owned
by clique in San Francisco and the
about what they chose 10 give, aud
they gave after fashion, it is said Of
all old time millerS give you the tole
and they keep the grist. Now maybe
they were going to get dose of their
own medicine. No time was wasted
We had pair of mules, which had
strayed from the government herd and