The Red Cloud chief., 1904-02-19
FORTUNE in DESERT
RICH FIND MADE BY A LONE
PRosPEcToR.
George Simmons Discovery Of Long
Abandoned Mine Made Him the
Turquoise kine"-Assassinated by
Discharged Foreman.

The turquoise king is dead. A career
OF thrilling adventures and hair.
breadth escapes, a life in which the
smile OF fortune came at the most IN.
expected times and places. has been
ended, like the lives Of so many others
bearing royal titles. by an ~assassin's
bullet.
George Simmons. the turquoise king.
was a frequent visitor in Denver dur.
ing the later years Of his life. Mr..
Simmons was murdered on October
Is at Marvel, Cal. an isolated mining
town near the Nevada line. While get.
ting into a wagon to drive home he
was shot and instantly killed by w. II.
Miller, n foreman whom he had dis.
charged a year or so ago.
The discovery of his mine was an
example of his keen scent for the
unusual. Riding through the Crescent
mountains in the Mojave desert n
day, he noticed at a little distance a
slight elevation or mound. which
although perhaps undisturbed for cen-
turtles, had apparently been built by
human hands. A closer examination
of the heterogeneous materials com
posing the mound convinced him of its
artificial character, and as it was toe
large for an ordinary grave. he deter
mined to investigate further. Digging
down into the center of the mound. he
came upon a stone and later complete
sets of the rude stone tools used in
mining by uncivilized persons. Con.
tinuing the excavation. he opened mp
the workings of an ancient mine and
the deposits Of turquoise which after.~
ward brought him wealth.
Fol years he kept the location OF
the mine a secret, working it in a DIES.
ultOry manner. The property was not
patented. and lest some wandering
prospectors should run upon it by
accident he built a stockade around it
and kept a man with a Winchester ON
guard night and day. People who tried
TO learn the location of his mine by
following him into the desert found
that it Ia a dangerous business. For
instance. there was Jim McClurg. one
VI tut hiSl Hl'H "lOSt dtuldIUtduCt
Simmons made in Denver. Unknown
to Simmons. McClurg boarded theH
same train with the owner of the mine
and followed him to Nevada. simmons
quick eye. however, caught a glimpse
Of McClurg as the latter got down
from the rear end of the train at their
destination. and the Denver man was
nrnnnnt1u uyarnnI thnt "a ln,l1at x.n,Il
stop him il he attempted to follow
Simmons TO the mine.
On Simmons first visits to Denver
he used to bring with him a large trav-
-ling grip filled with splendid tur-
'quoises. The stones were pale blue in
color, while those from the old mines
In New Mexico were dark blue, and
at first it was hard to find buyers for<
the product of Simmons mine. Now
the light blue stones are the favorite
and find a ready sale.
Failing TO get enough money from
the sale of the t%urquoises to patent
the property and develop II, Simmons
went to London to secure capital. He
put a valuation OF 500, 900 on his mine
and floated it on that basis, although
it was really worth three times that
mount.
When he returned to New York.
Simmons put up at the Waldorf
Astoria. The collection of turquoises
he had with him were the talk of the
hotel. Some n got him to show
them to a party Of ladies'. including the
wife of the manager, Boldt. The lat.
ter asked him to put a price on a par
ticularly fine stone weighing SO karats.
Simmons said 81 900, not for a moment
expecting TO make a sale, but Mrs.
Bolt turned to her husband and had
him write out a check for that
amount. One OF the stones in the col
lection was the largest in the world,
weighing 164 carats. An agent OF a
New York dealer followed him, offer.
ing him $4,000. 1t was simmons am.
bition to get a 2%00.carat stone and he
finally SupcaoIod -napya, nr;-,o.